Police Story Part II (1988, Jackie Chan) (Patreon)

61/100

Guess we know where my priorities lie when it comes to vintage martial arts. While the original Police Story (which most people prefer, best I can tell) admittedly boasts far superior fight scenes and stunts, this sequel works significantly better as a movie...by which I largely mean that it genuinely is, in fact, and unlike its predecessor, a police story. Not a great one, by any means, but I was quite surprised, given the first film's almost nonstop cavalcade of broad comedy, to see Part II (that's what it says onscreen, purists—just like The Godfather!) devote considerable screen time to such procedural details as the force's collective tailing of a suspect, complete with multiple handoffs (and with Chan mostly watching from the sidelines). Mugging is kept to a blissful minimum, and the romance between Ka-kui and May actually accrues a bit of emotional weight, via the scene in which Overly Generic Baddie mockingly reads her Dear John letter aloud in front of them. Plus we do still get the occasional socko moment, e.g. Chan leaping over a street sign from atop a moving bus. "When are they gonna get to the fireworks factory?!" I might have whined about Police Story, had it, too, actually set its extended climax in one; didn't know that was coming here, but didn't feel restless enough to have been impatiently awaiting the explosions in any case. Bottom line: I'd rather watch a consistently engaging film with relatively subdued high points than a generally dull film anchored by two masterful sequences. Alternate bottom line (which strongly influences what I consider "consistently engaging" vs. "generally dull"): I much prefer Jackie Chan when he's not trying so hard to be funny.