User reviews

Okay, let's judge this film overall, and not just by the fighting, which is obviously the best thing about this film.

The sets are very good, and you can tell that this was a big-budget film for the time. You get the feel of being in colonial turn-of-the-century Hong Kong. The costumes add to this feel too, not to mention the fact that a lot of the buildings used actually ARE Hong Kong landmarks from all those years ago. On top of this, there's the fact that the film ages less because it is a period piece. Police Story might as well be called, "Eighties Story." Acting - well, although I watched this movie in Chinese with English subtitles, and with English dubbing, I cannot find anything wrong with the acting. It's all done pretty well, with the obvious quirks that make Hong Kong movie acting what it is: strained facial expressions, a lot of pointing, and a lot of laughing that is laughable itself.

Sound - not very good, but when you consider that all the sound had to be re-dubbed, it makes sense, and allow for more leniency.

The plot is not wafer-thin, as has happened in earlier Chan movies, but this isn't Pi. To be honest, it's about as complicated as a Jackie Chan movie is ever going to get, and if the only reason for watching a kung-fu movie is plot, you're an idiot, anyway.

Right, then - action - and boy oh boy, this film is full of incredible action. I have over sixty Jackie Chan films in my collection, so I know what I'm talking about when analysing his films. Project A ranks among the best of his films, when looking at the action. There are so many fights staged, and so many pay-offs. You get to see Jackie, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biu fighting each other, and the bad guys in such a fast, furious, and creative way that this is an action movie you'll never forget. Dick Wei is muscular and mean as the head of the pirates, and is a formidable foe, who forces the three brothers to come together to dispose of him.

As usual, the stunts would not have been allowed in Britain or America, but hey, this is Kong Kong, so let's blow these guys up, and watch them flip and fly across the set for our own satisfaction.

Overall, this is a top notch film, with wonderfully edited fights, excellent creativity, and superb Chanesque humour along the way. It's a showpiece of the efforts of the three special ones of Hong Kong cinema in the eighties, and any fan of Hong Kong cinema should only miss this at their peril.

There are certain cinema ideas that were just meant to work, no matter what the circumstances might be. Jackie Chan fighting pirates easily ranks up there as one of the slickest ideas ever composed. Thank goodness it delivered on the premise. Jackie Chan's Project A is a mesh of action, comedy, and homage to classic slapstick. Within the 100+ minutes you'll see some spectacular fights, even more spectacular physical stunts, hilarious physical humor, and of course, Chan at his best. Unlike the insurance-run Hollywood, the Jackie Chan Stunt Team wasn't afraid of taking risks or getting hurt at the sake of entertainment, and this beat-em-up' underrated classic overpowers any modern-day action film that Hollywood could muster. Project A is silly but viciously raw; and thanks to clever direction and choreography, its one of the better martial arts movies out there.

Project A is about (Yes guys, there is a plot) a group of sailors, Navy-like men trying to stop Chinese pirates from wreaking havoc in the coastline. However, because of corruption amongst the government and the police force, they are unable to receive enough funding to continue the fight and are forced to thwart the terrorism when it strikes on their home turf. Jackie Chan and co. must try to stop the rivalry against the Chinese police force and unravel the web of corruption that's entangling everyone involved and heightening the danger present. Jackie Chan not only starred and directed the flick, but he wrote the script too, and it's quite clever at times. Other times, it can be quite confusing—usually in those instances you are anticipating the next fight, which is never too far away.

In a martial arts movie, we watch for all about the fighting. While Enter the Dragon may have started the obsession and love towards the genre, Jackie Chan and his reliable crew perfected the art in the 80s. Project A is easily one of the best choreographed films of all-time in terms of the action; some of the fights are just flat-out unbelievable. Jackie Chan fights with a bicycle for crying out loud. While the punching and kicking combinations aren't as gruesome as his other films (Drunken Master, Meals on Wheels, Dragons Forever), the elaborate movements and avoidance of damage (example: Chan avoids a man swinging a sword at him for two minutes straight) more than make up for it. Not a single action fan should be disappointed. Plus, just like Chan's best comedic work, there has to be at least one humorous fight thrown in, and Project A delivers in this category as well.

Chan's direction does two things: allows for the action to remain intense, and showcases just how elaborate everyone's movements are. There is no trickery; you shall see elongated shots of hand-to-hand combat that's too precise to be filmed in the United States. While Chan doesn't have the ability to capture emotions like Spielberg or Scorsese he knows how to flesh out the energy and craft of a good fight. And that's why we are watching this, correct? Nobody's acting here is award-worthy, but it gets the job done and maintains its silly-but-serious tone. Sammo Hung gives the best performance of the film as the thief that thwarts Chan's quest for justice and at the same time helps him.

Bottom Line: While perfection or masterpiece isn't achieved here, Project A delivers everything you could possibly want in a martial arts film: amazing stunts, great fights, decent story, good acting, worthy adversary, explosive finale, and a tang of humor. Well-directed and written by the master himself, Project A remains one of Jackie Chan's best work and another example of how his foreign films are far superior to that of his work in America. It's not all his fault though; Hollywood doesn't lust as much over precision and perfection as the Chinese do when staging a fight. Legend of Drunken Master's final fight took months to film; one stunt here required a week of merely convincing Chan before actually filming it----we don't believe in investing that much time towards a couple of minutes. This is called effort, and Chan's career has more effort than twenty-five actors and actresses put together. Project A: Jackie Chan fighting pirates; it's too good to be true. Thank goodness it's true.

P.S. Is it so hard to correctly dub a movie? Buena Vista pretty much butchered this film.

Pirate Patrol is clearly one of the best and funniest of this film-series with Jackie Chan. It's exciting & funny at the same time and manages to combine this two elements in a successfully way. I remember I saw most of this movies back in the late 80's, and thought they was amusing as hell. The sequel of this one is also good.

(8 out of 10)

'A' Gai Waak/Project A(1983) is known for the physical comedy performed by its star, Jackie Chan. No one does physical comedy with the same type of bravery like Jackie Chan does here. Physical comedy is the hardest kind of comedy. This is because a person has to be in excellent shape to do the kinds of stunts required in physical comedy.

Project A(1983) is my favorite film of the Jackie Chan/Sammo Hung/Yuen Biao collaborations. Film proves why they are the Marx Brothers of Kung Fu Comedy. These three actors are at home when working with each other. The fight scene between the head pirate and Chan/Hung/Biao is done at a frantic pace.

The stunts in Project A(1983) are dangerous and daring. They are also filled with energy and style. The stunt on the clock tower is both amazing and breath taking. When it comes to stunt work, Jackie Chan is the best at taking chances in giving action scenes an ounce of authenticity. The actors make the stunts look easier than they actually are.

Jackie Chan does a brilliant job in the dual role of actor and director. As an actor he gives a simple performance that is transcended by his ability to perform incredible stunts. As the director he films the action scenes with high speed energy. The best film for Jackie Chan as actor and director.

The scene with Chan hanging from the clock tower is a fabulous homage to the famous sequence from the silent comedy, Safety Last. Scene shows the actor's love for silent pictures and the Harold Lloyd film. This scene is a throwback to the glory days of silent comedy. Not only does it gives respect to Safety Last(1928) but also stands on its own as something memorable.

The action scenes in the movie make any similar scenes from the average Hollywood action pic look puny. A pure action film that shouldn't be mistaken for intellectual viewing. The fight scenes are done with imagination and passion. Action scenes from Project A(1983) are just as impressive as the action set pieces in Police Story(1985).

Project A(1983) is an entertaining tribute to the great silent pictures of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. Jackie Chan plays a character in the Keaton and Lloyd mold. Its this aspect of Jackie Chan's arsenal that makes him a superstar. Project A(1983) is a great example of a film with the techniques of a silent comedy.

In comparing the USA version of the film to the Hong Kong version, I came to the conclusion that the version released here is a travesty. First, the US version is missing some key scenes that made the film funny. Second, the film was badly dubbed and poorly edited for its US release. If I ever got this film on DVD its most likely I will get the Hong Kong version.

Its a pleasure to see Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung fight side by side in Project A. Their films are usually terrific whenever they appear together. The fight scene in the tea house showcases their similar but slightly different brand of fighting technique. Its a shame that these two haven't done anything with each other lately.

One of the top films directed by Jackie Chan besides Police Story(1985), Armour of God 2(1991), and Project A part 2(1987). Ho-Shan Kwan provides the comic relief as the hard headed Captain Chi. Yuen Biao is good in a role that's over shadowed by Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. A film for fans of action movies and people who want to discover the films of Chan, Hung, and Biao.

In their incredibly dangerous stunts and amazing body control, Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton are surely kindred spirits. In this film Chan falls from a clock tower, slowed only by a few sheets of fabric, and lands on his head, and it seems a miracle that it didn't kill or paralyze him. And he did that stunt several times(!), which on its own makes the film worth seeing. Just imagine if Harold Lloyd had actually fallen during Safety Last!. As for the rest of it, it's as zany as you might expect, with a plot that's not always easy to follow laced with martial arts sequences and juvenile humor. It's a fun one to watch and wonder what's coming next though, and Chan is, as always, irrepressible.

Incredible movie, it ranks up there with some of Jackie Chan's best movies. It is not to be missed by any martial art-movie fan. The stunts performed in this movie is incredible. The clock tower fall by Jackie Chan is the most amazing one but I also loved some of the falls that Jackie's opponents did, a lot of people must have gotten injured while making this movie. The fighting scenes are top-notch, maybe not quite as good as the ones in Drunken Master II, which still remains my favorite Jackie Chan movie even though this one gets really close. Jackie Chan must be the most exciting man ever to appear in a movie, he risks his life to bring us entertainment, is he dumb, crazy or out of his mind? I don't know, all I know is that he's entertained me more than any other man ever has. Watch this movie and prepare to be amazed.

This is a good classic Jackie Chan movie. So if you are a fan, watch it!You know what you get when you watch a Jackie Chan movie. The story isn't too complicated but the action is second to none. One of the best stunts ever is in this movie.

Boy, that lead-in stinks of a rotting cliche, doesn't it? But I really do enjoy this movie. Every time it hits cable, I watch it.

Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung play wonderfully off of each other, even in the dubbed version. The story is realistic enough to be compelling, and the action sequences are superb. My personal favorite is the battle on the bicycles in the narrow back alleys.

The one thing that has made Mr. Chan my favorite martial arts actor is the way his movies infuse humor and slapstick into serious fight scenes, and Project A, in my opinion, does that better than any of his other films.

Highly recommended.

A combination of action and fun in a fast-paced film is a real joy to the eye. The masterful display of choreography and martial arts is impressive and outstanding. The stunts are so many and very challenging to perform but they are executed in a most precise and stylish way.

The chemistry between the main actors is clearly visible in their dialogue delivery and their presence on screen is easily felt. The film has it own atmosphere and characters amaze with their wit. The story is catchy and interesting to follow.

The film is very enjoyable and holds your attention from the very start.

Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao and Samo Heung were all at the height of their considerable powers when this film was made and it shows. This blows just about every other martial arts film out of the water faster than any of San Pao's pirates ever could. With humour, suspense and a half decent plot thrown in to add to the blistering action I found this to be the 'three dragons' most accessible film to a western audience. The humour translates well and three sequences stand out as some of the best action scenes ever put to film the three being Jackie's homage to 'Safety Last' by falling from the clock tower, the bonkers bike chase through increasingly narrow city streets, and the final showdown defeat of San Pao by Jackie, Yuen Biao and Samo (with a little help from Mars and some wayward grenades). This is the pinnacle of Jackie Chans stunt career and is near impossible to better and I doubt that anyone will ever reach this level of stunt excellence again. If you only ever see one Jackie Chan film see this one as it is truly unique.

Project A, I feel, is one of Jackie Chan's best movies. It's one of the funniest, most action-packed, most entertaining movies I've ever seen. I'd give it a 10/10. I must have seen this one at least 20-30 times. If you haven't seen it, please do. Chan and his co-stars, Samo Hung and Yuen Biao are really fun to watch, and the stunts are excellent (the bicycle chase scene, the scene in the clock tower,...). Here in India it's available on video and VCD in a severely cut version- scenes are eliminated for no reason at all. This version runs only 90 minutes or so. See the complete version. I've heard Project A Part II is even better, but I haven't been able to see a good print of it. Along with this, Operation Condor: Armour of God II, I feel, are his best.

It seems that for the most part, Jackie Chan movies are the most entertaining with a historical setting and especially when Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao along. This film, following a man named Dragon's exploits as he tracks down and defeats a group of pirates who have been screwing with the Hong Kong Coast Guard and are smuggling weapons, is one of the best offerings of Chan's early career.

Much like the majority of his films, this one is full of good comedy and slapstick. Compounding that with some impressive and plentiful action as well as a decent story (for a Chan film at least) and you have a winner. Sammo Hung and Jackie work together quite well (duh, they're basically twins) and the fight scenes including them both are a joy. The other fight scenes are exceptionally choreographed and some of the stunts are death defying.

As a Jackie Chan film, this is a good offering. Fun, action-packed, and as entertaining as they come, Project A is a great way to blow a movie night.

This piece period that is set at the turn the century contains numerous nice physical routines . In late 19th Century Hong Kong the British may govern the land , but the pirates rule the waters. There Dragon Ma , a honest coast guard officer ,Jackie Chan , fighting against pirates in "old Hong Kong". Reluctantly, the Coast Guard is assigned the mission to fight these pirates . Dragon Ma is helped by a rogue thief , Sammo Hung , both of whom take on nasty pirates who have many contacts on corrupt officials in the government and seek to thwart the Coast Guard's efforts to vanquish them . At the end takes place a comic Kung-Fu battle between Jackie , Sammo and the pirates in the rousing final.

Chinese costume drama with plenty of over-the-top action , thrills , swashbuckling , ingenious stunts , tongue in cheek and amusing music . This exciting movie is packed with adventure , intrigue , unstopped action , overwhelming stunt-work and lots of fights but with humor . Jackie Chan is top notch as one army man fighting a group of heinous pirates and as always he makes his own stunts like is well showed . Awesome , incredible stunts and brief comic touches , as usual ; the picture is better constructed than Chan's predecessors films . The lighting-paced storyline slows down at times , but frantic action sequences make up for it . Spotlights movie include a spectacular brawl at a bar , Jackie jumping down a building , impressive and interminable fights with Chan dangling and downing , a breathtaking final struggle and other extraordinary action sequences in overwhelming style . This is an acceptable action movie distinguished by nicely cinematography of the spectacular sequences , and contains agreeable sense of humor such as previous entries . Chan pays overt homage to two of his greatest influences as Charles Chaplin and Harold Lloyd . Jackie Chan usually forms couple to notorious actress as Maggie Chung and Michelle Yeoh . However in this outing Jackie teams up again to prestigious Chinese actor Sammo Hung , a fine action star in their own right and also had an American career as successful ¨Martial Law¨ TV series . Both of them starred together several films as ¨Heart of Dragon (1985)¨ which was directed by Sammo . Third protagonist , Yuen Biao, also played some movies with the famous pair as ¨Dragon Forever¨. This is a passable action movie distinguished by ferocious sequences , and packs silly sense of humor as well as Jackie's subsequent entries . Furthermore , moving and thrilling original musical score fitting to action . It's followed by a sequel , part 2 (1987) in which Dragon is back with a new set of action and played by Maggie Chung , Carina Lau and again produced and directed by Jackie Chan.

The picture achieved success in China and around the world . However , Jackie Chan's failed at Box-office in his American debut ,¨Battle creek brawl¨ . Chan is a hard-working actor and director throughout his long and varied career . He went on playing ¨Cannoball¨ , ¨The protector¨ and "Rumble in the Bronx", until getting all American success with ¨Shangai Knights¨ , ¨The tuxedo¨ , ¨Around the world in 80 days¨ and ¨Rush hour¨ trilogy , and the recent ¨Karate kid¨. Of course , his biggest hits were ¨The Police story¨ series that won the Golden Horse Award, a Chinese version of the Oscar , the first was titled ¨Police story(1985)¨ directed by the same Chan , it was a perfect action film for enthusiastic of the genre ; the following was ¨Police story 2(1988)¨also pretty violent and with abundant humor touches. It's followed by ¨Supercop¨ or ¨Police story 3¨ and finally, ¨Police story IV : Crime story. The picture is lavishly produced by the great Asian producers Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest production and compellingly directed by Jackie Chan . Rating : Acceptable and passable , the picture has its sensational moments here and there , but also with abundant humor touches mostly provided by its agile star , the super Jackie . It's a perfect action film for enthusiast of the genre though only for Jackie fans .

I once watched Jackie on a documentary mention how a specific audience likes his Hong Kong films and a specific audience likes his American films but they rarely overlap. I belong to the former group, and believe this movie is the perfect example why.

The story does not twist or turn much but does have a certain charm and separates itself from any average "beat anyone up" kung fu film - even if a few fights happen for the stupidest reasons. It's all about a group of soldiers put together to get rid of some pirates in nearby waters which is always in competition with the local police force for funding. But the film really entertains through the use of Jackie's stunts and gags. From cycling through the cramped streets of Hong Kong to grenade training in the police academy, you bound to sometimes be in a state of awe - or at least chuckle a few times.

It's amazing some of the stunts Jackie pulled off, including falling from a very high clocktower. If your interested in Jackie's films, or want a high quality kung-fu film then I recommend you have a look at 'Project A'.

I grew up in the 80s watching many of Jacky Chan's movies. Three of his works that have lasting memories are Project A, Wheels on Meals and Police Story. This is when Jacky is at his peak, so you can expect to see death-defying stunts, great fight scenes, and hilarious comedy.

In Project A, Jacky plays Sergeant Ma Yu-Long, a Hong Kong coast guard officer during the colonial times. The coast guards aimed to defeat Pirate Lo Sam-Pao (Dick Wei), but on the eve of their mission, their vessels were sabotaged resulting in the disbanding of the coast guards. The coast guards were redeployed as police force under the charge of Inspector Chi (Yuen Biao). A series of events, including a fight in a gentlemen club, an arms shipment hijack, a bicycle chase/fight, the eventual revival of the coast guards and a covert operation on Pirate Lo's island. Samo Hung plays Cheok Yat-Fei a funny crook, who was Sergeant Ma's childhood friend.

Thumbs up on: 1) the fight scene in the bar between the police and the coast guards 2) the fight scene in the gentlemen club 3) the escape and ensuing bicycle case/fight on the narrow alleys which ended with Jacky's death defying fall from the clock tower 4) the covert operation on Pirate Lo's island

I strongly recommend Project A to anyone who is interested in Jacky's 80s movies (please note you will enjoy it even more if you understand Cantonese). It features the three brothers Jacky Chan, Samo Hung and Yuen Biao at their best (check out Wheels on Meals too!).

Project A has great props, wonderful stunts, memorable fight scenes, and good humour. This is the real Jacky Chan movie, unlike some of his more recent Hollywood comic.

Project A combines a complex, twisting plot, a nice historical period setting, typical Chan humour, and of course, many breathtaking fight and stunt sequences. One scene: a bicycle chase though narrow alleys, has to be seen to be believed. The level of invention throughout is awesome, and will never be matched by Hollywood's output. Is this the best Jackie Chan movie? It is definitely a contender, but so many of his films are high quality that it becomes difficult to judge. See it, then make up your own mind.

This 1983 movie is definitely a classic within the movies from Jackie Chan. But then again, most of what this guy has been in has been quite enjoyable and entertaining.

"Project A" (aka "'A' gai wak") is a straight forward action movie, and you know what you getting yourself into here when you sit down to watch it. This is pure and typical Jackie Chan material, for better or worse. I do enjoy it, so I was more than entertained with what was delivered in this 1983 movie.

While the storyline is simple, it is the archetypical action and slapstick comedy that makes it worthwhile and makes it a classic Jackie Chan movie. If you have seen any of Jackie Chan's movies, then you know what I am talking about here, as it is Jackie Chan's trademark thing in movies.

The movie has an impressive cast which, aside from Jackie Chan himself, also boasts the likes of Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Biao Yuen and Hoi-San Kwan.

And while the movie was made in 1983, then it is very much still a movie that you can sit down and watch even now in 2019, as I did. Oddly enough, I've never gotten around to watching "Project A" before now; and I am a big fan of Jackie Chan.

This is an entertaining movie, and you'll be in for wonderful stunts, nicely choreographed martial arts, good comedy (without it becoming too much), funny characters and actually a very wholeheartedly and entertaining movie in general.

If you haven't already seen "Project A" and you get the chance, you definitely should do so.

My rating of the movie is six out of ten stars. And this is the type of movie that you can watch more than once, which is quite a good thing.

In this film, Jackie Chan is in the Hong Kong navy circa 1900. Again and again, the navy is unable to locate and stop the marauding nearby pirates--thanks to help within the government. Unfortunately, Chan and is fellow sailors are blamed again and again for their failure, so it's up to Jackie and a group of naval commandos to located and destroy the hidden pirate fortress.

I love martial arts movies and have enjoyed several Jackie Chan movies. In this film, as usual, the stunt work is impeccable and exciting. However, I had a real hard time getting into this film when it came to the rather silly plot and especially when it tried to be funny. While Sammo Hung directed many of Chan's films, I can't stand him in all the films I've seen him perform in because he almost always plays a big dope and his martial arts skills are very suspect. This rotund guy can barely kick higher than knee level and yet you are to believe that he's a butt-kicker--I think not. Jackie Chan is just fine and plays his usual plucky and likable guy, but Sammo severely hampers Chan in the film. Plus, sadly, he's just not very funny--just really annoying. Sorry folks, but this isn't one of Jackie's best films.

While Jackie Chan's previous film Dragon Lord (1982) did not have as much local success as Chan wanted his next film Project A would be an artistic and commercial success. It is the maturation point for Jackie as a filmmaker and would start a string of successes that would help establish Chan as an action auteur. He directed, starred, co-written and even hired two "brothers" in Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao (they had grown up together in the same opera troupe and performed as the Seven Little Fortunes amongst others; Sammo was already an established success at this time and certainly is a prodigious presence in this movie) in the first film where they all had decent acting time -- kudos to those who can name the first film they acted in together.

Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan) is a sergeant in the Hong Kong Water Police where pirates are problematic on the coastline (they would remain an issue even past WWII), his department is poorly financed, there are interdepartmental squabbles with the landlubber police and their haughty commander Captain Chi (Kwan Hoi-San) and his nephew Inspector Hong Tin Chi (Yuen Biao: Knockabout) and they just had their remaining ships blown up real good (nice model sets in that scene). Project A is the codename to combat these buccaneers. However, it looks bad for the Water Police when they get merged back into the main police force and there is a plot to steal rifles and be sold to the pirates headed by Lo San Po (Dick Wei: The Five Venoms) who ultimately does not seem that bad to me. Later the pirates make the ultimate mistake in kidnapping a ship with a Rear Admiral aboard and take them hostage. This leads to Dragon Ma eventually teaming up with wayward thief and gambler Fei (Sammo Hung) and Inspector Hong to combat these irascible swashbucklers.

There are several stunts in this movie that are truly amazing. Much has been stated about the clock tower fall inspired by Harold Lloyd in Safety Last and with good reason. It is a superlative stunt and still one of my favorites as well as Jackie too. Jackie hangs by a clock hand about 50 feet above the surface and lets go to crash through two cloth awnings until the rude smacking into the ground proving that gravity is indeed a harsh mistress. It would be the first "superstunt" Jackie would do in a film and which would soon be a reoccurring theme in his movies to risk his life to please the audience. All three takes of this life-threatening drop are available to see on the film: two are shown in the movie and one is shown in the outtakes at the end. Every take looks quite painful. Leading up to this situation is another quick stunt that was quite dangerous. He climbs a flag pole to the top while handcuffed so he can unwrap himself from that mast and escape his predicament. But you look at how high he is from the concrete floor below and realize that if he messes this stunt it could be much worse than the fall through the awnings.

The comedic fighting in this film is also quite adroit and amazing in its action direction led by Jackie and Sammo. The first scene between the water and land police is a crazy mêlée of kung fu, throwing objects and spaghetti. It is quite reminiscent of an updated western bar fight. The Keatonesque bicycle chase and action sequence is a brilliant combination of the two. While the scene certainly had been influenced by such films as Sherlock Jr., especially in the bicycle camera view towards the end, Jackie gives it such a unique touch that makes it such an aesthetically pleasing and entertaining spectacle. Add in several other fight scenes and a fantastic finale with the three brothers and the antagonist and you have quite a satisfying film.

Project A was a hit in Hong Kong (19M HK dollars box office) and found critical support there as well. Jackie Chan would be nominated for Best Actor for Hong Kong Film Award; however, this film would win Best Action Design (Jackie Chan's Stuntman Association was even nominated against itself that year in Wheels on Meals) an award it truly deserved. It is also an important film for Hong Kong cinema. It helped push action movies into modern day locales and away from the Qing era and before dominated themes (though this film is considered a period film since it takes place in early 20th century).

While the film may not know what to do with female characters like Wong Man-Ying and the plot is not the most sublimely cohesive -- there is a grenade scene early in the film which seemed a bit excessive, not that funny and did not seem to fit -- this film is consistently fun and beautifully directed (cinematographer Cheung Yiu-Jo does not get enough credit for the work he has done with Jackie Chan). Action aficionados certainly talk about this film though it is somewhat overshadowed by Police Story (one of my favorite films) when they discuss the oeuvre of Jackie Chan. With the humor, the dangerous stunts with complete disregard for human life and the awesome action scenes it is easy to recommend this. I certainly love this film and find multiple viewings rewarding. There does remain one question that I will resolve soon: which film is better: this or the sequel?

What more can I say, except to say that the clock tower scene is worth the price of admission alone. How can Jackie Chan endure so much? But he does! The end credits are also worth watching for the outtakes.

Review: All of the old Kung Fu movies were amazing when I was young but now that I've decided to watch them again, they are just about watchable. Some of the old classics are still amazing but the old Jackie Chan movies are badly written, with awful comedy sketches. With this movie, there was way too many characters and I didn't have a clue about the plot after a while. I know that he was a coast guard fighting against Pirates but the more that the plot thickens, it gets well confusing. As usual, the action scenes are amazing and well choreographed but the reasons why they were fighting, we're completely ridiculous. Anyway, I've never really been a big fan of Jackie Chans comedic movies but his fighting styles have always amazed me. I have never seen an actor push himself to the limit as he does with his stunts but I much prefer him in serious movies. As for this movie, it did seem to go on forever and the storyline was all over the place but it's still worth a watch because of its authentic action scenes and original stunts. Watchable!

Round-Up: At 61 years old and making nearly $2Billion at the box office, Jackie Chan is definitely a champion in his field. He has made over 120 movies so I'm surprised that his overall gross isn't more but it's still a big achievement. Rush Hour 2 is still his biggest film to date, making nearly $340million at the box office but it's his reputation as an action star that has made him a household name around the world. He has damaged every bone in his body, which is due to his determination to do his own stunts and he is unable to get insurance in some countries because of the extent that he pushes his amazing fighting scenes. This was the 4th movie that he directed and it became a cult smash at that time and I'm sure that there are many collectors that treasure there original videotapes in the early 80's. Anyway, it's not the best Jackie Chan movie that I have seen but it's definitely one worth having if your a Kung Fu fan.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their martial arts/action/comedy movies about a coast guard/policeman who is fighting against Pirates and corruption in the police force. 4/10

Many people state that this film is dated by todays standards! I disagree.... The stunts are incredible and the fight scenes are breath-taking!

Anyone who loves films for sets & scenery will have a field day here!

Just one thing....Get the Hong Kong Legends UK 2 DVD pack with AAALLLLLLL those gorgeous extras, interviews, documentaries and everything else! Well worth the extra 5 squid! (sorry US residents....it isn't available over there!)