Police Story 4: First Strike (1997)

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I loved the first two installments of Jackie Chan's 'Police Story' series, and wish I had seen the intervening adventures of Chan's character, Inspector Chan Ka Kui, ('Police Story 3: Supercop' and 'Project S'--though this is labeled Police Story 4, it's actually his very popular character's 5th appearance). Still, the story (basically a James Bond-type role, as he is forced by his boss to help the CIA prevent a Russian nuclear device from getting into the wrong hands) stands on its own, and is thrilling from start to finish, though something tends to be different and missing from his earlier Hong Kong exploits (though this was made there and dubbed--albeit horrendously--to help make him a star Stateside). If I had to put a finger on it, I think I prefer films that Chan directed himself. It's still extremely enjoyable, with set-pieces--especially when he defends himself with a stepladder--that approach awe-inspiring choreographed action perfection...

First Strike (1996): Dir: Stanley Tong / Cast: Jackie Chan, Jackson Lou, Jouri Petrow, Bill Tung, Wu Chen-chun: This film eventually strikes out big time with its horrible dubbing, but its first strike is its numerous martial arts sequences that seem to be chain linked. Jackie Chan stars as an agent sent to follow a woman. He discovers that the villains wish to steal a missile off of a warhead. This all occurs during a visit to the Ukraine, which isn't exactly his best bet for a vacation site since he nearly loses his life more times than a cat. Director Stanley Tong knows how to present the action and he is backed with fine winter location sites, but finding a script worth the time is his problem. Chan is subdued to bad dubbing and at one point held at gun point where his clothes are demanded leaving him in his underwear with only a car door to shield himself. Unfortunately he had nothing to shield himself from the lame writing. He is skilled and creative with these stunts, adding an innocent sense of humour, but it is all show and little substance. His co-stars are not exactly hand picked by the Academy Award voters either. Among them are Jackson Lou, Jouri Petrow, Wu Chen-chun, and Bill Tung and none of them are going out of their way to give a convincing performance. Conclusion includes bloopers and outtakes but the entire film pretty much sums that up. Score: 2 / 10

(Credit IMDb) Jackie, a cop, participates in a sting operation on an international spy-ring, but when one of them (Tsui) gets away, Jackie is ordered to apprehend him. This leads Jackie all over the globe starting with Tsui's sister in Australia. The story follows him as he tries to stay alive and capture the villain. This is an unrelated sequel to Police Story. It's the weakest of the lot, but as far as action goes, it delivers in a big way. Let me tell you something right from the outset. Forget about a solid storyline, its not gonna happen. It's very thin, plot-wise, and relies on big action sequences. The dubbing is atrocious, and the villains are so poor, that they are hardly even noticeable, despite a few twists and turns during this movie. Between the opening action sequence, involving some snowboarding, or some incredible stunt sequences by Jackie on a high building, and the amazing sequence, involving Jackie and a ladder, this movie is quite a thrill ride when the action sequences commence. Jackie Chan is reliable as ever. He doesn't have a whole lot to act with, but he has charisma in spades. His character shows some decent emotion at times as well. This was one of Jackie's breakout his in the USA. The rest of the actors are poorly dubbed, so it's hard to really say how they did. I also liked the well timed comedic sequences. Jackie knows how to combine action & comedy with the best of them. This is far from Jackie's best, hell. It's not even the best in the Police Story series, in fact, it's the worst. But that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable, because it is. Watch it for the action, and just have fun6.4/10

This moniker wasn't a joke. This movie really proved it's point. Compared to "Rumble in the Bronx" and "Supercop", "Jackie Chan's First Strike" packed a major punch! All the sabotage, the espionage, Jackie Chan was really ready to rumble. Survive the biting cold seemed rough for Jackie, but he managed very well. Sometimes he character seemed to wonder who were the good guys and who were the bad caused some wonder. In the scene where he was heavily bugged, he didn't do bad on the old 60's song "I Will Follow You", and it was embarrassing when everyone saw his posterior, I would rather hide in a thorny bush, than to be seen nude myself, unless the women are driven wild by male nudity. Then there's the fight scene in the aquarium, where the sharks and sea urchins have their way with the victims. And most of all the ladders fight which is the most memorable of all scenes. I liked it all, the turnout, the plot and the choreography, this Jackie Chan movie is the tops. Rating 4 out of 5 stars.