Police Story 4: First Strike (1996)
Director: Stanley Tong
Starring: Jackie Chan, Jackson Lou, Annie Wu, Bill Tung
Primary genre: Action
The fourth entry in Jackie Chan’s Police Story series (1985-2013) follows Ka-kui, now nicknamed Jackie (Chan really makes it easy playing himself after the mid-90s) who travels further than the Asian geographic focus of Supercop (1992). This time around, Jackie is involved for unexplained reasons in an international nuclear weapons deal (as all Hong Kong cops do) and thus, finds himself working with the CIA in the snowy lands of Russia, and Ukraine, and Brisbane’s Gold Coast.
“Uncle Bill! I’m calling you right now from Australia and I’m having a great time! I’m talking to you while enjoying my great view. Wow! Working for the FSB is great. I have a sauna, swimming pool, and jacuzzi. Oh, wait a second. My koala bear just came out.”
Like most of his late 90s vehicles, there is less emphasis on Hong Kong criminals and triads and more on cartoonish western villains whose connection to Jackie is a flimsy excuse to flex his stunts and on-screen physical and comedic charisma. Perhaps the weakest of the franchise, Police Story 4 or First Strike features, as expected, some cool stunts: from a ski and snowboard chase on a mountain slope, and the infamous ladder fight, to dangling from a tall hotel building, and an inventive and extended underwater sequence full of wacky humor. Chan, like the multi-talented person he is, manages to find new ways of crafting action set pieces by eradicating Hollywood’s preference for big explosions and profanities. Pushing the limits of his body for the sake of celluloid deserves commendation, establishing himself as a modern Buster Keaton with immense every-day-man appeal and sweet innocence.
However, for all the effort he puts into his craft, the story is completely unengaging, switching from random location to random location under terrible dubbing. Reunited with Stanley Tong, who previously helmed the tighter (and much better) Rumble in the Bronx (1995) a year prior, First Strike boasts high production values including sweeping cinematography. Yet, it bears even less engaging characters in its melodramatic tendencies within the Chinese diaspora’s culture. As a result, familiar faces seen in Chan’s work do not appear at all or are reduced to quickly forgotten cameos (the always enjoyable Bill Tung).
Compared to his more visceral work in the 80s, First Strike is a mild hit having a similar vibe to Thunderbolt (1995); not particularly funny or exciting. While the action is there, it is between tedious segments of unspecified political intrigue. Every time you think things are going to take a turn for something more thrilling, the film either alters its identity or decides to stop the pace altogether to introduce unnecessary (and bad) dialogue. It is more of a James Bond knock-off than a complete motion picture that can stand out in the charismatic superstar’s extensive filmography.
Mid-tier 90s Jackie Chan
+Excellent underwater sequence
+Few daredevil stunts
+Chan remains charismatic
+International flair
-James Bond knock off
-Too long
-Illogical plot