Project S (1996)

Such a frustrating disappointment

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Review: I rented this movie, expecting it to be Police Story 3: Supercop but it turned out to be a movie that had 3 different names, which I found really confusing. Its known as either Supercop, Supercop 2 or Project S so if you have seen any of those movies, it's the same one. I think the confusion is because they named the third Police Story, Supercop as well. Anyway, this movie is based around an high ranked cop, Jessica Yang (Michelle Yeoh), who risks her life in China, to fight against crime. After being awarded a medal for her accomplishments in the force, her boyfriend tells her that he wants to move to Hong Kong to make some serious money because the army doesn't pay him well, so he leaves her in China to pursue his dreams to become a millionaire. Jessica then gets a call from the police force in Hong Kong because they need her to solve a case about a group of gun tooting criminals who have held up a bank and stolen important documents, so she heads to Hong Kong, only to find out that the head of the group of criminals is her boyfriend. With the help of her new friends in the Hong Kong force, they tackle the criminals who are plotting to steal loads of cash from a heavily guarded bank. The action wasn't bad in this film and the storyline was half decent but I kept on wondering when Chan was going to pop up. He has a small sketch, dressed up as a woman but apart from that, he isn't in the movie at all. I've always been a fan of Michelle Yeoh because of her no fuss acting style and her unique kicking Kung Fu. Her acting in this film was quite good, along with the rest of the cast and I'm glad that the director didn't over complicate the storyline. It did look a bit low budget in parts and the music was awful but the action scenes were impressive. There isn't any of those silly comedic scenes throughout the movie, until Chan does his little sketch, so there is a sense of intensity throughout. For entertainment it does tick all of the boxes and they even added a romantic element which made this movie watchable and enjoyable in parts. Round-Up: Although I was expecting a Jackie Chan movie when I rented this film, I actually was surprised that I enjoyed it. It was directed by the highly rated Stanley Tong who also made Swordsman II, Police Story: Supercop, which I thought this movie was, Rumble in the Bronx, First Strike, Mr. Magoo, Martial Law (Series) and the Myth with Jackie Chan. He didn't really have a big budget to make this movie but it done well with the money that he had. Its obvious that you need a big star like Chan, to get the big budgets because your usually guaranteed your money back but Michelle Yeoh, 53, is definitely worth the investment now, because she has starred in some big movies like Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha, Fearless with Jet Li, Danny Boyles Sunshine, Babylon A.D. with Vin Diesel, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the Lady and Kung Fu Panda 2. She has definitely proved that she is a versatile actor who always puts in good performances and she was amazing as Aung San Suu Kyi in the Lady. Budget: $900,000 Worldwide Gross: $16.2millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their action/crime/martial arts/comedies starring Michelle Yeoh, Rongguang Yu, Emil Chau and a special appearance by Jackie Chan. 4/10

I guess as a generic Hong Kong movie it's okay .. but if you are expecting some high powered karate then you'll be disappointed.Not being very well versed in karate movies, I figured I can't go wrong with Michelle Yeoh. I loved her in the Bond movie, and was hoping for something similar. No such luck.I guess if you want to see Michelle strut around in a uniform, sit at a computer or talk endlessly with her fellow agents, then this is the film for you.What little she does (in the opening scenes especially) is great, and she shows agility, grace and strength. But it's WAY TOO CHATTY.Another problem seems to be that she doesn't win many fights.... she usually needs an assist from somebody .. In my opinion, that ain't right. She's the star. She's the reason to watch.It would be as if James Bond needed Miss Moneypenny to haul his butt out of danger most the time ...If anyone could suggest a good female based movie like this I'd appreciate it ... It's funny how the Jackie Chan movies have almost non-stop action, but the few female based movies I've seem are top-loaded with sideline love interests, over-the-top goony comic characters and other "filler" ....At least, that's based on what little I've seen.

This follow-up to "Police Story 3" is not nearly as good as its predecessor, despite having the same director (Stanley Tong). Although it is supposed to be a starring vehicle for Michelle Yeoh, she has surprisingly little to do. She gets about 3 fight scenes in the entire film (she does show her awesome flexibility in those at least), and is absent during many of the climactic set-pieces! The whole movie seems to favor (dryly directed) gunplay over martial arts, and although there are some spectacular stunts, they are pretty much par for the course for Hong Kong cinema. The most interesting aspect of the movie is the relationship between Yeoh and the bad guy who sincerely loves her, but the ending resolves that in a rather too-convenient way. Jackie Chan has a 2-minute scene that is so outrageously silly you can't help but laugh; also watch out for a brief appearance by Yukari Oshima during the opening action sequence. (**)

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Yeoh some years ago, and she's a very intelligent, charming, and absolutely breathtaking woman. That was a great night, and knowing she does all this stuff for real is amazing. "Project S" is very entertaining and a great showcase for her skills, but it feels a bit like a low-budget cousin to the "Police Story" series. Give it a chance though, it's an efficient action flick, with good stuntwork and fight scenes. It's awfully melodramatic at times though....