Monday 27 November 2017

Retro Review: Police Story 2 (1988) #JackieChan

Police Story 2 (Ging Ghaat Goo Si Chuk Chap)
1988
Cast: Jackie Chan, Bill Tung, Maggie Cheung, Lam Kwok-Hung, Chor Yuen, Charlie Cho
Genre: Action
Hong Kong Box Office Gross: over $34 million

Plot: Villains kidnap a Hong Kong policeman's girlfriend as he investigates a bombing/extortion scheme





'Not As Amazing As Police Story, But Still A Very Good Action Movie'

The sequel to 1985's blockbusting, Police Story sees Jackie Chan reprising his role as Sergeant Chan Ka Kui and the events in this movie occur straight after the first film, and so it is pretty much a continuation from Police Story one, but with different villains. This time, his task is to foil some bombers who intend to blow up shopping complexes and anything and anyone. After receiving a telling off by superiors for the damage he caused during the shopping mall fight, which was insane and incredible to watch, Chan is demoted to highway patrol duty, with his girlfriend, May played by Maggie Cheung pleased and with that, she is looking forward to spending more time with Chan. & yet, just as they are about to go on vacation and get away from all the mayhem and anarchy, Chan is recalled when a bent cop that put the main baddie, Chu Tao behind bars is on the loose. Tao's also in no hurry to harass May and Jackie's mother. Chan has to capture the terrorists, as well as rescue his girlfriend and thus, salvage their relationship before it is too late. 

The Police Story series of films have been a very lucrative business for Jackie Chan as in Hong Kong, they gross over millions of dollars. 


There is a fight scene in a restaurant and one taking place in the playground, which is ace, a set-piece where Chan is jumping and landing from one bus to another & whilst the action is enjoyable for the most part, the story rambles on and it gets to a point where it can be monotonous. There is definitely a tad more action here than Police Story 1 with huge explosions and whatnot, but the story, as interesting as it gets as it progresses further on, isn't that great. 

I found Maggie Cheung's character, May more irritable and her whining really made me take a huge disliking towards her. I mean I do understand her frustration at the way Kai treated her and left her on the plane, but her whining annoyed the heck out of me. & I was relieved whenever she wasn't onscreen. There is also a weird deaf guy baddie, who makes really stupid noises that did my head, but who still kicked ass. 

After I much enjoyed the first film, the second film turns out to be slightly disappointing with the writing here not as good and entertaining, the finale being as good as the first Police Story, but nowhere as larger-than-life and eye-popping and Cheng's May being annoying, even if her character does have a bigger role to play in it.
  




Final Verdict:

I need to get round to seeing the fourth Police Story & Police Story 3 is great, thanks to the addition of Michelle Yeoh and this film, Police Story 2 is considered as his weakest of the series by many people. Despite its larger scale, bigger budget and being highly ambitious and despite the huge explosions, stunts and Jackie Chan's butt-kicking fight scenes, it doesn't quite pack as much punch and oomph as its predecessor. 

I could have easily done without Maggie Cheung and I didn't like how her character was written by Chan. Police Story 2 is the flipside to Police Story 1 - whilst the first film was low on plot, it was high on action and in this second film, it's the reversal of that: not so much great action and lots of story and plot. It is very heavily story-driven, which I don't mind, just as long as there is plenty of great action - and here, that is not so quite the case. 

Having said all that, this was still highly entertaining and even with the slightly monotonous story, as the action sequences still make up for it.



Overall:



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