Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Police Story III: Super Cop (88 Films) UHD/Blu-ray Review

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Ian Jane
    Administrator

  • Police Story III: Super Cop (88 Films) UHD/Blu-ray Review

    Click image for larger version  Name:	cover.jpg Views:	1 Size:	49.6 KB ID:	413119

    Released by: 88 Films
    Released on: April 25th, 2023.
    Director: Stanley Tong
    Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Kenneth Tsang
    Year: 1999
    Purchase From Amazon

    Police Story III: Super Cop – Movie Review:

    Super Cop, also known as Police Story III, Stanley Tong's first collaboration with Jackie Chan is as enjoyable, entertaining and exciting as anything that Chan has done. Cast alongside the lovely Michelle Yeoh (who recently took home an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once), Chan plays Hong Kong police inspector Chan Ka Kai who winds up working undercover with a mainland Chinese federal agent named Jessica Yang (Yeoh). Their mission is to investigate and hopefully eliminate an underground drug cartel causing problems in both territories.

    The mission takes Chan Ka Kai from Hong Kong to the mainland and then back to Hong Kong with Yang in tow while the life of an arrested wife of a syndicate boss, the only one who can help to put him away, hangs in the balance. When Chan runs into an old girlfriend of his, the drug dealers figure out who he is and kidnap her to use as leverage. This leves the two cops in a race against time where they have to take down the bad guys, save the good guys, and dangle precariously from high flying helicopters!

    Infamous for its incredible helicopter sequence, Supercop is a relentlessly exciting picture chock full of action, adventure, intrigue and humor. Chan's acting style might not be as natural as some of his counterparts but his enthusiasm is infectious here. On top of that, his on screen chemistry with the always stunning Michelle Yeoh really helps the picture rise above the countless action films that Hong Kong was churning out in the eighties and early nineties.

    Making great use of a lot of genuine Hong Kong locations, the film looks fantastic from start to finish - it's slick, well-shot, well-lit and pretty to look at - but it's the action sequences that have justly earned the film its reputation as a classic. Aside from the aforementioned helicopter scene, there are plenty of hand to hand fight sequences featuring some terrific displays of martial arts ability and a few nicely filmed shoot out/gun play scenes as well.

    While Chan does most of the heavy lifting here, Yeoh, who also did all of her own stunts for this picture, absolutely holds her own and proves why she was one of Hong Kong's most impressive leading ladies before succumbing to the lure of Hollywood and starring in turds like The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor and Babylon A.D (though in her defense, around the same time she also appeared in Fearless with Jet Li, so it wasn’t all bad in the land of Yeoh, and clearly she made quite a dent in the mainstream with her well-deserved Academy Award win!). Also be on the lookout for Maggie Cheung and Lo Lieh!

    While on their own, both Yeoh and Chan have made better films, but Supercop is definitely up there in both of their respective filmographies. It's violent enough to pack a real wallop but it's also got a strong story, great production values and, most importantly, it's a lot of fun that holds up incredibly well in an age where a lot of the stunts we see in the film would now be handled by computers.

    Note that this release includes both the original ninety-six minute Hong Kong cut of the film and the ninety-one minute U.S. re-edit, done via branching.

    Police Story III: Super Cop – UHD/Blu-ray Review:

    Police Story III: Super Cop arrives on UHD from 88 Films in an HVEC encoded 2160p transfer taken from a new 4k scan of the original 35mm negative and framed at 2.35.1 widescreen with DolbyVision and HDR10. This is a very nice presentation. Colors look very natural, never oversaturated or boosted, and detail is generally really impressive. Black levels look very good and skin tones as well. There’s very nice depth and texture to pretty much every scene, and the image is pretty much pristine, showing now noticeable print damage but retaining a good amount of natural film grain.

    Audio options for the Hong Kong cut include Cantonese Dolby Atmos (5.1/7.1 compatible), 16-bit Cantonese 1.0 Mono, 16-bit Cantonese 2.0 (Home Video Mix) and 16-bit English 1.0 (Classic English Dub). The U.S version includes a 24-bit English 5.1 option and a 16-bit Cantonese 1.0 Mono options. Subtitles are provided in English and English SDH. With pretty much all the bases covered, fans will be able to choose which track works best for them. The U.S. dub will definitely have some nostalgic value depending on how you first experienced the movie but getting to see the movie in its original language is obviously important as well. Whichever option you go for, the audio is clean and nicely balanced, with the Atmos track really giving things a nice kick when the action scenes take place.

    Extras start off with an audio commentary by Frank Djeng that is as amusing and interesting as most of Djeng's commentary tracks tend to be. He talks here about the film's different titles, it's release history and it's box office take, details on pretty much every actor that pops up in the movie, Djeng's own experiences seeing the movie in a theater in San Francisco in China, the looming effect of the Hong Kong handover on the movie and its audience response, details on the different crew members that worked on the picture as well as on director Stanley Tong, some of the locations that were used in the movie, the different stunt set pieces that highlight the movie and some of the James Bond references worked into the movie, Lo Lieh's small but excellent role in the film, how part of the movie had to be changed when Chan forgot his gun in one scene, and, of course, the helicopter scene and lots more.

    The featurettes start off with Flying High, a fun nineteen minute interview with Jackie Chan in which the world's biggest action star talks about his working relationship with Stanley Tong, who was quite young when he started working with Chan. From there he talks about everything from having sex in an elevator to his input as an actor into the films that he makes to what it was like working with Michelle Yeoh on this film. Of course, he also talks about the stunts on the film and these stories are the highlights of the interview. Chan is his usual likeable self here and he's very animated as he talks in English about his career and about this film specifically.

    From there check out the twenty-three minute Dancing With Death which puts the charming and beautiful Michelle Yeoh in front of the camera for a talk, in English, about her work on this picture. The first lady of Hong Kong cinema talks about her early years as an actress, her training as a ballerina, and how she got into martial arts films (she's not had any formal training) and what it was like learning from scratch. She talks about the thrill and the excitement of working on films like Supercop and about the unpredictability of making movies in Hong Kong and of course, she too talks about some of the stunt work that she was involved in. Michelle Yeoh has always been an incredibly charming actress and this interview just furthers that even more.

    Up next is the twenty minute The Stuntmaster General which is an interesting interview, again in English, with director Stanley Tong. Stanly talks about what it's like to direct Jackie Chan before going on and telling some amusing stories about the movies that they've made together. He talks about their working methods and what it's like working with such a huge star and how it's important to keep communicating with his cast members. He also talks about making Rumble In The Bronx and a few other movies with Chan, and some of the difficulties that they ran into on a few productions.

    Also be sure to watch The Fall Guy, a twenty-two minute interview, in Chinese (with English subtitles) with Jackie Chan's bodyguard and training partner, Ken Lo. Ken talks about his friendship with Jackie and how they started working together and how Chan recruited him to work with him in the first place and how he became his bodyguard. He also talks about how he started working on films with Chan and about some of the stunt work and action scenes that he's been involved with.

    A seventeen minute Stanley Tong Interview from 2004 lets the actor talk about what an interesting experience it was for him working on the movie, some of the more complicated set pieces that he was involved with, changes that had to be made to a scene, the shooting schedule, working in Malaysia and Hong Kong on the film, how dangerous the helicopter scene was, working with the different cast and crew members including Chan and Yeoh and quite a bit more.

    Also included here is a lengthy fifty-one minute selection of outtakes and behind the scenes, much of which is related to the stunt work which makes it pretty interesting to see as it gives us a look at how some of the more complex set pieces were shot (the motorcycle on the train scene is a good example). There are also some amusing bloopers in here and some general footage showing off what it was like on set and the cast and crew all getting along together.

    We also get Hong Kong, English and US theatrical trailers, a US theatrical teaser, seven US TV spots, a US Video Screener promo, a Japanese teaser and last but not least, a fun 1984 commercial for Guy Laroche watches featuring Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh.

    88 Films has also gone all out on the packaging for this release. The two discs fit nicely inside a black double-sided case which comes with some reversible cover sleeve art and, in addition to holding the two discs in the set, also holds a set of six postcard sized lobby card reproductions. The release also comes with a nice double-sided poster and a full-color eighty-page booklet that includes an interview with John Wakefield by Matthew Edwards, an essay on the film titled ‘Threenage Kicks: The Joy Of Supercop’ by C.J. Lines and a special thanks section. The book is beautifully illustrated with loads of color stills and advertisement material from the movie. All of this fits nicely into a hardshell, side-loading box. It has a very premium feel to it, it’s quite nice!

    Police Story III: Super Cop - The Final Word:

    One of Jackie Chan's last truly great films, Police Story III: Super Cop gets an appropriately excellent UHD/Blu-ray release from 88 Films. Highly recommended!


    Click on the images below, or right click and open in a new window, for full sized Police Story III: Super Cop Blu-ray screen caps!

    Click image for larger version  Name:	1.jpg Views:	1 Size:	172.7 KB ID:	413120

    Click image for larger version  Name:	2.jpg Views:	1 Size:	339.7 KB ID:	413134

    Click image for larger version  Name:	3.jpg Views:	1 Size:	355.3 KB ID:	413133

    Click image for larger version  Name:	4.jpg Views:	1 Size:	398.1 KB ID:	413126

    Click image for larger version  Name:	5.jpg Views:	1 Size:	363.7 KB ID:	413122

    Click image for larger version  Name:	6.jpg Views:	1 Size:	367.5 KB ID:	413132

    Click image for larger version  Name:	7.jpg Views:	1 Size:	376.2 KB ID:	413130

    Click image for larger version  Name:	8.jpg Views:	1 Size:	349.3 KB ID:	413129

    Click image for larger version  Name:	9.jpg Views:	1 Size:	309.7 KB ID:	413128

    Click image for larger version  Name:	10.jpg Views:	1 Size:	282.9 KB ID:	413127

    Click image for larger version  Name:	11.jpg Views:	1 Size:	363.2 KB ID:	413125

    Click image for larger version  Name:	12.jpg Views:	1 Size:	326.4 KB ID:	413124

    Click image for larger version  Name:	13.jpg Views:	1 Size:	362.8 KB ID:	413131

    Click image for larger version  Name:	14.jpg Views:	1 Size:	393.5 KB ID:	413121

    Click image for larger version  Name:	15.jpg Views:	1 Size:	372.3 KB ID:	413123
      Posting comments is disabled.

    Latest Articles

    Collapse

    • Hot Spur (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Severin Films
      Released on: April 30th, 2024.
      Director: Lee Frost
      Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
      Year: 1969
      Purchase From Amazon

      Hot Spur – Movie Review:

      Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:53 AM
    • Death Squad (Mondo Macabro) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Mondo Macabro
      Released on: April 9th, 2024.
      Director: Max Pecas
      Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
      Year: 1985
      Purchase From Amazon

      Death Squad – Movie Review:

      Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual
      ...
      03-22-2024, 11:46 AM
    • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Quality X
      Released on: February 28th, 2024.
      Director: Chuck Vincent
      Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
      Year: 1982
      Purchase From Amazon

      Roommates – Movie Review:

      Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
    • Night Of The Blood Monster (Blue Underground) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Blue Underground
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Jess Franco
      Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
      Year: 1970
      Purchase From Amazon

      Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:

      Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:07 PM
    • Phase IV (Vinegar Syndrome) UHD/Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Saul Bass
      Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
      Year: 1974
      Purchase From Amazon

      Phase IV – Movie Review:

      Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and
      ...
      03-15-2024, 01:02 PM
    • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
      Ian Jane
      Administrator
      by Ian Jane


      Released by: Radiance Films
      Released on: March 26th, 2024.
      Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
      Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
      Year: 1969-1972
      Purchase From Amazon

      The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

      Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
      ...
      03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
    Working...
    X