This is not only Jackie Chan's best film, but one of the best pieces of action cinema ever, and one of my personal favourite films from since I was a child.The action is phenomenal. It's creative, fun, dramatic, extravagant, exciting, brutal and meaty. The action scenes in this ranging from the serious to non-serious are all you could ever ask for in an action movie.The cinematography is great, with the angles and framing optimized for the best view and proper flow for action sequences. The editing is great as well, especially for showing connection with hits, something most action films neglect. By this I mean, sometimes when someone throws a punch, just as the punch is about to connect, the camera will cut to a close-up angle of the punch connecting full force than cut back to a wide to show the aftermath of the hit. It is superb action editing.The sound effects are the iconic punch and miss sound effects of the good ol' kung fu films. For me, this film has one of the most iconic theme songs of all time performed by Jackie Chan and I often catch myself humming it.The story is straightforward and engaging. Characters are unique and memorable. There are iconic moments that unfold and little re- occurrences that happen with characters that further the engagement.The stunt work by Jackie's team is fantastic as always, with one of the biggest stunts ever done in the history of cinema in this film. It was so good they showed it 3 times, something they usually do for a huge near-death experience stunt by Chan.Overall, this movie is perfect fun. An absolute blast with great characters, solid story, superb practical action and stunts that put modern action films and CGI to shame, a catchy theme song and an awesome ending. 10/10 a masterpiece.

For a movie that I thought had a damn-serious reputation as a tough cop action drama... Well, there's also a moment where Jackie Chan does the moonwalk to unsuccessfully get poop off his shoe.This movie is incredible entertainment. Police Story isn't a grand masterwork of cinema, but they don't all got to be that (side bar, I watched this after a double-shot of Ozu and it was the equivalent of having a really healthy full course meal, and then getting the best ice cream sundae or piece of over the top cheesecake at the Cheesecake factory, but I digress).In this case, Chan has a total, consummate and complete dedication to being the kung-fu goofball of cinema. Obviously you see his magic (and what else can you call it) in the big set pieces - with the bus early on and especially at the mall at the end (he EARNS having his slide down the pole through those thousands of lights three times) - but its in the little moments, if one can call them that, when he is interacting with the woman his cop character is supposed to be keeping an eye on.Itd be easy to just make this a standard potboiler and there are a couple of scenes where that's evident (ie the cop friend winds up, gasp, double crossing 2/3rds in), but Chan subverts that by being so silly or, more to the point, he makes it so that wild things happen to him, like in the courtroom, but the humor isn't mean or in poor taste either. And then when it *does* suddenly turn dramatic in the latter part of the film, whether you think it earns it or not (and I thought it mostly did), Chan commits to that as well and shows how he realty could do it all. If he had adapted Macbeth he would have been one helluva martial arts mad Scottsman! Police Story especially is a small treasure for action fans (if a little rough over 30 years on), and its clear that it's not only in the stunts but in his entire persona, how he interacts with people and especially women, that a character like this is SO Buster Keaton too. I'm almost surprised he didn't have a top hat.

Jackie Chan stars as tough police inspector Chan Ka Kui, who is determined to bring Hong Kong drug lord Chu Tao (Yuen Chor) to justice, but who finds himself having to clear his own name when he is framed for the murder of a corrupt cop. Helping Chan to put things right is Chu Tao's secretary Selina (Brigitte Lin), but her presence doesn't sit well with the inspector's jealous girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung).Police Story is widely regarded as being amongst Jackie Chan's best films, but while it undeniably showcases some of the star's most incredible fighting and stunt-work—opening in spectacular fashion with the destruction of a hillside shanty town during a car chase, and closing with a jaw-dropping shopping mall showdown in which no pane of glass remains un- smashed—the simplistic plot and frequent Chaplin-esque comedy routines prevent it from being one of my favourites. Chan is renowned for his trademark blend of kung-fu and comedy, but in this case it seems out of place amidst the organised crime, murder and shooting.6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for the eye-watering moment three men fly through the top window of a double-decker bus and hit the ground in a most painful manner.

This is claimed to be one of the best action films of all time, but I disagree. It is probably one of Jackie's classic action films, but I would say it is far from his best. The thing that sets this apart from some of his better films is that the comedy is not as dominant in this film nor are the stunts all that spectacular. The thing that makes Jackie Chan movies stand out are not just the stunts but also the fight sequences. There was a pretty funky fight scene in a shopping center at the end but it went from fighting around escalators and all that to take a bulk of it in a small department store.The is one of the few Jackie Chan movies with a plot. He is after a big time drug lord, but is set up for murder and the evidence is destroyed. Not only that but because he is assigned to look after a female witness, his relationship is put in jeopardy, especially when the witness manipulates things to make her think he is sleeping with her.This film really has little in the way of outstanding themes. This is a Jackie Chan movie and thus when you approach it you expect it to be all action. It is not all action as it actually delves into the character's private life and the frustrations of Jackie dealing with a girlfriend that thinks he is cheating on her. Sometimes we feel sorry for Jackie because he seems to always play the character who can't hold a relationship down.The thing that sticks in my mind though is the closing credits which contain all of the outtakes. We didn't see any of the blunders, but I did notice that a lot of the production crew, during the filming, were dressed in only shorts making me think that it must be really hot in Hong Kong (it can be). It was still an enjoyable movie though not one of his best.