Police Story 2

This sequel may be a little weak on story, but it doesn’t matter when Jackie Chan is doing his best stunts.

Because of the trouble he got into in the first movie, Hong Kong police officer Kevin Chan has been demoted to traffic duty. While working, he is noticed by the villain, Tom Ku, played by Cho Yuen, out of jail after only a few months. Ku makes indirect but obvious threats against Kevin and his girlfriend, May. After Ku’s men begin to harass May and her mother, Kevin starts a public fight with them. When he is lectured by his boss, Bill Wong (Bill Tung), and by-the-books Superintendent Lee (Kwok Hung Lam), he puts in his resignation.

Relieved at this choice, May takes Kevin to a shopping mall to buy tickets for a trip to Bali. The mall gets a bomb threat, and Kevin takes over from the hesitant officers at the location, evacuating the mall just before the bomb explodes. This enrages May, and Wong and Lee force Kevin into investigating the bombing, the first in a series by a group who want $10 million in “protection” money.

When Kevin’s investigation threatens to put an end to their plans, the criminals kidnap May. Kevin goes to look for her, and they also kidnap him. TV Guide mentioned in their review, “Torturing him with explosive squibs and threatening to torture May as well, they force Kevin to agree to pick up the ransom money--and attach a timebomb to him just to make sure.” Kevin gets the ransom, but on the way back to the warehouse ends up disarming the bomb. He frees May and fights the criminals in a fight that finishes in the amazing explosion of the warehouse.

If “Police Story II,” released in 1986, is a step below the first one, it is because it does not have as much of a story where you are on the edge of your seat (changing villains halfway through was a bad idea) and because that conclusion is a little less amazing. However, in some ways, this is a better film. TV Guide noted, “The pace is much smoother, and if there are fewer moments that make you sit up and go "Wow!," the overall level of action is higher: Chan seems to be in motion from beginning to end.”

TV Guide continued, “At this stage in his career, Chan had decided to start downplaying his martial arts skills to concentrate on stunts and less personal violence. So it's a bit disappointing that his final fight scene with high-kicking Benny Lai, which evokes similar climactic scenes from WHEELS AND MEALS and DRUNKEN MASTER II, ends with Chan turning his opponent's main weapon--explosive squibs--against him.” Still, the film moves at a nice pace, and is one of Chan’s best. Chan is also singing the song at the end credits, which (as does all of his post-1970s films) has outtakes of the stunts that didn’t work. There is also one where Maggie Cheung cracked her skull in a stunt from the film’s climax. Even though she was able to attempt a retake before being taken to the hospital, she was replaced by an obvious double for the end scenes.

For those who have seen the first movie, I would recommend seeing the sequel. You may not like it as much as the first one, but you should still see it. It’s a good sequel to a good movie that I think everyone who likes Jackie Chan will get into.

What can be said about the third movie? Stay tuned next week to find out in the continuation of “Police Story Month.”