"Supercop"
Opened: July 26, 1996 | Rated: R (for some reason)
Often regarded as Jackie Chan's best movie, "Supercop" had a few subtitled one night stands in arthouse theaters four years ago under it's original title "Police Story 3 -- Supercop."
Now with a new soundtrack of pop songs and English dubbing in place of subtitles, the international hit is riding into U.S. wide release on the coattails of February's "Rumble in the Bronx," the movie that finally won Chan long-deserved American recognition.
"Supercop" while a little slow out of the gate, is even more furious fun than "Rumble," and has arguably the greatest stunt sequence in modern film: A 7-minute helicopter and train fight scene that makes the effects-heavy chopper/train climax of "Mission: Impossible" look easy.
This is, of course, because that really is Jackie Chan hanging from a rope ladder 1,000 feet in the air and Kung Fu fighting on top of a speeding locomotive. Tom Cruise shot his train-top tussle in front of a blue screen.
In "Supercop" Chan is an undercover Hong Kong detective going after a drug-dealing Chinese mob. He infiltrates the organization by breaking a henchman out of prison (fight scene), and proves himself again when the cops catch up with them in a small village hide-out (fight scene).
Holding her own beside him -- and doing her own stunts as well -- is Michelle Khan as Chan's Chinese partner. A former Miss Malaysia and one of Asia's bigger female stars, Khan kicks, punches, takes a bullet and jumps a motorcycle on to the aforementioned moving train.
Although Chan's movies are so much fun that one usually forgives paper-thin storylines and stock characters, this isn't necessary with "Supercop." The plot, which later involves Chan's cover being blown by his girlfriend who is subsequently taken hostage, is not particularly original but this script is sturdy and the players have more personality than the cardboard cast of "Rumble."
You do have to shrug off his extremely dated acid-washed denim look and let slide some of the laughable dubbing. But through Chan's everyman persona, his mugging comedy that crosses all language barriers and his incredible stunts and martial arts skills, "Supercop" puts most home-grown action-comedies to shame.
As is tradition with Chan movies, bloopers and out-takes of stunts gone awry accompany the closing credits. With shots of Khan blowing the first two takes of the motorcycle-train jump and Chan being clobbered by props, this alone is almost worth the price of admission.
©1996 All Rights Reserved.
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