Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: Inspector Chan tries to protect a slumlord from being kidnapped.
Biased, pithy comments: This is the darkest Chan movie I've seen---fairly serious problems, more gunplay than martial arts, and the Hong Kong police seem corrupt and incompetent while the citizens they protect are equally corrupt. This isn't Chan's best film, either, but I'm a Chan fan and, though most of this film is a standard thriller a la ``Ransom'', the interesting cultural commentary (as well as ample demonstration of how police operate in countries without bills of rights---yow! Machine gun first, ask questions later! Beat the heck out of your suspects for information! It's fun!) make it for an Eastern-flavored crime movie that doesn't slow down too much. It's also the most coherent plot I've seen in a Chan movie.
Other Notes: Has about 12 other titles including ``Jackie Chan's Crime Story,'' ``Hard To Die,'' and ``Serious Crimes Squad,'' and ``Zhong an zu.''
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Jackie Chan, Kent Cheng, Law Hang Kang, Ken Lo, Chrstine Ng.
Directed by: Kirk Wong