Police Story III

Jing cha gu shi III: Chao ji jing cha; action, Hong Kong / China, 1992; D: Stanley Tong, S: Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, Yuen Wah, Kenneth Tsang

On Interpol's request, the Hong Kong police sends its best man on a special case: "Kevin" Chan Ka-Kui. His assignment is to break a smuggling chain of a mobster called Chaibat. Ka-Kui's assistant is the police girl Yang. He disguises himself as a criminal and helps a convict, Panther, escape from jail. That way, he becomes the member of his organization, as well as Yang who introduces herself as his sister. When they meet Chaibat he immediately thinks they are police officers, but then changes his mind and invites them to his conference which ends in a fight. Chaibat kidnaps Ka-Kui's girlfriend, May, in order to blackmail Ka-Kui and Yang to stage a break of Chaibat's wife Chen, who was sentenced to death in Kuala Lumpur. Ka-Kui and Y    ang free Chen, but then chase the bad guys in a helicopter that lands on a speeding train.  Chaibat is killed in the clash, while Chen is arrested.

Even the third part of the "Police Story" tetralogy has dynamics and action that didn't lose their sheer energy, whereas in some scenes it even manages to top the original. Jackie Chan is again in stunning shape in the magnificently fun action sequences, the highlights arguably being the powerboat chase in the sea and a helicopter's ladder getting stuck to a speeding train. The new character introduced into the series turned out irresistibly sympathetic: it's the excellent Michelle Yeoh (probably best known from the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") as the hero's "assistant" Yang, enriching the story with many humorous moments, like the scene in which she follows Ka-Kui, but a window shuts down after him so she slams into it. The sole story is weak, the dialogues do not have any real wit or humor, whereas the bizarre switch to Kuala Lumpur in the action finale comes almost out of nowhere, but as with many of his films, it's somehow always much more enjoyable to watch Chan's action movies than any other mediocre action flicks.

Grade:++