Crime Story

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.

Being a fan of Chan's work for about 20 yrs now, i think i have FINALLY got hold of a movie which i can say is my favourite from his line of work. Not that he hasn't impressed with his work earlier, this one kinda stands out. No trademark slapstick/light motif spread all over the movie. The direction is very good for most part and so is Jackie Chan. The action is very much there, and in just the right quantity and 'type' that should have been there. People might say this is offbeat, but according to my humble opinion.. this is JUST THE KIND Jackie really should have attempted majorly. He is def not a bad actor, and such movies would have given him enough chance to exhibit his talent the audiences haven't seen enough of.

Recently Chan has been saying that he would like to concentrate on non action films, films which have more 'acting' in it than action alone.. I think movies like Crime Story would have made him even more popular! It's a shame that nobody recommended/mentioned about this one and it took me so long to reach out to this one, but i am glad i have finally watched it. Def worth treasuring!

Although the complete lack of comedy may disappoint some of Jackie Chan's fans, I found him quite fascinating to watch in this more serious part; he proves, once and for all, that he CAN act, and he handles his complex relationship with the chief villain (who is not as one-dimensional a character as you might expect) particularly well. Perhaps if you're unaccustomed to Hong Kong action cinema, the frenetic pacing and chaotic storytelling, combined with the (bad, of course, but not unacceptable this time) dubbing, can create a disorienting effect. But the action starts early on and never lets up, and the fight scenes, while not numerous, are AMAZING. (**1/2)

I thought this movie was an interesting change of pace for a Jackie Chan film--not a joke to be found, just a lot of dark and gritty action. The production values are better than usual (though the US version's dubbing is awful!) and the story kept me interested. If you want to see a more serious side to Jackie Chan's acting, check this movie out. Don't watch it expecting tons of kung fu fighting, though, or you'll likely be disappointed.