Review of Police Story

Introduction

If you`ve ever seen a Jackie Chan film then you`ll probably know what to expect - high-octane action, crazy stunts, great fights and some hit-and-miss comedy sequences. Police Story has all of these in abundance, and two of the stunt sequences on show are perhaps some of the most memorable that I have ever seen.

The story follows Chan`s police officer as he tries to capture an evil drug dealer, protect a chief witness and then clear his own name as he is accused of killing a fellow officer. Along the way there are plenty of guns, an amazing car chase, some great fights and some almost unbelievable stunts.

Video

This film is now 16 years old, and like most films from the era, the prints have never been very well looked after. We get a 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, which is very good on the whole, considering the poor quality of the original. The detail level is very high indeed and you`ll pick out many things that you`ve not seen before if you`ve watched this film on a DVD from another region or on VHS.

That`s not to say that it is perfect - far from it, as there are some marks and lines on the print, some film grain is evident and a few shots are slightly out of focus. It`s all still perfectly watchable though, and I doubt you`ll ever see it looking better.

Audio

A pair of DD5.1 soundtracks - Cantonese or English. As ever I went for Cantonese with subtitles turned on.

The DD5.1 remix is quite a subtle one, as there`s not that much for all of your speakers to do. There are a few directional sounds to look out for, and the odd bit of action for the rear speakers, but this is a fairly low-key affair. This is not such a bad thing (it was recorded in mono after all) and is a perfectly acceptable soundtrack.

Features

As ever, we get a feature packed disc from those nice people at Hong Kong Legends.

We start off with yet another excellent commentary from Bey Logan (surely in line for commentator of the year). As ever he knows everything about every scene, and has lots to tell you about the cast and some of the stunts. An exemplary commentary.

We also get the extended ending sequence (from the rare Japanese Laserdisc version) which changes the ending very slightly and has a longer out-takes montage for you to enjoy.

There`s a new interview with Jackie Chan where he talks extensively about the film and his own approach to making films. This is a very interesting interview, interspersed with some film clips and there`s also a nice surprise for fans of the final fight sequence.

There`s a new animated biography which features clips from many of the films that he`s appeared in, accompanied by that annoying voiceover man who will be familiar to anyone with several Hong Kong Legends DVDs in their collection.

There`s also a reasonable photo gallery, and as ever there are trailers for the film and for other DVDs from the studio.

Conclusion

If you enjoy any or all of the following:-

1) Jackie Chan films
2) Martial Arts films
3) Action films

then this DVD is an absolute must buy. The film is a very enjoyable, action-packed romp which you won`t forget in a hurry. The stunts are amazing, the fights are excellent and even some of the comedy scenes work (particularly one involving phones, noodles and a pencil).

Given the limitations of the source material, Hong Kong Legends have done another excellent job, and it`s fair to say that you`ve never seen this film looking so good. The video and audio are an improvement over any version you`ve ever seen before (unless you saw it at the cinema in Hong Kong in 1985 perhaps), and the excellent selection of extras adds a lot to the overall package.

Given that some internet retailers currently have this for £10.99 or less, there`s no excuse - go and buy it now!