Jackie Chan classics have been trickling out in 4K, with Arrow putting out classics like Project A and Dragons Forever. Foreign releases of the Police Story trilogy, Miracles and Armor of God II: Operation Condor all play in any 4K UHD player. But Arrow’s latest collection, Jackie Chan’s Breakout Hits, is truly the meat of his career.
It is amazing to have the Hong Kong cuts of these films when the New Line and Miramax/Dimension cuts were the law of the land in the U.S. for ages. Warner Archive actually released Mr. Nice Guy in both cuts, but Rumble in the Bronx and First Strike were more drastic alterations. But let’s start from the beginning of this set.
Drunken Master II is probably Chan’s his signature film even though he really only did it twice. Revisiting his breakthrough martial arts comedy now that he was a movie star, fighting while drunk is still the most distinct martial art style. He’s also still playing a teenager in his 40s. The Dimension cut only removed the final potentially offensive scene, though that’s also the scene Chan intended to show young fans the consequences of drinking.
Rumble in the Bronx was my introduction to Chan and sent me on a mission to find all his earlier films. That was a lot harder in 1996 when New Line released it. It actually begins like a typical action movie. Keung (Chan) comes to New York and defends his uncle (Bill Tung)’s store against punks. I saw Van Damme and Bruce Lee do those movies. But soon, Chan is bouncing up corners, climbing walls and turning any object he finds into a weapon. Then both Keung and the gang get involved with diamond smugglers because of course they do. The Hong Kong cut includes the whole subplot about his uncle’s wedding.
Thunderbolt is a slept on Chan movie. Maybe vehicular action isn’t what you turn to Hong Kong for, but they hold up with the American movies at the time and throw in some signature Chan fights in advantageous locales like the auto shop and a pachinko parlor. A stunt where bad guys lift a trailer on a crane and slam it into buildings is just insane in any movie.
First Strike was New Line’s follow-up to Rumble after Dimension had released Supercop. I thought the ladder fight and underwater fight were really clever, so I was baffled when I saw the Hong Kong cut with an underwater fight that’s a good six minutes longer. I understand shortening the plot for America, but why would you cut action? The extended fight is also easier to watch because they show Chan take breaths from oxygen tanks at more reasonable intervals.
First Strike also starts to balance Chinese and English language, which rises to a 50/50 ratio in Mr. Nice Guy. Chan plays a chef named Jackie who, like in Rumble, is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Set pieces at a carnival, a construction site and with a massive bulldozer stand out.
Who Am I? was the strongest combination of graceful comic fights and explosive/vehicular stunts. It dabbles in wonky CGI which only adds to the late ‘90s charm. Filmed mostly in English, it’s surprising this went straight to HBO in 1998. It was cropped and re-edited there but it was still awesome. The Hong Kong cut doesn’t reveal his identity until later in the film which makes more sense given the title.
These ‘90s Hong Kong prints have been restored on par with contemporary Hollywood films. DVD was already a clarity revolution and Blu-ray cleaned them up but this is no more caveats needed. They’re 4K films.
At this point, he’s going global. You’ll see Vancouver doubling for New York, Japan, Iceland, Australia and Africa in 4K glory, not to mention the proper aspect ratio and legible digital subtitles. You’re seeing clear wide frames, vivid colors in Thunderbolt’s raceways or Who Am I?’s African village. Thunderbolt has some nice shadow in the night car chases but most of these are well-lit so you can see all of Chan’s moves. Period Hong Kong in Drunken Master 2 was actually China.
Comprehensive bonus features include interviews with experts and below the line filmmakers. They found some actors who had small parts in a few of the films.
Chan filmed a behind-the-scenes on Who Am I? that’s 90 minutes in total. You see him train with pads between setups, and he sings. It’s not My Stunts but it’s pretty close. You get to see rehearsals, if not developing the choreography on the fly. His banter with his father is fun too.
I’m surprised by the sentiment that his Hong Kong movies declined after Rush Hour. Arrow, I would take another set that includes The Accidental Spy, The Myth, Rob-B-Hood, Chinese Zodiac, Kung Fu Yoga and Vanguard in 4K. There are other decent ones too. I’d even give The Medallion another chance.
Frank Djeng and F.J. De Santo call these the tail end of the Golden Age of Jackie. I get Drunken II and Rumble being high watermarks, but man, let every action hero have vehicles as “disappointing” as Who Am I? and Mr. Nice Guy.
They harp on he stops focusing on stances. I respect proper form too but it’s got to be ok to evolve and play with traditional forms. Look, fans debate the emphasis on stunts over final fights but it’s not like the movies are lacking fights before the final stunt. Or traditional styles, but are we complaining about Police Story?
Djeng and De Santo are fair to point out that international movies meant fewer Hong Kong martial artists but he was always on the lookout for new great fighters. Brad Allen would join him in Mr Nice Guy. Over several commentaries, Djeng and De Santo trace the period where US releases catch up to his current output. De Santo is tough but fair on English speaking cast, which took us out of movies more than dubbing ever did. James Mudge contributes commentaries too.
Drunken Master II also has an interesting commentary as Djeng and De Santo debate which director shot which scene. Chan fired Lau Kar-Leung and finished the movie himself. Djeng knows Mars so he can identify which stunts Mars did. I didn’t know Mortal Kombat actors were in the film. Their commentary is also a nice tribute to those no longer with us.