Police Story 2 (1988)

Boring

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Police Story 2 is so tone deaf at times that it's almost unbelieavable considering it's made by the same team that made the awesome first movie. It retains the goofy attitude and the same superb stunt-work but the whole plot is contrived, violent and sad at times. It's like "gloomy slaptstick". The sadism of the new villains and the comedic actions of Ka Kui clash into each other like to tidal waves. Also the weird cameos of the bad guys from the previous movies doesn't help at all. If it wasn't for Jackie this would be a complete dissapointment, but fortunaly he makes it bereable enough to almost enjoy it through those rough scenes.

This movie essentially begins with "Detective Chan Ka Kui" (Jackie Chan) being unfairly demoted for his heroic actions in the previous film. However, this doesn't stop the criminal organization which he helped take down from targeting both him and his girlfriend "May" (Maggie Cheung) which causes even more problems for Chan Ka Kui's career. Yet even though he has now been relegated to a traffic cop his expertise becomes highly valuable when another criminal gang begins planting bombs all over Hong Kong. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that it was a decent sequel for the most part with plenty of action and comedy for those who enjoy this type of film. I was especially impressed when I watched the ending credits and saw some of the injuries Jackie Chan and the other actors sustained in the course of their work. Be that as it may, as far as the overall entertainment value of this movie, I honestly didn't think it was quite as good as its predecessor with the English dubbing being probably the most annoying thing about it. In any case, I have rated the movie accordingly. Average.

To me this part is much better than the first one. There is much more action in this part and it's taking itself a little more serious so it's more an action film than a comedy. The playground fight was probably one of the best Jackie Chan's fights ever. There also was many impressive stunts, much more than in American Jackie's movies. The Deaf Criminal was probably one of the most colorful Jackie's opponents. Even the plot was better than in a first part. In this part Jackie Chan's character has to not only fight his new enemies, he also has to deal with an old ones. I liked the new villains of this movie, which were a very violent and dangerous people. There was many violent, intense and dramatical moments in this movie so it's one of my favorite Jackie's movies.

POLICE STORY PART II (Jing Cha Gu Shi Xu Ji)(USA: Police Story 2) Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Anamorphic)Sound format: MonoIntrepid Hong Kong police officer Chan Ka-kui (Jackie Chan) battles a gang of criminals who have detonated several bombs throughout the territory as part of an ugly extortion racket.A disappointing sequel, POLICE STORY PART II is very much the mixture as before. The action scenes are as spectacular as ever - most notably an eye-popping fight in a children's park, and the climactic showdown in an abandoned factory - but the script (credited to Chan and Edward Tang) is weak and uninvolving, and the characters are basically stick-figures, broadly played by an otherwise talented cast whose collective hamminess serves merely to dilute the impact of some pretty violent set-pieces. The stuntwork is first-rate, but the movie is a lightweight affair.Clearly growing in confidence as a director, Chan accomplishes a number of genuinely striking visual flourishes (the child's ball in the bomb-rigged shopping complex; the slow fade from day to night whilst Chan and girlfriend Maggie Cheung remain seated at screen-left, contemplating their relationship in silence, etc.), demonstrating a level of maturity that would culminate the following year in his bravura Capraesque comedy-drama MR CANTON AND LADY ROSE (1989). Here, as ever, the fight scenes are lively, creative, beautifully staged, and very, *very* fast - blink, and you'll probably miss several kicks and dozens of punches! Of the cast, Chan has charisma and charm to spare but not much range as an actor, and Cheung is mere decoration, demonstrating little of the talent that would distinguish her subsequent career (FULL MOON IN NEW YORK, CENTER STAGE, etc.). Bill Tung is rather wasted as Chan's lovable superior, and there are cameo appearances by Chor Yuen (a longtime Shaw Brothers director, and chief villain in the first POLICE STORY), industry veteran Wu Ma (most famous for his recurring role in A Chinese GHOST STORY and sequels), future heartthrob Ken Lo (THE RED WOLF), and an early appearance by Lau Ching-wan, now widely recognized as one of HK's finest actors. Watch out for stuntman Benny Lai as a deaf-mute villain who steals the show with his superb fighting skills, particularly during the climactic face-off with Chan. Production values are solid, as usual, with typically expansive scope photography by Cheung Yiu-jo and expertly-crafted editing by Peter Cheung, both of whom performed similar duties on the original POLICE STORY in 1985. Followed by POLICE STORY III - SUPER COP (1992).NB. This review is based on both the original HK version of the film (101 minutes) and Chan's preferred longer cut (121 minutes), now available on DVD in HK. The re-edited, re-scored version released in the US in 1998 under the abbreviated title POLICE STORY 2 is best avoided.(Cantonese dialogue)