New Police Story (2004) [Film Review]

New Police Story: or, The Long Arm of the Law

     There are so many great things waiting for you. Forget the past, turn your pain into your power.
9 years after the previous Police Story instalment, Jackie Chan returns to the series with a complete remake, simply called New Police Story. Directed by Benny Chan, the movie distances itself from the previous entries due to much grittier tone and heavy violence. Is this a decent action flick or yet another refurbished old chestnut? Let’s find out together.

Release Info

Directed by: Benny Chan Starring: Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Charlie Yeung, Charlene Choi

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 新警察故事 Runtime: 123 min

Synopsis
A group of five anonymous youngsters conducts a series of bank heists in Hong Kong. Apart from stealing money, they gained notoriety for violently killing police officers who rushed to the scene. Inspector Chan Kwok-wing (Jackie Chan) is sent together with a squad to track down and arrest the gang. Unfortunately, Chan’s team members fall into a trap and get killed. Chan himself barely makes it out alive. Depressed and ashamed, Chan turns to alcohol, but a transfer cop, Frankie Cheng (Nicholas Tse), suddenly appears and identifies himself as Chan’s new partner. With the help of Frank, Chan pulls himself together and begins the search for ruthless killers.

Death Wish
I clearly remember seeing New Police Story in the mid 2000s on television, but the teenager me just could not handle all the violence (the squad decimation scene). It was only 10 years later when I revisited the movie and I found it to be extremely gripping.

What I like the most about New Police Story is the change in tone. From the opening scene, we see Jackie as a fallen cop. He is no longer “Mr. Nice Guy” who gets himself in trouble only to heroically save the day. His new interpretation of a police officer is that of a vulnerable man who seeks redemption. Indeed, it is a great story arc. In addition, the plot itself about a gang of game-addicted youngsters (no longer gangsters or terrorists as in previous films) is excellent and accurately reflects the high-tech feels of the early 2000s.

In terms of action, there are lots of amazing sequences. We get a new double-decker bus chase, disarming the bomb scene, and final confrontation at a convention centre, to name but a few. Definitely, my favourite action set piece is the building wall drop. The blooper reel at the end of film clearly shows what an arduous sequence it was to shoot (without any CGI!).

With regard to disadvantages, the film tends to be a bit over-melodramatic in places. There are some moments when the viewer wants to catch a breath, but the drama just presses on. Nevertheless, there’s still some space for humour, mostly coming from the characters of Frankie (who in terms of appearance is an obvious rip-off of Detective Aoshima from Bayside Shakedown).

Speaking about performances, New Police Story serves as one of the notable examples which prove that Jackie can be not only a stuntman but also an actor. In addition, I enjoyed the light-hearted performances of Nicholas Tse as Frankie Cheng and Charlene Choi as officer Sa Sa. Charlie Yeung also gives a compelling performance as Chan’s love interest, in spite of limited screen time. Also, Yu RongGuang (who appeared in Project S (1993)) plays the supporting part of Chan’s superior.

Recommendations
All things considered, I’m very fond of New Police Story and I like coming back to it every now and then. I safely recommend it to the fans of Jackie Chan as well as enthusiasts of police drama. This movie is undoubtedly one of the strongest entries in the series. Jackie went in an entirely new direction and it paid off. Stay tuned for my review of Police Story 2013.Overall score: 8/10

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