Police Story 2: Special Collector's Edition – DVD Review

Film, Reviews


Available at Amazon.com

Directed by
Jackie Chan

Cast:
Jackie Chan …. Chan Ka Kui
Maggie Cheung …. May
Kwok-Hung Lam …. Supt. Raymond Li
Bill Tung …. Bill Wong
Benny Lai …. Deaf Criminal
John Cheung …. Cheung
Charlie Cho …. John Ko
Yuen Chor …. Mr. Chu
Ben Lam …. Tall Pau
Chi Fai Chan …. Ngor
San Kwan …. President Fung


The Movie:

There’s a certain type of delirious joy that comes from watching a classic Jackie Chan film, whether it be either Drunken Master film, Supercop, Police Story or a number of others that were made during the golden period of the actor’s career from the late 70’s to the mid 90’s. The man’s flawless timing, whether it be as a comedian, action god or director, made him one of the most popular stars in the entire world, but being that he wasn’t given much exposure in America until after his prime, many have not been able to enjoy many of Jackie’s greatest hits. Hopefully, this will change now that Quentin Tarantino and the Weinstein Company have started their new Dragon Dynasty line of DVDs. Having already released Chan’s classic first entry in the Police Story series, Chan’s epic Police Story 2 now finally gets an American release for the first time, and it turns out it was worth the wait.


Picking up right after the first film’s nonstop conclusion (it even features a highlight reel of the first film’s incredible stunts), Police Story 2 gives you much of the same experience only bigger, as the star’s maverick cop Officer Chan Ka Kui is back for more insanity. We’re thrown right in, as a technicality releases the criminals that were put away by Chan in the original, and they begin harassing our hero and his girlfriend, May (Maggie Cheung). A stunning sequence where Chan gets revenge on the gangsters lets you know exactly what you’re in for the rest of the way, as Ka Kui makes his way across an exceedingly busy highway (Some of which was actually real traffic!) and then proceeds to single-handedly destroy a restaurant using his fists, feet, chairs, and opponents’ bodies as weapons.

Again, the volume is basically just turned up on all aspects of this picture, whether it’s the film’s love story between Ka Kui and May, the hard hitting fights, or eye-popping stunt work. A lot of this can be attributed to Chan himself, who grew not only as a performer, but as a director in the short amount of time between the original and this sequel. The introduction of steadicam into Jackie’s repertoire as well as taking the breaks off his own stunt team are two keys to this movie’s overwhelming success as this sequel’s box office receipts lead to two more entries; Supercop and then First Strike.


Even with all this excess though, the movie’s greatest pleasure is simply watching Chan’s performance. A ten on one fight scene in a children’s playground is a sight to behold, featuring bats and other weapons, Chan nimbly makes the sequence look like a deadly dance number, as he fends off his attackers and takes our breath away in the process. Another sequence has Chan trying to escape near death as a bomb goes off in a plastic tube, and the slow motion footage shows Chan desperately trying to jump into a building right next to the blast before falling to the ground. The stunt team also gets ample time to shine, as villains fall out of second story windows and into oncoming traffic.

While the film’s plot may simply be a clothesline for more action and comedy, the movie gives you such superior examples of both that in the end it doesn’t matter. Chan is a one man wrecking crew, entertaining us as he puts his own life on the line, knocking down our expectations as he goes along. Stunt after stunt astounds us in a way that no piece of CGI ever could, as it’s the man’s physical determination that exhilarates his audience. Jackie Chan may have taken too long to break out in the States, but at least now by being able to see Police Story 2, we can enjoy another example of the man in his ultimate prime.


The DVD:


The Video
Police Story 2 looks better than ever as this Dragon Dynasty release has a beautifully crisp print for the movie. Grain and degradation are kept to a minimum, especially compared to past editions from international releases. The film is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1

The Audio
The Audio track is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and is incredible next to the original Audio track. There’s been quite a bit of upgrade done to the film in this respect also

SPECIAL FEATURES: Featurettes, Outtakes, Commentary, Trailers

Stunts Unlimited: The Legendary Police story 2 Stunt Team – This is a terrific look at the Jackie Chan stunt team, with account with many of its members as they recall their experiences and fears working on this picture. Little details brought up here are tremendous, as one stunt man recalls how there was an intense rivalry between Jackie’s team and the stunt team ran by Sammo Hung, and how they had to keep outdoing each other. Others talk about how they were treated as if they were Martial Arts masters, and with great respect just because they were part of the team.

Police Story 2 Location Guide – This neat Featurette has Hong Kong film expert Bey Logan showing us many of the locations in Police Story 2 in their modern form. We get looks at the police stations and other locations where much of the action took place.

Celebrating a Sequel — A Conversation with Brett Ratner and Bey Logan – Perhaps a bit of a fluff piece, but this Featurette is a fun 8 minutes as Director Brett Ratner and Bey Logan gush over the movie’s awesomeness. They do point out little bits of trivia, such as a scene where a stunt driver was reluctant to hit Jackie with a truck full on until he was threatened to be fired, which are actually quite interesting.

Rare alternative outtakes – Pure bliss as we’re given even more outtakes than those that appear at the end of the movie. Awesome stuff.

Commentary by Rush Hour Director Brett Ratner and Hong Kong Cinema Expert Bey Logan – Bey Logan dominates this commentary track with wall to wall information about the locations and action throughout this movie. Ratner isn’t a big help on this track, but I can appreciate his fanboy love for Chan, which is evident all throughout this commentary.

Trailers You get the US and Hong Kong Trailers for Police Story 2, as well as others for the original, The Protector, and Seven Swords.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Police Story 2 (Special Collector’s Edition)
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE MOVIE

9
THE VIDEO

8
THE AUDIO

8
THE EXTRAS

7.5
REPLAY VALUE

10
OVERALL
9
(NOT AN AVERAGE)

The Inside Pulse
Thank God for these Dragon Dynasty DVDs. Otherwise, who knows when we’d get a chance to see these amazing films with such great content. Police Story 2 is an amazing example of Hong Kong Cinema and now with this great DVD so many more can finally expereince it. The extras on this disc are wonderful as well, making this a top notch purchase for Chan fans.

Robert Sutton feels the most at home when he's watching some movie scumbag getting blown up, punched in the face, or kung fu'd to death, especially in that order. He's a founding writer for the movies section of Insidepulse.com, featured in his weekly column R0BTRAIN's Badass Cinema as well as a frequent reviewer of DVDs and Blu-rays. Also, he's a proud Sony fanboy, loves everything Star Wars and Superman related and hopes to someday be taken seriously by his friends and family.