We first encounter Inspector Chan as a drunk who collapses in a back alley before learning via flashback what brought him to that sad state. No, it wasn’t the thought of making a third Rush Hour film with Chris Tucker, Chan lost his entire team after being outwitted by a group of master criminals and unable to deal with his failure he took solace in the bottle. With the help of a new partner he pulls himself back together and goes in search of the men (and woman) who murdered his friends.
The film is going for a grittier feel than the previous Police Story films but it doesn’t quite work. Chan isn’t a great character actor, his stumbling drunk isn’t very convincing and owes more to his hero Buster Keaton than it does to the method acting school. When the film settles for action though, Chan is in his element; even at 50 he’s still doing things that others wouldn’t even try.
The film lacks the fun that’s always been inherent in the series, although it’s not completely without humour. It’s the uneven tone that really lets it down – if you want to see an action packed Jackie Chan film you’re better of with the original Police Story, if it’s something more down to earth then Crime Story fits the bill. New Police Story wants to have its cake and eat it too and that makes it far less satisfying than it could have been.
