Growing up in a Chinese household in the early 90's, my first exposure to action movies wasn't to Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone, but to Hong Kong stars like Chow Yun Fat and Jackie Chan whose action films, for my money, easily surpassed their Hollywood counterparts. In the years prior to Jackie Chan's big American success in Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon, Americans were slowly getting their feet wet with Chan in dubbed rereleases of some of his Hong Kong hits such as Rumble in the Bronx and Supercop.
I was positive I had seen this movie before when I was little but obviously I didn't remember anything from it, until I saw some of the familiar stunts which have somehow stuck with me after all these years. The Thailand shoot out and the helicopter/train scene were as familiar to me now as they were nearly twenty years ago. I streamed this over Netflix which has the English dubbed American release. Given that its an action comedy and that Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh participated in the dubbing process, it isn't a big distraction. Like the old martial arts flicks with the horrible dubbing, you didn't really care what they were saying anyways as long as they kicked ass. One weird thing they did in an obvious attempt to cater to an American audience is the inclusion of a hip hop soundtrack. It's not prevalent as there are only two scenes with with it playing in the background, but I was a little puzzled over hearing Tupac bumping at the boss's penthouse, complete with explicit lyrics and all. I somehow doubt a middle aged Chinese kingpin is listening to much gangster rap.
The plot follows Chan, a Hong Kong supercop, who is sent on an undercover mission to infiltrate a crime lord's gang. That's all you really need to know, really. The story arc should be familiar to anybody whose seen these type of undercover cop stories, but the real highlights are obviously the action sequences and the outrageous stunts, which this film has plenty of. Perhaps the best description I've ever read about the martial arts genre is that martial arts films are like musicals, in which there is a certain rhythm to them. There are plot points and dialogue to string you along until its about time for people to jump a motorcycle onto a moving train.
One thing that is markedly different from the more family friendlier films in Chan's catalogue is how violent Supercop is. There are surprisingly a lot of shootouts in this movie. It actually shouldn't be too shocking considering that the early 90's Hong Kong action films (especially John Woo and Chow Yun Fat movies) practically made an art out of mowing people down, but it's a little strange seeing Jackie Chan shooting someone. While the scenes are fine and have held up well even two decades later, I would have much rather seen more physical stunts by Chan and Yeoh.
As you all know, Jackie Chan is probably the most renowned stunt artist ever. The best part of a Jackie Chan movie comes at the end during the credits when they show the blooper reel. It's only then do you realize just how difficult it is to do what he does and just how dangerous it all is. The scene where Michelle Yeoh jumps a motorcycle onto a moving train lasts all of maybe three seconds in the movie and it's easy to overlook, but when you see her in the bloopers repeatedly skipping off the top of the train and falling ten feet off the side into a pile of boxes do you really appreciate their craft. Oh, did I mention that the train is moving? Speaking of Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies), she steals the show in this one as the best fighting sequences and the most outrageous stunts are saved for her (save for Jackie Chan's helicopter sequence). She, like Chan, would make a name for herself for doing all her own stunts and is considered one of the, if not, best female action stars of all time.
As for Jackie Chan, we all know he does his own stunts, has feet and fists as quick as lightning and finds interesting ways to use props and set pieces to do ridiculous physical feats, but he is also a master of physical comedy. While his action scenes are fast and intense, there is always a comedic element to them which leaves you smiling and nervous at the same time. In the scene where he is fighting on top of the train, he tiptoes precariously on the side railings flailing his arms about in a cartoonish frenzy reminiscent of old silent films. In fact, Chan credits a lot of his inspiration to the physical comedy of Buster Keaton, the early 20th century silent era star. I would have loved to see Chan do a black and white martial arts silent picture, which conceptually sounds amazing. It could be argued that Chan is in fact a modern day silent film star whose physical acting transcends language, which helps explain his universal appeal.
Grade: B+
i like this post a lot. props to you. Maybe it's because I'm chinese, idk, but i like it!
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