Hard to Die

Despite still showing great skill, it's almost a shame that in recent years Jackie Chan has concentrated almost entirely on slapstick martial arts and incessant mugging. Of course, this is Chan's trademark, but in his earlier days he would sometimes attempt a change of pace. Crime Story, based on a true story, is such an example.

Crime Story plays like Police Story with most of the comedy and outlandish elements removed. It's a gripping film with a realistic feel ,although there is still room for plenty of action, including an incredible sequence when Chan runs for his life for real as a wall is demolished right behind him, and a climatic fight which is reminiscent of the brutal Chan action in Heart Of The Dragon.

Chan fell out with the director of the film and added the occasional more typical Chan scene, such as a fight on trampolines. Also, some elements of the story, such as Chan's relationship with his psychiatrist, are introduced and then thrown away. Still, this is a generally well plotted, very tight film in which Chan gives a really strong, serious performance. Maybe, as he gets older ,we will see more of this kind of thing from him.

first saw this in the theaters in NYC when it first came out...was actually a little teed off as i was at that time into his slapstick comedy and the crazy hand to hand combat. well...this movie has grown on me over the years. all his stunt-men are still in this movie, you get to see Mars at the start as a terrorist shooting off a ak-47...that was a different sight...never expected to see him as a bad guy.

first off, there is not one funny moment in this movie and it is based on a true story. second off all...Jackies got mad pull in Hong Kong, he is the only one who was able to close off parts of a highway in Hong Kong to shoot the action scenes, that is only happening now and not 20 years ago, when this film was made. the 3rd and last thing i like to mention is that for the longest time in Hong Kong you couldn't do big explosions in movies which were filmed in Hong Kong because the island was so small and people complained...well guess what?-Jackie got his big explosions even though they are still a little tamed compared to Hollywood and the rest of the worlds film industry who are not restricted by that. that use to be one of my main gripes watching Hong Kong action movies back in the day.

this is jackies first serious role as Police Story 1 doesn't count cause that actually had a lot of funny moments in it. he plays it straight up in this one and does a really capable job. the story is about the kidnapping of ultra-rich businessmen in Hong Kong, after which they are held for ransom. it was a big problem then and still is nowadays. what Jackie and the rest of the honest cops don't know is that there are honest cops but there are also corrupt cops and the bad cop in this movie is actually the leader of the kidnappers.

there were some complaints by some of his fans because the action was different to what we were accustomed to seeing from Jackie...but i think those fans were just a little jaded. there was nothing wrong with the action, as a matter of fact this movie had some of his most impressive and crazy stunts ever and there were quite a few. if you are a fan of big explosions...well they blew up the top floor of an apartment building! there were major gunfights and not with just .25 caliber guns, there were a lot of sub-machine guns including Uzis. all i have to say is that the action was pretty insane and not as over the top which i appreciated in time...LOL. the only action that was lacking was the hand to hand combat as there was only 1 such scene in the movie, but boy was it well done!

all in all i still would have to put this one in his top 10 or 12 most enjoyable movies. Jackie should have made more of these types of movies back in the days and i think he would have been even more popular and well rounded actor now! not to be missed if you are a Jackie Chan fan!

Crime story is another deviation from the original Police Story film series. Based on a true story the film is about the kidnaping of a millionaire. It was supposed to be darker with lot of inner conflicts in the protagonist's mind, but it was toned down by Jackie. Personally, I felt this was a wrong decision by Jackie. He missed a chance to showcase his acting abilities along with the already established martial arts talents.

I don't know the background on this one, but it seemed to be based on a true story, and as such there wasn't a lot of room for Jackie Chan's trademark slapstick stuntwork. Not that there aren't any stunts in Crime Story, but they're just lacking the 'fancy' elements from such films as 'Dragons Forever' or the 'Police Story' series.

Nevertheless, this is a good film, if for nothing else than to see a different side of Jackie Chan in a serious role as a haunted cop without the fancy footwork in some of his other films.

Crime Story (1993) was a very different Jackie Chan film. He stars as a tough cop who only cares about getting the job done no matter what the cost. What was the change in Jackie's attitude? He had a different director in charge. Instead of doing the job, he hired bleak and gritty film maker Kirk Wong direct the project. Wong likes to make police procedural films based on true cases. This one was no exception. It was a strange sight to see Jackie Chan so serious throughout an entire film. He was one dude who did not want to let the bad guys get away. But expect to see a lot of crazy stunts and violent gun play.

If you don't think Jackie Chan can get down and dirty in a straight forward action film then don't pass this one up. You wont be disappointed.

Highly recommended.