Police Story 4: First Strike (1996)
1h 47m | PG-13
Hong Kong cop Chan Ka-Kui returns, working with Interpol to track down and arrest an illegal weapons dealer. Chan later realizes that things are not as simple as they appear and soon finds himself to be a pawn of an organization posing as Russian intelligence.
Director: Stanley Tong Gwai-Lai
Studio: Orange Sky Golden Harvest
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Video: 720p
Cast
Jackie Chan
as Chan Ka-Kui
Jackson Liu
as Tsui Kit
Annie Wu
as Annie
Bill Tung Biu
as Uncle Bill
Yuri Petrov
as Gregor
Nonna Grishaeva
as Natasha
Reviews
I loved the first two installments of Jackie Chan's 'Police Story' series, and wish I had seen the intervening adventures of Chan's character, Inspector Chan Ka Kui, ('Police Story 3: Supercop' and 'Project S'--though this is labeled Police Story 4, it's actually his very popular character's 5th appearance). Still, the story (basically a James Bond-type role, as he is forced by his boss to help the CIA prevent a Russian nuclear device from getting into the wrong hands) stands on its own, and is thrilling from start to finish, though something tends to be different and missing from his earlier Hong Kong exploits (though this was made there and dubbed--albeit horrendously--to help make him a star Stateside). If I had to put a finger on it, I think I prefer films that Chan directed himself. It's still extremely enjoyable, with set-pieces--especially when he defends himself with a stepladder--that approach awe-inspiring choreographed action perfection...