Jackie Watch: Supercop (1992)

Watched:  06/21/2020
Format:  Amazon Streaming
Viewing:  Unknown
Decade:  1990's
Director:  Stanley Tong

Back during my early years of college, one of the student associations would bring in Hong Kong cinema to Hogg Auditorium on the University of Texas campus.  JAL and a few others of us would wander down there,  and the place would be half-full with bats flying around during the show.  Sometimes we'd be less sober than other times, but we were getting great stuff that didn't play even the arthouse theaters, and seeing it on the big screen.

But the thing JAL first used to get me to show up was describing how Jackie Chan films worked, so - we went and watched Police Story 3: Supercop. 


If you've not seen Supercop - and it was released in the US with an English dub as a stand-alone picture (and works fine that way) - you should.  It's not just Jackie, it's also early Michelle Yeoh.  And if you only know Michelle Yeoh as a classy actress who can play anything, may I suggest you see how she started out as a kick-ass action star who did her own stunts?  Here she's billed as Michelle Khan, and it's really pretty amazing that Jackie Chan pushed her to a co-lead in a series that had been all him for two prior films.  Also, to see what she was game for to make a scene work.

In his third outing as "Kevin" (I can't remember his name in the Hong Kong version), the action moves to China, Thailand and Malaysia (Yeoh's home country, btw) as he goes undercover in partnership with a Chinese police officer (Yeoh) to infiltrate a gang tied into drug trade and other racketeering.  The Police Story movies tilt toward the comedic, like other Chan vehicles - a mix of Bruce Lee inspired action and Buster Keaton inspired stunts, with Jackie Chan's trademark good humor anchoring the whole thing.

I dunno what to say about it.  It's a really fun, great movie and the two leads are fantastic. 

I will also say, this movie and Heroic Trio lended heavily to me saying "well, it has Michelle Yeoh in it, so, yeah, I'll watch it" about near anything you offer up.  Bear witness to me not arguing in the slightest about seeing a romantic comedy last year - which is usually like pulling teeth - when Crazy Rich Asians came out (which I liked, btw).

Anyway, I'd been meaning to rewatch this one since catching the first two at the theater again maybe over a year ago.  So.  Here we are.