Premise: Despite being demoted, Ka-Kui (Jackie Chan), can't stay out of trouble when an old enemy comes back for revenge.
As I said after Police Story, I'm a Jackie Chan fan in earnest now. I'll be looking for his movies regularly from now on after how much of a blast Police Story was. Naturally, I went to the sequel next. And, I'm of two minds about the movie. On the one hand, it's again a really fun movie with silly comedy and impressive stunts. On the other hand, it's dialed back from the constant thrills of the first movie, which is a bummer. From what I've gathered, people complained about the wanton destruction of the first movie, so Jackie Chan dialed it back in this one. Whoever these people are, they are bad people and they are stupid people. Jackie Chan is a fine actor all around, but who are these people saying "I love Jackie Chan, but why does he have to lean on all these crazy stunts? It's such a crutch"? I could even sense Jackie Chan (or some other producers) resisting this decision in the final cut. The entire opening credits of this movie consists of the best stunts from the first movie. I was like they were telling me to remember how fun the first movie was before waiting surprisingly long stretches for the good stuff in the sequel.
I really don't want to make it sound like I didn't enjoy Police Story 2. It was a let down from Police Story, but it still rocked. There are some great fights and set pieces. Jackie Chan and Maggie Cheung are funny together. I didn't really follow the plot, but that was more of a choice than an inability. Those tiny explosive poppers they were throwing at the end look like the firework I dreamed of when I was 12. I really love that they kept the blooper reel at the end. It actually does a lot to make me appreciate how crazy even the innocuous stunts are.
Next up, Super Cop. With Michelle Yeoh! Or maybe I'll sneak in some Project A or Drunken Master. So many options.
Verdict: Strongly Recommend
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