Jing cha gu shi 2013

Jackie Chan is back in what I would consider his best serious role to date.

New Police Story (2004) was a disappointment for many. It did not feature the same character nor have any continuity to the previous Police Story movies and left people wondering why it even carried the Police Story name. In hindsight, however, I think it wasn't actually that bad. It's on TV fairly frequently over here in Singapore and regardless of how many times I've seen it, I still find myself watching it to the end. Of course it pales in comparison to the gold standard set by the first 2 Police Story movies, but those 2 classics put most action movies to shame. But what New Police Story does deserve credit for is that it set the ground and expectations for subsequent Police Story movies. I went into Police Story 2013 not expecting Police Story 1 or 2 but something darker, grittier and more serious and that's exactly what I got.

Jackie has been hit and miss with his serious roles. Shinjuku Incident was just not that good a movie and although Little Big Soldier was good, it was not here nor there in terms of its dramatic tone – it still felt part serious and part comedy but never really embraced either genre completely. Police Story 2013, from Ding Sheng, the director of Little Big Soldier, hits the proverbial nail on the head and destroys it! This movie is badass!!

The movie starts with Jackie, a decorated police veteran, on his way to meet his estranged daughter in a nightclub in China (that's right – not Hong Kong). Ever since the loss of his wife, things have clearly been turbulent between the pair and his daughter (Tian Jing) appears to have become quite rebellious against the father she felt was never there for her.

Things take a quick and unexpected turn for the worst when the nightclub is locked down and Jackie, as well as other patrons in the club, are taken hostage.

Henceforth, the movie turns into a gritty cop thriller as we join Jackie in his efforts to try and figure out who the bad guys are and what their motives are. The plot is twisted and turned and intertwined, making for some pretty good and dramatic cinema. This is definitely not the Police Story we have come to know and love. It is, however, a darn good story about police.

Those expecting Jackie's trademark brand of ultra fast perfectly choreographed fighting will be left disappointed. This is definitely not a kung fu / martial arts movie. There are only a handful of fights and they are kept very real and visceral. Jackie, possibly for the first time in ages, looks like he can do serious damage. A cage fight in particular is very brutal but fits the tone of the movie perfectly.

Remember, first and foremost this is a cop thriller and it's a tense one at that, especially as the story turns into a 'who done it' sort of detective movie.

I enjoyed this movie a lot. A great story, a fine thriller and characters we grow to really care about as the story unfolds. Sure it's not for everyone. If you're an action junkie or have traits of ADHD then you should probably look elsewhere. Also noted that replay value is probably not that great.

But those looking for a tense thriller to sink their teeth into, something that will keep you thinking and on the edge of your seat, then you need not look any further.

A great night at the movies and Jackie's best performance in a serious role to date! Highly recommended! Check it out!

Rating 8 out of 10

Jackie is back!

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Because of his dedication to duty and the demands of his job "Senior Inspector Zhong Wen" (Jackie Chan) has essentially neglected his wife and daughter for years. As a result, when his wife is seriously injured in a car accident he arrives at the hospital much too late and this causes his grief-stricken daughter "Miao" (Tian Jing) to want nothing more to do with him. However, sometime later things seem to change when Miao calls him and sets up a meeting at a night club. Unfortunately, when he gets there he is knocked unconscious and is taken hostage along with his daughter and several other people. It soon transpires that the kidnappers want more than just money and Senior Inspector Zhong Wen is the key to their plans. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this is yet another movie which focuses on the serious side of Jackie Chan. And while he certainly performs well enough I believe that this trend has somewhat diminished the overall entertainment value of his films. It's just not the same without the humor that normally accompanies the martial arts and action. Likewise, the technique used to tell the story resulted in a slow pace which didn't help either. In any case, this wasn't necessarily a bad film by any means but it clearly wasn't up to the typical standards of a Jackie Chan movie and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Police Story 2013 follows Jackie's character in a Die Hard scenario. A bunch of cage fighting criminals have taken hostages in a fortified building, one of them is JC's daughter and he must find a way to save them all by himself.

The premise itself is pretty interesting but the execution is sloppy. The movie takes forever to begin and spends way too much time on introducing unimportant characters instead of building on Jackie's relationship with his daughter. Then it relies on flashbacks which seems at first as an interesting plot device until you realize that they're there just for show and don't contribute to the plot itself. When finally we discover what the bad guys were after, it seems highly unlikely and ridiculous.

Low production values and lack of action turn this movie into more of a drama, but with Jackie being the only credible actor the result is cringeworthy. This movie, just like last year's CZ 2013 are a sad reminder that Jackie has aged, long gone are the days of crazy stunts and wild fights. Jackie's fights are short, over edited, CGI'd and even it's apparent that he uses stunt doubles. I know that he's not young anymore, but it's apparent that he's still in great shape and could've done a lot more if the crew knew what to do with him.

Overall, an interesting premise that is ruined by a lack of direction and relying too much on cheap tricks as flashbacks, CGI, Slo-Mo and fast cutting. Watch this only if you're a big fan of JC.

As a long time JC fan and movie buff, I found the fast paced editing too distracting. Why the editor decided to hack even dialog sequences into constantly shifting angles and tiny bits is beyond my knowledge of film making. The director and photography certainly covered ALL the bases, but editing tried too hard to evoke or imply action where it was not needed, or, at other times, cover for poorly directed choreography. I do understand JC is not a spring chicken and that plays a role in edits. Still...could be handled more concisely without jumping edits. Seemed as if the editor was a character at times. Hmmmm.

The story was fairly solid, production values were very high. Acting was spotty at times due to seemingly weak characterizations in the script. The premise had merit, though the finale was not entirely consistent to such.

Again, it was the frenetic editing and confusing camera direction that distracted from the core elements of the story/narrative and knocked two stars off the review. At the same time, two stars added for seeing JC in a serious role and incorporating family values regarding a single father trying to amend his relationship was great. There is, as always, tremendous talent there. As to those that criticize JC for this effort, I'd suggest they be more gracious toward a man that is evolving on personal levels, and one who strives to entertain at all costs. Go Jackie!!

We had seen Jackie doing incredible stunts in his career and it is time for him to move on doing something different. While the movie opening was quite loose and uninteresting, as the story slowly unfolds, it captured my heart and emotions. I must admit that Jackie actually act better than many action stars. I personally think that he has quite successfully transform himself to an actor not merely good at action but convincing in his role as well. This is not the usual good-and-bad-guy movie, and fighting scene is really minimal. There are many moments in this movie that clearly demonstrates a bravery of man and heroic act without expressing though action scenes with huge budget and CGI. It is so natural that fighting is really unnecessary in this movie. I am happy that Jackie has found a new way to blend his action talent with drama, only if the script is good, and this is a better one than Shinjuku Incident.