Police Story (film series)

Police Story(Chinese:警察故事系列) is aHong Kong actionfilm seriescreated by and starringJackie Chan. It comprises seven films, variously directed by Jackie Chan,Stanley Tong,Benny Chan, andDing Sheng, and produced byRaymond Chow,Leonard Ho, Jackie Chan, Barbie Tung,Willie Chan, Solon So and Yang Du. The first filmPolice Storywas released on 14 December 1985. The film's success led to three sequels, one spin-off (Supercop 2), and two reboots (New Police StoryandPolice Story 2013).
Chanbegan work on the film after a disappointing experience working with directorJames GlickenhausonThe Protector, which was intended to be his entry into theAmerican filmmarket. The firstPolice Storyfilm is considered by fans to be one of Chan's best films. It was a massive hit in Asia. According to his autobiography,I Am Jackie Chan, Chan considers the film his best, in terms of action andstunts. The first threePolice Storyfilms were voted among thebest action filmsof all time inTime Out's poll of film critics, directors, actors, and stunt actors, withPolice Storyranked 5th,Police Story 2ranked 61st,andPolice Story 3: Supercopranked 75th.
All of thePolice Storyfilms wereproducedbyRaymond Chow,Leonard Ho, Jackie Chan, Barbie Tung, Willie Chan, Solon So and Yang Du, distributed byGolden Harvest,Media Asia, Golden Way Films Co. Ltd., Fortune Star Media Ltd., andJCE Movies. They were all directed by Jackie Chan,Stanley Tong,Benny ChanandDing Sheng.
Police Story(Chinese:警察故事) was made in1985. TheRoyal Hong Kong Police Forceis planning a major undercover sting called "Operation Boar Hunt" to arrest crime lord Chu Tao (Chor Yuen). Inspector Chan Ka-Kui (or Kevin Chan in some versions) is part of the operation, along with undercover officers stationed in a shanty town. After arresting Chu, Chan's next assignment is to protect Chu Tao's secretary, Selina Fong (Brigitte Lin), who plans to testify in court about Chu Tao's illegal activities. The trial fails due to Selina's tampering with evidence. Though Chu Tao is released on bail, he wants revenge against Ka-Kui, framing him for the murder of fellow policeman Inspector Man. Meanwhile, Selina, realizing Chu's criminality, goes to his office at a shopping mall to download incriminating data from Chu Tao's computer system. Chu Tao and Chan notice this and head to the mall. In the ensuing fight, Ka-Kui defeats all of Chu Tao's henchmen while the police apprehend Chu and the briefcase.
Police Story 2(Chinese:警察故事續集), made in1988, featured many of the same actors reprising their roles from the original. The story picks up with Chan Ka-Kui being demoted to a traffic cop for causing so much damage in his apprehension of Chu. Chu has been released from prison on the pretense that he is terminally ill, and Chu and his clan continue to harass Chan and his girlfriend May as Chan gets reinstated to the detective unit when criminal bombers begin extorting money from businessmen. The film marks the last appearance ofLam Kwok-Hungas Superintendent Raymond Li.
Police Story 3: Supercop(Chinese:警察故事3超級警察), also known asSupercop, was made in1992.Michelle Yeohjoins the cast, portraying a police officer from mainland China. The story involves Chan and Yeoh's character going undercover to try to break up a drug smuggling ring. The action moves from China toKuala Lumpur, where Chan's girlfriend May is kidnapped. The film marks the last appearance ofMaggie Cheungas May. Michelle Yeoh reprises her role in the spin-off, calledSupercop 2.Dimension FilmsreleasedSupercopin the US in 1996 with some edits to the film, the complete replacement of all music and sound effects, and Englishdubbing.
Supercop 2(Chinese:超級計劃, also known asProject SorOnce a Cop), made in1993, is a Hong Kongaction filmdirected byStanley Tongand starringMichelle Yeoh. It is aspin-offofJackie Chan'sPolice Storyfilm series involving the character Yeoh portrayed inSupercop, Inspector Jessica Yang. The film is also known asProject Sin original territories and many other titles, includingPolice Story IV(inaccurately),Police Story 3 Part 2, andSupercop 2(US).
Both Jackie Chan and Bill Tung have cameo appearances as Inspector Chan Ka-Kui and "Uncle" Bill Wong in the film. Although Jackie Chan only has acameo appearance, some DVD covers prominently featured Chan, misleading audience to think that he was one of the main characters. He reprises his role as Inspector Chan, but in drag to catch a criminal in drag wearing the same wig and clothes.
Police Story 4: First Strike(Chinese:警察故事4之簡單任務), also known asFirst Strike,Police Story 4, orJackie Chan's First Strike, was made in1996and is the only film in thePolice Storyseries made partially in English. Jackie reprises his role as Chan Ka-Kui (also known in some versions as Jackie) for the final time as the Hong Kong cop works with Interpol to track down and arrest an illegal weapons dealer. Later Ka-Kui realizes that things are not as simple as they appear and soon finds himself a pawn of an organization posing as Russian intelligence. The action shifts away from Hong Kong and Asia, with a globe trekkingespionageplot, lending the film the air of aJames Bondadventure. TheNew Line Cinemarelease in the US contained various alterations. Filmed on location inUkraineandAustralia, the film also marks the last appearance ofBill Tung, who plays Chan's superior "Uncle" Bill Wong in the series.
New Police Story(Chinese:新警察故事), made in2004, is arebootof thePolice Storyseries. Chan portrays a disgraced detective named Chan Kwok-Wing, who accidentally leads his team into a trap from which he is the only survivor. Drowning his guilt in booze, he is eventually assigned a new younger partner who turns out to have his own secrets. However, they must work together if they are to stop the gang who killed Chan's team a year earlier. The film features younger Hong Kong actors such asNicholas Tse,Charlene Choi,Charlie YeungandDaniel Wu. The story features a more dramatic focus, taking a darker and more serious tone.
Police Story 2013(Chinese:警察故事2013), made in2013, starsJackie Chanin another reboot of the series. The film is directed byDing Sheng, who previously helmed Chan'sLittle Big Soldier. Unlike the previousPolice Storyfilms where he portrayed a Hong Kong cop, Jackie portrays a mainland Chinese officer named Zhong Wen. Zhong heads to Wu Bar in search of his estranged daughter, Miao Miao (Jing Tian). He disapproves of Miao's relationship with Wu Jiang (Liu Ye), the nightclub owner. However, Wu, who is looking for the release of a long-time prisoner, takes Zhong, Miao, and a group of strangers hostage. The film was distributed asPolice Story: Lockdownin the United States byWell Go USA Entertainmentand released in June 2015.
On 14 March 2023, a sequel to the film, titledNew Police Story 2was announced at the Hong Kong FILMART to be in development with starsJackie Chan,Nicholas Tse,Daniel Wu, andCharlene Choireturning while Chan will also serve as producer and Tse will also serve as director.
Jackie Chan's first film featuring Chan as aHong Kong copwas ablockbusterin Asia, Hong Kong, US and other foreign countries. Chan returned to fame after his first attempt to cross over toHollywoodended withThe Protectorbecoming abox office bomb. The film grossedHK$26,626,760 in Hong Kong.
Chan's second film in the series was an even bigger hit, grossing HK$34,151,609 in Hong Kong. Although the film was a huge success at the box office, it wasn't as appreciated as its predecessor at theHong Kong Film Awardsand only received one win.
Supercopis the first in thePolice Storyseries not to be directed by Jackie, withStanley Tongtaking over the helm. It is also the last appearance in the series forMaggie Cheungas Ka-Kui's girlfriend, May.Supercopgrossed HK$32,609,783 in its Hong Kong theatrical run.  After Chan's North American breakthrough inRumble in the Bronx,Supercopwas released in North America on 25 July 1996. Opening at 1,406 theatres, it grossedUS$5,503,176 ($3,914 per screen), on its way to a total gross of US$16,270,600. The North American release byDimensionwas well received.
James Berardinelliof websiteReelViewswrote: "As is usual in a Chan film, the end credits (which show out-takes of failed stunts) are one ofSupercop's highlights. There are more laughs in this hilarious three-minute sequence than in the whole ofKingpin. I can't think of a better reason to stay through the entire movie. Ultimately, the closing montage points out one of the chief differences between Chan's stylized, fast-paced films and those of his American counterparts: this is action with a smile, not a grimace".
In theWashington Post, Richard Harrington said: "Chan seems to have met his soul mate in Khan [Michelle Yeoh], Asia's top female action star. Like Chan, Khan does her own fighting and stunts. Unlike the Hollywood action contingent, Chan and Khan don't rely on cinematic trickery. Theirs are not special effects, just spectacular ones. Connoisseurs will find Chan's helicopter-train chase far riskier, more exciting and more believable than its mates inMission: ImpossibleandThe Living Daylights".
Supercop 2was released in Hong Kong on 21 October 1993. In Hong Kong, the film managed to gross HK$9,337,853 (as of 8 November 1993). The film was released to the US nearly three years later and it managed to gross US$16,270,600.
Almar Haflidason ofBBC Filmssaid: "While not original, it's a good set-up for an action film. Conflicts of loyalty, moments of terrible realisation, and the facing up to of terrible choices are on offer here, but a muddy script structure and some very weak attempts at comedy hamper the flow of the film as Yeoh is partnered with muppet-like partners".
First Strikewas an enormous box office success in Hong Kong, grossing HK$57,518,794 during its theatrical run. It remains Jackie Chan's highest-grossing film in Hong Kong.
The film was released on 10 January 1997 in 1,344 North American theatres, grossing US$5,778,933 ($4,299 per screen) in its opening weekend. Its total North American box office gross was US$15,318,863.
The version of the film released in North American cinemas byNew Linewas met with mixed critical response. OnRotten Tomatoesit has an approval rating of 52% based on reviews from 23 critics.
Mike LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chroniclewas among the most enthusiastic of the reviewers: "One of the pleasures of being alive at this period of history is Jackie Chan. There are other pleasures, of course, and other movie pleasures, too. But few things in film today are as reliable as a Jackie Chan movie. Even if the picture is weak, Chan is never disappointing. Watching him inJackie Chan's First Strike, a brand-new effort opening today, there's no doubt that this is a lovable original and a great popular artist. So this time Chan swims with sharks. He climbs from balcony to balcony on the top floor of a tall hotel building. He even—get this—drops 100 feet from a helicopter into a frozen lake, just as the helicopter explodes".
New Police Storyopened in Hong Kong on 23 September 2004, where it made HK$5,625,746 in its first three days. It ended its run with HK$21 million, making it the fourth highest-grossing domestic release of the year.
The film received a limited release in the United Kingdom on 13 October 2006. In its opening weekend the film grossedGBP$19,332 having been shown in 16 theatres. It ranked No. 21 at the box office and averaged $1,208 per theatre.As of 22 October 2006,New Police Storyhad grossed a total of GBP $33,404 in its two-week release in the UK.
Police Story 2013opened in China on 23 December 2013 and in Hong Kong on 16 January 2014 and was shown on 211,468 screens. It was a box office success, dominating the Chinese box office in the last week of the year, despite mixed reviews.
The film made US$21 million on its first weekend, and US$45 million in its first six days.Police Story 2013grossed US$94,249,025 worldwide. A public screening ofPolice Story 2013was held at the 2013 Beijing International Film Festival in April.
The following table shows the cast members who played the characters in the series.
Chan has performed the theme songs for the followingPolice Storyfilms.
Mr. Nice Guy(1997) was originally going to be the fifth film in thePolice Storyseries, with its setting inSydney, Australia, but in a month's time it was revised to become a stand-alone action film set inMelbourne.
Bleeding Steel(Chinese:機器之血) (2017), though not officially part of the franchise, was released under the titleポリス・ストーリー REBORN, Porisu Sutōrī Ribon(lit.Police Story Reborn) in Japanand even used an updated version of thePolice Storytitle song once again sung by Jackie Chan in the end credits.