Supercop

Starring: Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, Kenneth Tsang, Wah Yuen, Bill Tung, Kelvin Wong, Philip Chan, Ken Lo
Directed by: Stanley Tong
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
1992

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A detective (Jackie Chan) teams up a Chinese agent (Michelle Yeoh) to investigate a dangerous criminal.

Review:

Tim: I was excited to see Supercop (I'm almost always excited to see a Jackie Chan movie I haven't seen before), but I didn't realize that this was actually the third film in the Police Story franchise. I liked the first film, but hadn't seen the second yet. So, I admit I watched these out of order. Supercop got rave reviews from critics and is still a beloved action movie. I'm not sure what is wrong with me- I enjoyed the movie, yes. I wouldn't place this film anywhere near my favorite action movies, though. So, while I want to give a well-rounded review here, I don't want this message to get lost- Supercop is a good movie.

The film format will feel familiar to fans of Jackie Chan. We get the larger-than-life stunts performed by Chan himself. We get his trademark humor. The movie blends action and comedy well together. This is all comforting, but there is a little bit of "we've seen this before" to the approach. Chan is a prolific actor and I battled that sentiment a bit while watching this film. That's not hugely destructive, but it was a factor to consider.

Chan himself is good, as he always is. You just know exactly what you're going to get. Chan commits 100% to the role. He's going to bring his sense of humor to the role and have fun with it. He'll be charismatic, funny, and give a committed performance. As always, though, it's his physical performance that puts his effort over-the-top. As many times as Chan's done this, we'll never get tired of seeing him put his body on the line for these amazing stunts. That is truly remarkable and Chan is once again a highlight in the film.

What surprised me was that he actually shared the spotlight in this film. In many of his Hong Kong films, Chan is clearly the main star and he's surrounded by slightly more forgettable actors. As I think about many of those films, I remember Chan and no one else from the cast. That isn't the case here and the movie is significantly better for it. Chan is partnered with Michelle Yeoh, a fantastic actor. I've been a big fan of Yeoh for several years now. I loved getting to go back and see one of her earlier films. She is excellent here. She more than holds her own opposite Chan, matching him for charismatic performance as well as the physicality of what she does. The Chan-Yeoh pairing was one of the greatest strengths of this movie and something I loved seeing.

These movie are very much about the action sequences. I found those interesting here. Early on, I was a little disappointed. It seemed like the first half of the movie was more focused on the comedic than the action. Sure, we absolutely got action sequences, but they didn't feel big enough. They felt obligatory and more time was spent on the humor than the action. The scene in the fortified compound is a perfect example of this. It's designed to be funny. There's big explosions, but the whole sequence feels strangely hollow. The stakes feel too low. It's too early in the film to matter much. I was strangely bored throughout this sequence. I wondered what was happening with this film, while I didn't find it more compelling. I worried that the action wouldn't be up to snuff here.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case. I can complain about the quantity of action scenes, but with the climax, you can't complain about quality. The climax of the film involves one of the most stunning action sequences I've ever seen. It involves an absolutely bonkers chase involving trains, helicopters, death defying leaps, and more. The scene sucks you in and you realize it's what you've been waiting for all along- for Chan to do something that awes you. This scene absolutely delivers and it's easily the highlight of the film.

So, I'm still a bit torn on Supercop. I liked the movie and I loved the climax. I enjoyed seeing Chan and Yeoh working together. The rest of the movie, though, felt too cliched, like it walks a too-familiar path. It's never bad, but much of it feels strangely uninspired. I can't say I loved Supercop. However, it's obviously a good movie and one I'm really glad I saw.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Police Story, Police Story II, Rumble in the Bronx, Operation Condor