First Strike

Starring: Jackie Chan, Jackson Lou, Annie Wu, Bill Tung, Nonna Grishaeva
Directed by: Stanley Tong
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Inspector Chan (Jackie Chan) must stop terrorists from obtaining a nuclear warhead.

Review:

Tim: I have to admit, it's taken me awhile to understand Jackie Chan's Police Story franchise. It probably isn't as complicated as it seemed to be, but it still threw me for a loop. At this point, I've seen the original movie (one of Chan's best) and then I watched Supercop, not knowing it was the third film in the franchise. The same thing happened here, as I watched First Strike and realized it was the fourth film. At this point, I need to go back and watch the second film. While this still feels like a loose franchise, I mostly enjoyed this decent fourth entry.

This movie certainly represents some departures from the typical form. It's less of a "police" story and more of a global espionage adventure, very much in a James Bond vein. Of course, it leads first with Chan's trademark humor and comedy, but it deftly blends that with some jaw-dropping stunts. The movie certainly has some big strengths, but it also suffers from some of the consistent flaws in Chan's films.

Let's start with those. It seems crazy to me when I think about Chan's stunts and the charismatic humor he brings that I would only label this film as "decent". How can that be? These films have always been great at creating brilliant moments and brilliant scenes and far less effective in telling a compelling narrative from beginning to end. That's really at the heart of the issue here. First Strike has some great moments (more on that in a minute), but the story has a whole feels secondary. Character development doesn't really occur, other than in service of a joke or to move the plot forward. There's not enough introspection in any of the characters. So, while we might be stunned by a Jackie Chan stunt or laugh at his buffoonery, we don't really care about the characters. They make next to no emotional impact. The story feels like an afterthought, something held together by the thinnest thread, just enough there to move us to the next set piece. That may generate terrific, memorable moments, but it doesn't make for an especially good film in the long run.

Now, I won't blunt my comments about the story or its effectiveness. That prevents this from being a good movie. What's stunning is that is that Jackie Chan and director Stanley Tong create some truly astounding sequences throughout the film. The beginning of the film features some incredible scenes with Chan up in the snowy mountains. This involves falling into a frozen lake and some awe-inspiring stunts on snowboards. These scenes are vintage Jackie and so much fun to watch. There's a cool fight scene in a busted aquarium, a shootout in the middle of a Chinatown funeral and a series of other incredible action set pieces. And then, there's the ladder fight. I truly believe this is one of the greatest action scenes Chan has ever done, indeed, one of the best anyone has ever done in a movie. It's so absurd, so unexpected, and it uses Chan's unique gifts in a way that only he could pull off. I've watched that fight scene several times since seeing the movie and I can still barely believe my eyes at some of the work Chan does. The highlight for me is when he takes a running, twisting leap through the rungs of a step ladder. It's a classic, insane movie that only Jackie Chan would be brave and resilient enough to pull off. I could watch that scene every day and still be entertained. It's the kind of scene that seems to elevate the entire movie around it. It's fantastic and absolutely the highlight of the film.

The other issue I had is that this clearly just a movie about Jackie Chan's character. Everyone else feels like window dressing. The movie needed stronger supporting performances. The absence of a Michelle Yeoh from Supercop is felt here. The movie needed another star, or at least a supporting player with more star-like qualities.

The rest of the movie doesn't live up to this, as I've stated. Still, First Strike is a decent enough action movie that has a few terrific scenes. I'm glad I watched the movie and I certainly derived a good deal of entertainment out of it. The movie might not be quite as strong as we'd hope, but Jackie Chan is always outstanding.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Police Story, Police Story 2, Supercop