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 Police Story 2013 
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Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm
Posts: 66999
Post Police Story 2013
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警察故事 2013

Not a bad film, but in stark contrast to the earlier Police Story films. Being all set in one building with many flashbacks and the plot revolving around a guy's sister being killed and his search for the truth...it gets a bit claustrophobic, but I suppose that is the point. But for him to hold them all hostage and demand that someone gets released from prison in order to solve this mystery, it seems a bit too much for what the outcome is.

Chan is great here. Everyone else is normal Chinese standard (which ain't great). I didn't like how it cops out of many things. Just when you think someone will get their head exploded, it's a fake bomb; just when you think Chan will be killed, no bullets are in the gun. It's very much grim and dark on the surface with no real intention to be grim and dark in actuality.

Camerawork is rather bad and choppy, but there are some good scenes of action and dialogue, and the film works up quite a bit of suspense until three-quarters into it when you just realise that the director doesn't know what to do with this accumulation of emotion inside his viewers; so you just give up and let it drain out of you like sloppy semen coming out of an exhausted and lifeless whore.

I prefer the old template for a Police Story film. Lots of stunts, lots of action, chasing bad guys, car chases, gun battles etc. Not this. Although I do admire the darker tone.

B-

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Sun Dec 29, 2013 9:42 am
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Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm
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Post Re: Police Story 2013
I'd probably lower this to a C now. It shouldn't have ever been a Police Story film. It should have been just a stand-alone cop feature set in China. It is unlike any of the previous Police Story films (though I haven't watched New Police Story, which is meant to have a darker tone but be filled with great action - look forward to it very much!). Jackie Chan seems intent on ruining his beloved franchises (the Armour of God series also having a new, crappy installment with 2012's Chinese Zodiac). I only hope that he leaves Project A alone!

Revisiting Hong Kong films recently has made me appreciate them all over again, and look at American action in a different light. US directors just don't know how to film action as well as Hong Kong directors (Stallone is pretty good but still not as good as John Woo, Jackie Chan, Stanley Tong etc.). At least that was the case in the 80s and 90s. Nowadays, Hong Kong action films are not noteworthy at all. Or perhaps they just don't make action films like they did before. But I think they do, they just use a lot more CG enhancements, which makes the action look shit. Stars are too valuable, more money is on the line etc., so they use the computer and forego realism. Such a shame. Hong Kong cinema was built on strong foundations of stunt-work and action, and is it now gone?

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STOP UIGHUR GENOCIDE IN XINJIANG
FIGHT FOR TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE
FREE TIBET
LIBERATE HONG KONG
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Thu Aug 25, 2016 4:14 am
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