Project A (1983)
Director: Jackie Chan
Cast:
Plot: It’s early 1900’s Hong Kong and the coastguard and police are constantly at odds as to who is the better enforcer of the law. Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan) is the most volatile of the coastguard officers, and after the coastguard and the police are forced to amalgamate he finds himself at odds with the young new commander, Inspector Hong Tin Tzu (Yuen Biao). A series of pirate attacks has put pressure on the government to capture or kill lead pirate San Po (Dick Wei) to bring peace back to the local waters. With the reluctant help of his friend, the gambling addicted and often troublesome Fei (Sammo Hung), Dragon Ma, Inspector Hong Tin Tzu and some ex coastguard officers plot to infiltrate the Pirate’s Den and put an end to their terrorising the South China Seas around Hong Kong.
Review: This groundbreaking action comedy from Jackie Chan is generally regarded one of the most influential films to come out of Hong Kong in the eighties. It also receives great fan admiration for being the first film to really feature the “Three Brothers” Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in lead roles. They had previously appeared in other films together, but never before had they played in such a three hander where they all get some great screen moments. Ultimately this is Jackie’s film, with him taking the lions share of the action and the credit for the end result, but the inclusion of both Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in prime roles is the reason to watch this magnificent film, and it deserves watching over and over again. The blend of comedy and action has rarely been better with both Jackie and Sammo‘s stunt teams working to create one exciting set piece after the next, but where this film really makes itself stand ahead of other films from this era is the magnificent use of death defying stunt work.
Jackie’s love for the silent era of Hollywood cinema is more evident here than any other film he has directed. We get everything thrown in from frantic chases to a bar brawl that offers us some wonderfully timed movements between Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. At one point there is even one magnificent stunt that owes more than a little to the classic Harold Lloyd silent comedy “Safety Last”. The main difference being that instead of climbing the outside of a building, we have an amazing clock tower stunt where Jackie hangs by a pair of handcuffs from the hands of the town clock until he comes crashing to the ground with only a series of small canopies to break his fall. This was done more than once with each one filmed from different angles to get the most out of the stunt. Look carefully during the repeat showing and the fall is different. A third version of the fall, where Jackie hurt himself, is shown as part of the end credits. Jackie also gets to run up acutely angled walls and bound down a series of steps. We also get a fantastic sequence that combines slapstick comedy and inspired action where Jackie utilises a bicycle to incredible effect.
Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao have some good moments together in this film, an early highlight is their fight in the bar brawl at the beginning of the film, and the way their relationship changes as the film progresses is also well handled, but for me the best moments come when we have Jackie and Sammo on the screen together. Sammo is playing the comic loveable rogue that he does so well with his somewhat perverted moral arguments with Jackie are a comic highlight. The fact that Sammo constantly thinks he is getting Jackie out of trouble is pure joy, especially when it is usually his actions that get Jackie into awkward or dangerous situations in the first place. The image of the two men taking a stance together in the tea house is almost iconic and when they move forward and fight in unison it is one of those defining moments in film that gives me an all over feeling of elation.
Once again our three stars are surrounded by a quality cast of supporting actors and great fight and stunt players. Kwan Hoi San gives one of his most memorable performances and the ever present Mars gets quite a meaty support role as one of Jackie’s none too bright coastguard colleagues. Isabella Wong gets the usual rough treatment for a leading lady in an action comedy of this type, spending most of her time in some sort of peril or being generally mistreated in the name of entertainment. Wu Ma appears as a gambler in the mah jong sequence and Lee Hoi San plays another memorable villain, with his fight with Jackie in the clock tower easily being another action highlight. The main villain of the piece is Dick Wei who plays the lead pirate San Po with relish and a physical skill that makes the three on one finale totally believable and in my opinion one of the best fights ever captured on film.
There are far too many great moments in this film to list them all. So many that if I was to start trying to pick out certain sequences right now I would end up with a never ending review that would detail almost every scene. I’ll save you from the tedium of that by just saying that this film is a true classic that demands to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. We have Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao all at the top of their game and ready to give everything, sometimes risking life and limb to create something different, and that is what you get. This may be regarded by some as one of the greatest achievements of Hong Kong cinema, but I would say that was underselling this film and the impact it has had. This film deserves recognition for being one of the most influential action films in the world, not just Asia. If you have never seen this genuine classic I suggest you do yourself a huge favour and track this one down immediately. If you have seen this film don’t waste any more time on this review……….. Go and watch it again.……..….you know you want to.
Rating: 5/5
Cast:
Plot: It’s early 1900’s Hong Kong and the coastguard and police are constantly at odds as to who is the better enforcer of the law. Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan) is the most volatile of the coastguard officers, and after the coastguard and the police are forced to amalgamate he finds himself at odds with the young new commander, Inspector Hong Tin Tzu (Yuen Biao). A series of pirate attacks has put pressure on the government to capture or kill lead pirate San Po (Dick Wei) to bring peace back to the local waters. With the reluctant help of his friend, the gambling addicted and often troublesome Fei (Sammo Hung), Dragon Ma, Inspector Hong Tin Tzu and some ex coastguard officers plot to infiltrate the Pirate’s Den and put an end to their terrorising the South China Seas around Hong Kong.
Review: This groundbreaking action comedy from Jackie Chan is generally regarded one of the most influential films to come out of Hong Kong in the eighties. It also receives great fan admiration for being the first film to really feature the “Three Brothers” Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in lead roles. They had previously appeared in other films together, but never before had they played in such a three hander where they all get some great screen moments. Ultimately this is Jackie’s film, with him taking the lions share of the action and the credit for the end result, but the inclusion of both Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in prime roles is the reason to watch this magnificent film, and it deserves watching over and over again. The blend of comedy and action has rarely been better with both Jackie and Sammo‘s stunt teams working to create one exciting set piece after the next, but where this film really makes itself stand ahead of other films from this era is the magnificent use of death defying stunt work.
Jackie’s love for the silent era of Hollywood cinema is more evident here than any other film he has directed. We get everything thrown in from frantic chases to a bar brawl that offers us some wonderfully timed movements between Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. At one point there is even one magnificent stunt that owes more than a little to the classic Harold Lloyd silent comedy “Safety Last”. The main difference being that instead of climbing the outside of a building, we have an amazing clock tower stunt where Jackie hangs by a pair of handcuffs from the hands of the town clock until he comes crashing to the ground with only a series of small canopies to break his fall. This was done more than once with each one filmed from different angles to get the most out of the stunt. Look carefully during the repeat showing and the fall is different. A third version of the fall, where Jackie hurt himself, is shown as part of the end credits. Jackie also gets to run up acutely angled walls and bound down a series of steps. We also get a fantastic sequence that combines slapstick comedy and inspired action where Jackie utilises a bicycle to incredible effect.
Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao have some good moments together in this film, an early highlight is their fight in the bar brawl at the beginning of the film, and the way their relationship changes as the film progresses is also well handled, but for me the best moments come when we have Jackie and Sammo on the screen together. Sammo is playing the comic loveable rogue that he does so well with his somewhat perverted moral arguments with Jackie are a comic highlight. The fact that Sammo constantly thinks he is getting Jackie out of trouble is pure joy, especially when it is usually his actions that get Jackie into awkward or dangerous situations in the first place. The image of the two men taking a stance together in the tea house is almost iconic and when they move forward and fight in unison it is one of those defining moments in film that gives me an all over feeling of elation.
Once again our three stars are surrounded by a quality cast of supporting actors and great fight and stunt players. Kwan Hoi San gives one of his most memorable performances and the ever present Mars gets quite a meaty support role as one of Jackie’s none too bright coastguard colleagues. Isabella Wong gets the usual rough treatment for a leading lady in an action comedy of this type, spending most of her time in some sort of peril or being generally mistreated in the name of entertainment. Wu Ma appears as a gambler in the mah jong sequence and Lee Hoi San plays another memorable villain, with his fight with Jackie in the clock tower easily being another action highlight. The main villain of the piece is Dick Wei who plays the lead pirate San Po with relish and a physical skill that makes the three on one finale totally believable and in my opinion one of the best fights ever captured on film.
There are far too many great moments in this film to list them all. So many that if I was to start trying to pick out certain sequences right now I would end up with a never ending review that would detail almost every scene. I’ll save you from the tedium of that by just saying that this film is a true classic that demands to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. We have Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao all at the top of their game and ready to give everything, sometimes risking life and limb to create something different, and that is what you get. This may be regarded by some as one of the greatest achievements of Hong Kong cinema, but I would say that was underselling this film and the impact it has had. This film deserves recognition for being one of the most influential action films in the world, not just Asia. If you have never seen this genuine classic I suggest you do yourself a huge favour and track this one down immediately. If you have seen this film don’t waste any more time on this review……….. Go and watch it again.……..….you know you want to.
Rating: 5/5
Review by D. M.
Photos by Klara
Photos by Klara
For bigger photos please click on thumbnails
For more pictures visit the Project A Photo Album