cityonfire.com | Police Story IV: First Strike

	Police Story IV: First Strike "...payback for all the gorgeous naked female bodies we get bombarded with at the movies for our boyfriends to drool over while we only get to see a nude Harvey Keitel (in The Piano)." - RO Police Story IV: First Strike (1996) AKA: Police Story 4: The First Strike; Jackie Chan's First Strike; Story of the CIA Literally: Police Story IV: Simple Mission Director: Stanley Tong Kwai-Lai Writer: Stanley Tong Kwai-Lai, Nick Tramontane, Greg Mellot, Tang Ming-Gei Cast: Jackie Chan (Sing Lung), Lau Hok-Yin, Annie Wu (Ng San-Kwan), Sit Chun-Wai, Bill Tung Piu, Tuan Wai-Lun, Jouri Petrov Running Time: 100 min. Plot: Jackie goes up against villains from the former Soviet Union and an ex-Western special agent turned traitor as he tries to stop the threat of nuclear destruction. Reviews NUMSKULL'S REVIEW: All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy. NUMSKULL'S REVIEW: 4/10 ANDREW'S REVIEW: Many of the U.S. promotional spots proudly pronounced that in this film, "Jackie Chan fights for America for the first time." He does, in fact, start the film this way. He plays a character that resembles Kevin Chan from the Police Story series, and he is helping the CIA by tracking a mysterious woman on a flight from the U.S. to the Ukraine. Shortly thereafter he lands himself in the middle of a nuclear transaction gone bad- and must save the day. Listen to costar Bill Tung at the beginning of the film when he describes Jackie's assignment- "...that's ALMOST all you do." From this we can plainly assume that Jackie will be involved in all kinds of hijinks for the next hour and a half. Jackie does a number of stunts in this film, but only one substantive fight scene. That is alright though, because this film is mainly about the laughs. Seeing Jackie get in and out of several sticky situations is what this movie is all about, and the more exotic the better. Rather than say that Jacke fights for America, perhaps we should just say that 'Jackie fights in Australia'. Koala bears, accents from down under, and bad guys that would fit in on an Australian Football team are just a few of the things you'll see in this one. One interesting tidbit that you may want to remember for future movie trivia- Jackie doesn't do all his own stunts in this one. At one point he snowboards off of a cliff only to grab onto a waiting helicopter. Then, seconds before the thing blows up Jacke plunges hundreds of yards into the icy waters below. He then has to stay under long enough to convince the bad guys that he is dead. Jacke did make the jump to the helicopter, and he did reside underwater in near-zero temperatures, but the fall was accopmlished by director/stuntman Stanley Tong. Nobody doubts that Jackie could have made the fall, but Tong didn't want him to risk an injury for it. Also the director believes that if he does the hardest stunt in the film that he will earn the respect of all the two-bit stuntmen on his crew. ANDREW'S RATING: 8.5/10 JORDAN'S REVIEW: Like most other people, I saw this movie not knowing it was a Poilice Story film. Though it is notably very much like a James Bond film, it is still full of some of the greatest action scenes ever put on film. My favourite parts are the snowboard chase, the ladder fight, the 'big dumb goon fight' in the hotel and the underwater fight (why does everyone else hate that so much?). However, I feel it would have felt more like a sequel had Jackie's long-time girlfriend May appeared. Still, it is an excellent movie, but not quite up to the standard of "Police Story". JORDAN'S RATING: 8/10 RO'S REVIEW: It's supposed to be Police Story 4, but the only things that connect it to the other Police Stories is that he's a Hong Kong cop and the same actor plays his superior, Uncle Bill (By the way, when exactly did he become his uncle? I think it was Supercop). This one was a little hard to follow, but like most of his films, ignore the plot, sit back and enjoy the ride! On the request of the CIA, he follows a Russian woman to the Ukraine and then hooks up with the new Russian KGB to head to Australia looking for a stolen nuclear warhead. I thought the action sequences were thrilling and there's a couple good fights as well! In one part, Jackie rides a snowboard off a cliff, jumps off and grabs the legs of a hovering helicopter. Wow! Just a couple feet too high and he'd do a Twilight Zone! It had some great comic moments, too. My favorite part what when he lands a bone-crunching punch to a huge Russian jaw and then assumes a menacing stance. Ever-so-slowly, his scowl turns into a grimace of pain and then he shakes out his sore hand. Does this guy have great comedic timing, or what? I have to add the one thing the guys will never tell you, girls. There's a scene where Jackie is forced at gunpoint to strip while singing 'I Will Follow You'. It's hilarious and great viewing at the same time (the female tourists agree) It's also payback for all the gorgeous naked female bodies we get bombarded with at the movies for our boyfriends to drool over while we only get to see a nude Harvey Keitel (in The Piano). You'll notice the other (male) reviewers only mention this to complain, but did you hear one complaint on their part when we saw both girls naked in Operation Condor? Nooooo! The dubbing's weird - some people are speaking English, but their voices are dubbed in anyway, but Jackie dubs his own voice, so works for me! RO'S RATING: 8/10 (add a star it you think you'll replay the strip scene!) MATSUNAGA'S REVIEW: This movie is ok. It's probably the worst of the Police Story movies, but the rest are so good that it can be the worst and still be good. The highlight of the movie is the ladder fight, which is just about the only fight scene in the movie. He does things with that ladder that I couldn't even think of. This movie would have been better if they blew out the underwater scene and added a good end fight scene. Even though the action wasn't as good as some of his other movies, I think the story was more entertaining than most, and overall it is a good movie. MATSUNAGA'S RATING: 7/10 DENNIS' REVIEW: This movie was Ok it had one of my favorite chan fights involving chan with a ladder and broomsticks. The Snowboard chase scene was cool and Chan jumping from the Snowboard to a helicopter is pretty satisfying. Now we'll get to the bad parts of the movie. First of all this movie did NOT relate to any of the previous Police Story films. They got the "Jackie" thing going on instead of Ka-Kui(Kevin). The underwater fight wasn't as good as some people will tell you it was pretty boring to me even though chan did a couple of cool moves in that scene. It had a lot of slow points in this film and there wasn't enough action in the film. In my opinion this film is the worst movie of the Police Story series. DENNIS' RATING: 5.5/10 DEMBONE'S REVIEW: Seems JC fans aren't too keen on First Strike, but I really, really liked it. The plot WAS pretty cliche, as is the whole spy/soviet/stolen nuclear warhead genre. However, I thought the action was great. It might have been light on the fighting scenes, but it seems like the timing was such that the action/fighting ratio was just right - There was just the right tension/release as far as the pacing went. The climax was a little anti-climactic, but overall the action was great, well paced and beautifully executed. Among my favorites. DEMBONE'S RATING: 9/10 MARCIA'S REVIEW: Let me start by saying that _I_, for one _did_ like the shot of Jackie's ass (not as nice as my sweetie's, but let's not go there). Other things I liked included the stunts, the oft-mentioned ladder fight, and the seal hat; I bust a gut every time over that. On the down side, I didn't like the fact that it was billed at an installment in the Police Story series. Even if all you've seen are the English dubbed versions, his name is Kevin in the others; why is he suddenly Jackie? What about May? What about _anything_ linking this to the other three films? On that note, now's the time to say that for me, First Strike ranks 4th in the PS series. That is not, however, to say it's not a good film. I enjoyed it immensely, even if certain elements that a Chan Fan looks for are sparse. The globetrotting seems to be something that Jackie enjoys, and I can't begrudge him that; he's earned it. The references to Bond abound (though Jackie does it all so much better; just try watching a Bond flick right after seeing Jackie -- what a weenie Bond is!), but this is pure Jackie. (OK, not as pure as some purist would like...) Overall, a very watchable film; look more for the comedy and stunts than hand-to-hand combat, and you'll get what you came for. MARCIA'S RATING: 7.5/10 EXOTHRASH'S REVIEW: This movie starts off well, but declines as it goes on. It's severly lacking in action and fight scenes; it spends way too much time focusing on the plot (BAH!). The last (and only real) fight scene with the ladder was very good, but it can't carry the weight of movie on it's own. It was really cool when Jackie jumped through the rungs of the ladder, and even cooler when he flipped it around his head. I think that this movie needed more hand to hand fight scenes, or just more fight scenes in general. Overall, it was an okay movie, definitely worth watching, just fastforward through all of the parts except for the fight scenes. EXOTHRASH'S RATING: 6/10 GHCO'S REVIEW: I didn't enjoy this movie very much. This is supposed to be part of the Police Story series, but I don't see the connection. In the Chinese version, he's only called "Ka-Kui" once, every other time it's Jackie. Why?!! Is there something wrong with the name Kevin? Also, Kevin (I refuse to call Chan Ka Kui 'Jackie') seems to have a completely different personality. He's cool, level-headed, and a whole lot wimpier than in previous installments of Police Story. Kevin Chan is supposed to be a hot-tempered, well meaning, and tough as nails cop! Another weird thing: Where is May? She's not mentioned at all, as though she doesn't exist. I also don't see why these things happened. Why not simply say that 'Jackie' is a code name, May is either in the hospital after the fall in "Supercop" or still in Malasia, and characterize Kevin correctly? These would be minor changes: May is the reason Kevin doesn't want to take the mission, that's why he introduces himself as Jackie to everyone, and he resists against Tsui and doesn't try to calm down Uncle Seven's relatives when they attack him! Still, I don't think I would have enjoyed the movie anyway. Jackie Chan simply doesn't work on an international scale: His plots aren't researched enough as it is. Also, working on a smaller scale makes his characters more accessible and the action sequences believable. It conveyed that these fights aren't happening in some exotic area, it could be just around the corner. Moving on, there are too many languages in this movie: English, Cantonese, Russian, and Mandarin, and the subtitles are un-readable. The action suffers too. They aren't over the top at all. Snowboarding, snowmobiling, running, none of it is very gripping. Two fight scenes with a ladder and underwater need to be seen to be believed, but they're either too long (Chinese version) or too short (American). There is no supporting cast in any sense, and the ending leaves a "That's it?" feeling. In conclusion, this is the weakest of the Police Story series, and I urge all fans to ignore it. (Perhaps the currently in pre-production Police Story V will take things back to a smaller scale and explain these inconsistancies, as a plotline seen on the Net shows that May will be in the film. I hope so) I give this 6.5 out of ten for some passable action, but odd plotting. P.S. I suspect that Jackie wanted to make a Police Story IV movie, but didn't have the financial backing, so he dubbed the name Ka-Kui into one scene of this movie and slapped the title Police Story IV on. GHCO'S RATING: 6.5/10 WEI XIN'S REVIEW: As in previous Police Stories JC plays with himself...I mean himself. This time he must stop a nuclear device from falling into the wrong hands. Is it just me or are the more recent JC movies kind of disappointing. I've said this before, they are not bad movies. They just don't have that same impact anymore. I mean the idea of an underwater fight scene is cool, but it dragged on too long in this movie. Highlight for me: Jackie Chan buttshot! er... I mean "ladder style" Jackie takes out a whole bunch of henchmen with a ladder and not much else. Definitely worth a rental. WEI XIN'S RATING: 7/10 JAMES' REVIEW: I could just see the producers in their giant meeting, thinking "What could Jackie do next?" I'll bet someone said "How about Jackie as James Bond?" And you know what, it worked. Of course, it was a little sillier than the average Bond film. There were plenty nods to Bond in "First Strike." The beginning snowmobile/snowboard chase was reminiscent of "A View To A KIll," while the underwater fight payed an homage to "Thunderball." Bond aside, it was a great film. Unfortunately, there weren't many hand-to-hand fights, but everyone has to admit that the ladder scene is one of Jackie's best. The action sequences were very well done as well. What also impressed me was the score, it was very majestic and powerful. Now what I didn't like: The dub was average. Jackie, of course, giving his 101%, while the other actors just go through the motions. I also disliked the quick wrap up ending. It seemed to me that there should have been more before the credits rolled, it felt a lot like the end to "Rumble In the Bronx." The other thing I didn't get was that in Police Story 1, 2 & 3, he played 'Kevin,' but in this the character's name was 'Jackie'... strange, yes? A great film, although not as good as "Police Story," but equal to "Supercop," and better than "Police Story 2." This movie had everything; spies, action and humour. So sit back and enjoy Chan, Jackie Chan. JAMES' RATING: 8.5/10 DEAD CHANNEL'S REVIEW: Yeah, when I saw this one in the theater, I didn't like it too much, maybe it was due to a lack of REAL fighting. But I rented it recently after not having seen it for a while, and I really enjoyed the shit. Even though there isn't much "fighting" there is still a lot of action, and of course Annie Wu (FUCK YEAH) .. I still can't get over the size of those big dumb Australian (not all Aussies are like that by the way! for the record) freax who have arrived to beat Jackie's arse clean off. Of course he evades them by running around the balcony/ledges of an Australian hotel. I still like the part when he runs across the pool, only stepping on a littlekiddie float (YOU try that! It may not look like much, but damn! That shit is dope.) almost busting his arse once again. It's great when he climbs down the wall, using only his legs against a tree.. Quite cool. I like this one better after seeing it again, and I think it deserves a checking out. Mind you, if you're looking for martial arts, steer clear, as there are some (the ladder scene which I'm SURE you've heard about somehow ... peep the other reviews on this page) scenes, but not much. Still a cool movie, how he jumps into the icey water.. crazy shit. I read also that the underwater scene was quite extended on the Chinese version, and I'm quite thankful myself that they cut it up for this one here. I give it a mark lower for not showing Annie Wu in the raw. DEAD CHANNEL'S RATING: 7/10 EIRIAS' REVIEW: This film kind of revolves around one scene. The ladder scene. It's the only fight in Jackie's films yet released here that rivals his best, the Drunken Master 2/Project A/Who Am I heights. Much of the rest of the film is fun, but incomprehensible, though, in all fairness, this is understandable, since, for no good reason, 15 minutes were removed prior to release. The dub sucks, as well. The girl is nearly as obnoxious as the child in Rumble, but not quite. Generally, though, the movie is terrific enough to overcome distributor stupidity, and is a hell of a good time. EIRIAS' RATING: 8/10 DJ NIXON'S REVIEW: This was a pretty good JC film, but there was hardly any fighting at all! But the one fight scene that was in it was awesome!! Jackie was crazy to go swinging a ladder around like that ( but he wouldn't be the Jackie we all know if he didn't do things like that). I must admit this was the first Chan movie I saw (sniff) and now I'm hooked. Good movie, but if you are a die-hard JC fan then you'll be disappointed, I wasn't, but I hadn't seen the real classics before that (Drunken Master 2). DJ NIXON'S RATING: 8/10 EZWALK'S REVIEW: This movie was somewhat disappointing. The most fights were less then spectacular. They were short and he didn't do his best work. The finale was almost stupid. It looked cool but an underwater fight just wasn't anything special. Now for the good points. This movie did have some great stunts and a great fight. The scene where he skies off the hill and grabbs the helicopter was cool. The fight with the ladder was legendary. Overall this movie lacked good fights. EZWALK'S RATING: 7/10 AARON'S REVIEW: FIRST STRIKE (chinese version) was much better than the American version. Why? It had about 15 or so longer and most of that was comedy. The underwater fight scence was a lot longer in the chinese version and that was kinda a fun scene to watch. The movie over all was ok, not as good as his earlier efforts or DM2. Some of the highlights were the ladder sequence, some of the snowboarding stuff and the comedy. If you've never seen FIRST STRIKE and want to, see the American version and watch it enough to remember what scene comes after each scene then see the Chinese version and you'll realize how much more it has! AARON'S RATING: 8/10 (Chinese), 6/10 (American) ALOHO'S REVIEW: This is my favorite "Police Story". It may lack on action, but when it comes around, it is add it's best. This doesn't fit well in the police stories though. Kevin is changed to Jackie and Maggie Cheung doesn't appear in this one. I saw the original and it was much better. A meeting with the FSB was cut. A guy smuggles uranium core scene is cut. About ten minutes of the underwater fight was cut. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT! Here are some highlights from the cut underwater thing. 1) Jackie trips a guy. 2) Jackie is attacked with a sword. 3) Jackie puts his thumb in an enemy's mouth and takes the scuba mouthpiece. 4) A person's legs hang from the sharks mouth. Not too many people noticed this and it was also in the American version. Chan's hat is clipped off by the helicopter blade! The funeral sequence a.k.a. the ladder fight is his best prop fight. He uses so much stuff. Tables, chairs, dragon head, drywall, sticks, and a ladder. It's 5 minutes of oooh's and aaah's. I still can't believe that the Craft won best fight over the ladder fight on the 1997 MTV Movie Awards. That P's me O. ALOHO'S RATING: 10/10 CLINT'S REVIEW: I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Give me comedy, hand to hand combat, and a great finale and I'll be be happy. Well in the case of First Strike, you get one out of three. There is some comedy.....JC getting overcharged for a can of tuna, that goofy animal hat, the koala underwear, when that girl kicks JC in the shin with her steel toe boots, been there, OUCH, and when JC realizes that there's a guy right behind him, so he kicks, but catches nothing but air, this is probably the second funniest movie next to Twin Dragons. I think the ladder fight is overrated, but it is still good. The chase in the snow is weak. Then when those two huge Australians came into his room, all I could think of was "why are you running away? stop running. fight godammit". Then that horrible part with the stilts, that got tiresome real fast. Of course the finale sucked, JC had to keep up his streak of bad endings. If this movie didn't have as much comedy as it has, it would be on my worst list. See this for the comedy and not the fighting/action. CLINT'S RATING: 7/10 THE GREAT HENDU'S REVIEW: This movie was too short! It seemed lke it was only getting started when the end credits rolled. I was not really impressed with the story line either. It left things out that should have been developed further. There was no kung-fu to speak of, but the action was sufficient. Of course if you're going to see it for the ladder scene, then I guess it's worth 2.99 for a rental. Overall, not Jackie's best police story film. THE GREAT HENDU'S RATING: 5.75/10 SEAN JOHNSON'S REVIEW: First Strike is the fourth installment in the famous Police Story Series. However, I wouldn't classify this as a part of the Series. My first reason: Chan inexplicably changes his name to Jackie. 2nd: Maggie Cheung ain't in the picture (Chan doesn't even call her to say hi, what a jerk!) Final Reason: Chan's character seems totally different. Maybe he's too happy all of the time. In the other 3 he had a slight edge to him, and now he is amused 24 freakin' 7!!!!!!!!!!! Okay grumbling aside the picture actually is entertaining, funny and exciting. The chase on top the snow covered mountain is pure classic. And let's not forget the infamous step ladder fight, OH YEAH!! Many complained the picture was too short and I do too. I hear the Cantonese version is 20 minutes longer, I gotta check it out. SEAN JOHNSON'S RATING: 7/10 SUPERFLY'S REVIEW: Dead of winter, with the wind chill at 40 below, who cares!! There's a new Chan movie at the theater! These were the conditions when myself and a few good freinds decided to see First Strike. When I stepped inside of the building and grabbed my hood to fold it down, it was stiff, I thought it was going to break off! (not really, but it was cold) I was not dissapointed with what I saw. The movie was funny and action packed! I was stupified by the scene with the ladder. And when he was at that hotel, Oh Yeah Baby! The only complaint, did they really have to take ALL of his clothes? SUPERFLY'S RATING: 8.5/10 ANDREW'S REVIEW: Action, comedy, stunts... every one of Jackie's films since the early '80s is expected to excel in all three of these areas to be considered a success. Does this make first strike a bad film, since it seems to be lacking in action and stunts? Not at all. The only issue I take with this film is in trying to consider it a part of the Police Story series. Did Kevin chnage his name to Jackie? Did he outgrow his goofy pick-up lines? And what about Mae? Wouldn't he call her from Australia too? At any rate, this film has lots of funny stuff, almost no stunts, and one true, excellently choreographed (sp) fight scene. This is a great film to introduce someone to Jackie Chan with. ANDREW'S RATING: 8/10 YUMMYSPAM'S REVIEW: Jackie Chan once again returns to the Police Story series to give us another wonderful flick. Though not as good as the previous film of the aforementioned series, this movie is still a fine piece of viewing pleasure. Jackie Takes us around the world, shows off for us on a snowboard, and beats the crap out of a bunch of guys with a ladder (yes, a ladder). Though this movie was humorous and entertaining, the action is not very well-placed. The ending is very anti-climactic, and the fighting peaks about halfway through. No to say the ending is bad, but ifd there's one thing you can count on from a good HK flick, it's that the ending will blow away the rest of the movie. This simply wasn't the case with PS4:FS. All this complaining aside though, First Strike has stunts that are good and different from some of his other stuff. Jackie can still blow away the best American action movies without even lifting a finger. YUMMYSPAM'S RATING: 10/10 DUSTY'S REVIEW: I have to say I was disapointed with First Strike. However, I had huge expectations for it. Who didn't after the first three installments in the Police Story series? The movie (as I recall) only had 2 real fighting scenes. As is the case with many Jackie movies, there are moments of brilliance. But I really hated the whole shark thing. I just think it was a little dumb. Probably because everything moves so slow underwater. This is probably the worst Police Story film. Well, it's a toss up between PS4 and PS2. DUSTY'S RATING: 6/10 VICTOR NGUYEN'S REVIEW: Jackie Chan as James Bond. Although this is unusual, it still makes an effective action film. Jackie plays Jackie, a CIA agent assigned to follow a woman named Natasha. They suspect that she is involved in a plot to smuggle nuclear bombs. While following her, Jackie gets a new suspect, Tsui, whom he later finds out is involved in the nuclear bomb trades. But the main feature in this film is action, and fans will not be disappoointed. Fron Jackie sonwboarding down a steep mountain to an amazing fight sequence where Jackie uses a ladder, it has got it all. Also dont miss the outtakes, it shows some of Jackie's painful bloopers with the ladders that the audience I was sittting with thought was hilarious. VICTOR NGUYEN'S RATING: 8/10 DAN-O'S REVIEW: First Strike features Jackie Chan in an all too familiar role as a professional bowler. NO! WAIT! Damn my feeble brain! Damn it to hell! I don't know about anybody else, but I was giggling with utter joy during the "ladder and broom" sequence. Once again, Jackie shows absolutley no fear towards the prospect of looking like a supreme jackass. But that's why we love the goof. The ending confused me all to heck. I mean, I can accept the fact that the keys were already in the cars ignition (uh huh, riiight), but he rams the boat carrying the girl he's trying to rescue! Logic would seem to dictate that when you crush the boat with the bad guys, you crush the scuba chick too! But who the bloody hell needs LOGIC, THIS IS A JACKIE CHAN FLICK! "CEL-A-BRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON!!" DAN-O'S RATING: 7/10

Police Story IV: First Strike

"...payback for all the gorgeous naked female bodies we get bombarded with at the movies for our boyfriends to drool over while we only get to see a nude Harvey Keitel (in The Piano)."

- RO

Police Story IV: First Strike (1996)

AKA: Police Story 4: The First Strike; Jackie Chan's First Strike; Story of the CIA

Literally: Police Story IV: Simple Mission

Director: Stanley Tong Kwai-Lai

Writer: Stanley Tong Kwai-Lai, Nick Tramontane, Greg Mellot, Tang Ming-Gei

Cast: Jackie Chan (Sing Lung), Lau Hok-Yin, Annie Wu (Ng San-Kwan), Sit Chun-Wai, Bill Tung Piu, Tuan Wai-Lun, Jouri Petrov

Running Time: 100 min.

Plot: Jackie goes up against villains from the former Soviet Union and an ex-Western special agent turned traitor as he tries to stop the threat of nuclear destruction.

Reviews

NUMSKULL'S REVIEW:

All stunt and no fight makes Jackie a dull boy.

NUMSKULL'S REVIEW: 4/10

ANDREW'S REVIEW: Many of the U.S. promotional spots proudly pronounced that in this film, "Jackie Chan fights for America for the first time." He does, in fact, start the film this way. He plays a character that resembles Kevin Chan from the Police Story series, and he is helping the CIA by tracking a mysterious woman on a flight from the U.S. to the Ukraine. Shortly thereafter he lands himself in the middle of a nuclear transaction gone bad- and must save the day. Listen to costar Bill Tung at the beginning of the film when he describes Jackie's assignment- "...that's ALMOST all you do."

From this we can plainly assume that Jackie will be involved in all kinds of hijinks for the next hour and a half. Jackie does a number of stunts in this film, but only one substantive fight scene. That is alright though, because this film is mainly about the laughs. Seeing Jackie get in and out of several sticky situations is what this movie is all about, and the more exotic the better. Rather than say that Jacke fights for America, perhaps we should just say that 'Jackie fights in Australia'. Koala bears, accents from down under, and bad guys that would fit in on an Australian Football team are just a few of the things you'll see in this one.

One interesting tidbit that you may want to remember for future movie trivia- Jackie doesn't do all his own stunts in this one. At one point he snowboards off of a cliff only to grab onto a waiting helicopter. Then, seconds before the thing blows up Jacke plunges hundreds of yards into the icy waters below. He then has to stay under long enough to convince the bad guys that he is dead. Jacke did make the jump to the helicopter, and he did reside underwater in near-zero temperatures, but the fall was accopmlished by director/stuntman Stanley Tong. Nobody doubts that Jackie could have made the fall, but Tong didn't want him to risk an injury for it. Also the director believes that if he does the hardest stunt in the film that he will earn the respect of all the two-bit stuntmen on his crew.

ANDREW'S RATING: 8.5/10

JORDAN'S REVIEW: Like most other people, I saw this movie not knowing it was a Poilice Story film. Though it is notably very much like a James Bond film, it is still full of some of the greatest action scenes ever put on film. My favourite parts are the snowboard chase, the ladder fight, the 'big dumb goon fight' in the hotel and the underwater fight (why does everyone else hate that so much?). However, I feel it would have felt more like a sequel had Jackie's long-time girlfriend May appeared. Still, it is an excellent movie, but not quite up to the standard of "Police Story".

JORDAN'S RATING: 8/10

RO'S REVIEW: It's supposed to be Police Story 4, but the only things that connect it to the other Police Stories is that he's a Hong Kong cop and the same actor plays his superior, Uncle Bill (By the way, when exactly did he become his uncle? I think it was Supercop). This one was a little hard to follow, but like most of his films, ignore the plot, sit back and enjoy the ride! On the request of the CIA, he follows a Russian woman to the Ukraine and then hooks up with the new Russian KGB to head to Australia looking for a stolen nuclear warhead. I thought the action sequences were thrilling and there's a couple good fights as well! In one part, Jackie rides a snowboard off a cliff, jumps off and grabs the legs of a hovering helicopter. Wow! Just a couple feet too high and he'd do a Twilight Zone!

It had some great comic moments, too. My favorite part what when he lands a bone-crunching punch to a huge Russian jaw and then assumes a menacing stance. Ever-so-slowly, his scowl turns into a grimace of pain and then he shakes out his sore hand. Does this guy have great comedic timing, or what? I have to add the one thing the guys will never tell you, girls. There's a scene where Jackie is forced at gunpoint to strip while singing 'I Will Follow You'. It's hilarious and great viewing at the same time (the female tourists agree) It's also payback for all the gorgeous naked female bodies we get bombarded with at the movies for our boyfriends to drool over while we only get to see a nude Harvey Keitel (in The Piano). You'll notice the other (male) reviewers only mention this to complain, but did you hear one complaint on their part when we saw both girls naked in Operation Condor? Nooooo!

The dubbing's weird - some people are speaking English, but their voices are dubbed in anyway, but Jackie dubs his own voice, so works for me!

RO'S RATING: 8/10 (add a star it you think you'll replay the strip scene!)

MATSUNAGA'S REVIEW: This movie is ok. It's probably the worst of the Police Story movies, but the rest are so good that it can be the worst and still be good. The highlight of the movie is the ladder fight, which is just about the only fight scene in the movie. He does things with that ladder that I couldn't even think of. This movie would have been better if they blew out the underwater scene and added a good end fight scene. Even though the action wasn't as good as some of his other movies, I think the story was more entertaining than most, and overall it is a good movie.

MATSUNAGA'S RATING: 7/10

DENNIS' REVIEW: This movie was Ok it had one of my favorite chan fights involving chan with a ladder and broomsticks. The Snowboard chase scene was cool and Chan jumping from the Snowboard to a helicopter is pretty satisfying. Now we'll get to the bad parts of the movie. First of all this movie did NOT relate to any of the previous Police Story films. They got the "Jackie" thing going on instead of Ka-Kui(Kevin). The underwater fight wasn't as good as some people will tell you it was pretty boring to me even though chan did a couple of cool moves in that scene. It had a lot of slow points in this film and there wasn't enough action in the film. In my opinion this film is the worst movie of the Police Story series.

DENNIS' RATING: 5.5/10

DEMBONE'S REVIEW: Seems JC fans aren't too keen on First Strike, but I really, really liked it. The plot WAS pretty cliche, as is the whole spy/soviet/stolen nuclear warhead genre. However, I thought the action was great. It might have been light on the fighting scenes, but it seems like the timing was such that the action/fighting ratio was just right - There was just the right tension/release as far as the pacing went. The climax was a little anti-climactic, but overall the action was great, well paced and beautifully executed. Among my favorites.

DEMBONE'S RATING: 9/10

MARCIA'S REVIEW: Let me start by saying that _I_, for one _did_ like the shot of Jackie's ass (not as nice as my sweetie's, but let's not go there). Other things I liked included the stunts, the oft-mentioned ladder fight, and the seal hat; I bust a gut every time over that. On the down side, I didn't like the fact that it was billed at an installment in the Police Story series. Even if all you've seen are the English dubbed versions, his name is Kevin in the others; why is he suddenly Jackie? What about May? What about _anything_ linking this to the other three films? On that note, now's the time to say that for me, First Strike ranks 4th in the PS series. That is not, however, to say it's not a good film. I enjoyed it immensely, even if certain elements that a Chan Fan looks for are sparse. The globetrotting seems to be something that Jackie enjoys, and I can't begrudge him that; he's earned it. The references to Bond abound (though Jackie does it all so much better; just try watching a Bond flick right after seeing Jackie -- what a weenie Bond is!), but this is pure Jackie. (OK, not as pure as some purist would like...) Overall, a very watchable film; look more for the comedy and stunts than hand-to-hand combat, and you'll get what you came for.

MARCIA'S RATING: 7.5/10

EXOTHRASH'S REVIEW: This movie starts off well, but declines as it goes on. It's severly lacking in action and fight scenes; it spends way too much time focusing on the plot (BAH!). The last (and only real) fight scene with the ladder was very good, but it can't carry the weight of movie on it's own. It was really cool when Jackie jumped through the rungs of the ladder, and even cooler when he flipped it around his head. I think that this movie needed more hand to hand fight scenes, or just more fight scenes in general. Overall, it was an okay movie, definitely worth watching, just fastforward through all of the parts except for the fight scenes.

EXOTHRASH'S RATING: 6/10

GHCO'S REVIEW: I didn't enjoy this movie very much. This is supposed to be part of the Police Story series, but I don't see the connection. In the Chinese version, he's only called "Ka-Kui" once, every other time it's Jackie. Why?!! Is there something wrong with the name Kevin? Also, Kevin (I refuse to call Chan Ka Kui 'Jackie') seems to have a completely different personality. He's cool, level-headed, and a whole lot wimpier than in previous installments of Police Story. Kevin Chan is supposed to be a hot-tempered, well meaning, and tough as nails cop! Another weird thing: Where is May? She's not mentioned at all, as though she doesn't exist. I also don't see why these things happened. Why not simply say that 'Jackie' is a code name, May is either in the hospital after the fall in "Supercop" or still in Malasia, and characterize Kevin correctly? These would be minor changes: May is the reason Kevin doesn't want to take the mission, that's why he introduces himself as Jackie to everyone, and he resists against Tsui and doesn't try to calm down Uncle Seven's relatives when they attack him!

Still, I don't think I would have enjoyed the movie anyway. Jackie Chan simply doesn't work on an international scale: His plots aren't researched enough as it is. Also, working on a smaller scale makes his characters more accessible and the action sequences believable. It conveyed that these fights aren't happening in some exotic area, it could be just around the corner. Moving on, there are too many languages in this movie: English, Cantonese, Russian, and Mandarin, and the subtitles are un-readable. The action suffers too. They aren't over the top at all. Snowboarding, snowmobiling, running, none of it is very gripping. Two fight scenes with a ladder and underwater need to be seen to be believed, but they're either too long (Chinese version) or too short (American). There is no supporting cast in any sense, and the ending leaves a "That's it?" feeling. In conclusion, this is the weakest of the Police Story series, and I urge all fans to ignore it. (Perhaps the currently in pre-production Police Story V will take things back to a smaller scale and explain these inconsistancies, as a plotline seen on the Net shows that May will be in the film. I hope so) I give this 6.5 out of ten for some passable action, but odd plotting.

P.S. I suspect that Jackie wanted to make a Police Story IV movie, but didn't have the financial backing, so he dubbed the name Ka-Kui into one scene of this movie and slapped the title Police Story IV on.

GHCO'S RATING: 6.5/10

WEI XIN'S REVIEW: As in previous Police Stories JC plays with himself...I mean himself. This time he must stop a nuclear device from falling into the wrong hands. Is it just me or are the more recent JC movies kind of disappointing. I've said this before, they are not bad movies. They just don't have that same impact anymore. I mean the idea of an underwater fight scene is cool, but it dragged on too long in this movie. Highlight for me: Jackie Chan buttshot! er... I mean "ladder style" Jackie takes out a whole bunch of henchmen with a ladder and not much else. Definitely worth a rental.

WEI XIN'S RATING: 7/10

JAMES' REVIEW: I could just see the producers in their giant meeting, thinking "What could Jackie do next?" I'll bet someone said "How about Jackie as James Bond?" And you know what, it worked. Of course, it was a little sillier than the average Bond film. There were plenty nods to Bond in "First Strike." The beginning snowmobile/snowboard chase was reminiscent of "A View To A KIll," while the underwater fight payed an homage to "Thunderball."

Bond aside, it was a great film. Unfortunately, there weren't many hand-to-hand fights, but everyone has to admit that the ladder scene is one of Jackie's best. The action sequences were very well done as well. What also impressed me was the score, it was very majestic and powerful. Now what I didn't like: The dub was average. Jackie, of course, giving his 101%, while the other actors just go through the motions. I also disliked the quick wrap up ending. It seemed to me that there should have been more before the credits rolled, it felt a lot like the end to "Rumble In the Bronx." The other thing I didn't get was that in Police Story 1, 2 & 3, he played 'Kevin,' but in this the character's name was 'Jackie'... strange, yes?

A great film, although not as good as "Police Story," but equal to "Supercop," and better than "Police Story 2." This movie had everything; spies, action and humour. So sit back and enjoy Chan, Jackie Chan.

JAMES' RATING: 8.5/10

DEAD CHANNEL'S REVIEW: Yeah, when I saw this one in the theater, I didn't like it too much, maybe it was due to a lack of REAL fighting. But I rented it recently after not having seen it for a while, and I really enjoyed the shit. Even though there isn't much "fighting" there is still a lot of action, and of course Annie Wu (FUCK YEAH) .. I still can't get over the size of those big dumb Australian (not all Aussies are like that by the way! for the record) freax who have arrived to beat Jackie's arse clean off. Of course he evades them by running around the balcony/ledges of an Australian hotel. I still like the part when he runs across the pool, only stepping on a littlekiddie float (YOU try that! It may not look like much, but damn! That shit is dope.) almost busting his arse once again. It's great when he climbs down the wall, using only his legs against a tree.. Quite cool. I like this one better after seeing it again, and I think it deserves a checking out. Mind you, if you're looking for martial arts, steer clear, as there are some (the ladder scene which I'm SURE you've heard about somehow ... peep the other reviews on this page) scenes, but not much. Still a cool movie, how he jumps into the icey water.. crazy shit. I read also that the underwater scene was quite extended on the Chinese version, and I'm quite thankful myself that they cut it up for this one here. I give it a mark lower for not showing Annie Wu in the raw.

DEAD CHANNEL'S RATING: 7/10

EIRIAS' REVIEW: This film kind of revolves around one scene. The ladder scene. It's the only fight in Jackie's films yet released here that rivals his best, the Drunken Master 2/Project A/Who Am I heights. Much of the rest of the film is fun, but incomprehensible, though, in all fairness, this is understandable, since, for no good reason, 15 minutes were removed prior to release. The dub sucks, as well. The girl is nearly as obnoxious as the child in Rumble, but not quite. Generally, though, the movie is terrific enough to overcome distributor stupidity, and is a hell of a good time.

EIRIAS' RATING: 8/10

DJ NIXON'S REVIEW: This was a pretty good JC film, but there was hardly any fighting at all! But the one fight scene that was in it was awesome!! Jackie was crazy to go swinging a ladder around like that ( but he wouldn't be the Jackie we all know if he didn't do things like that). I must admit this was the first Chan movie I saw (sniff) and now I'm hooked. Good movie, but if you are a die-hard JC fan then you'll be disappointed, I wasn't, but I hadn't seen the real classics before that (Drunken Master 2).

DJ NIXON'S RATING: 8/10

EZWALK'S REVIEW: This movie was somewhat disappointing. The most fights were less then spectacular. They were short and he didn't do his best work. The finale was almost stupid. It looked cool but an underwater fight just wasn't anything special. Now for the good points. This movie did have some great stunts and a great fight. The scene where he skies off the hill and grabbs the helicopter was cool. The fight with the ladder was legendary. Overall this movie lacked good fights.

EZWALK'S RATING: 7/10

AARON'S REVIEW: FIRST STRIKE (chinese version) was much better than the American version. Why? It had about 15 or so longer and most of that was comedy. The underwater fight scence was a lot longer in the chinese version and that was kinda a fun scene to watch. The movie over all was ok, not as good as his earlier efforts or DM2. Some of the highlights were the ladder sequence, some of the snowboarding stuff and the comedy. If you've never seen FIRST STRIKE and want to, see the American version and watch it enough to remember what scene comes after each scene then see the Chinese version and you'll realize how much more it has!

AARON'S RATING: 8/10 (Chinese), 6/10 (American)

ALOHO'S REVIEW: This is my favorite "Police Story". It may lack on action, but when it comes around, it is add it's best. This doesn't fit well in the police stories though. Kevin is changed to Jackie and Maggie Cheung doesn't appear in this one. I saw the original and it was much better. A meeting with the FSB was cut. A guy smuggles uranium core scene is cut. About ten minutes of the underwater fight was cut. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT! Here are some highlights from the cut underwater thing. 1) Jackie trips a guy. 2) Jackie is attacked with a sword. 3) Jackie puts his thumb in an enemy's mouth and takes the scuba mouthpiece. 4) A person's legs hang from the sharks mouth. Not too many people noticed this and it was also in the American version. Chan's hat is clipped off by the helicopter blade! The funeral sequence a.k.a. the ladder fight is his best prop fight. He uses so much stuff. Tables, chairs, dragon head, drywall, sticks, and a ladder. It's 5 minutes of oooh's and aaah's. I still can't believe that the Craft won best fight over the ladder fight on the 1997 MTV Movie Awards. That P's me O.

ALOHO'S RATING: 10/10

CLINT'S REVIEW: I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Give me comedy, hand to hand combat, and a great finale and I'll be be happy. Well in the case of First Strike, you get one out of three. There is some comedy.....JC getting overcharged for a can of tuna, that goofy animal hat, the koala underwear, when that girl kicks JC in the shin with her steel toe boots, been there, OUCH, and when JC realizes that there's a guy right behind him, so he kicks, but catches nothing but air, this is probably the second funniest movie next to Twin Dragons. I think the ladder fight is overrated, but it is still good. The chase in the snow is weak. Then when those two huge Australians came into his room, all I could think of was "why are you running away? stop running. fight godammit". Then that horrible part with the stilts, that got tiresome real fast. Of course the finale sucked, JC had to keep up his streak of bad endings. If this movie didn't have as much comedy as it has, it would be on my worst list. See this for the comedy and not the fighting/action.

CLINT'S RATING: 7/10

THE GREAT HENDU'S REVIEW: This movie was too short! It seemed lke it was only getting started when the end credits rolled. I was not really impressed with the story line either. It left things out that should have been developed further. There was no kung-fu to speak of, but the action was sufficient. Of course if you're going to see it for the ladder scene, then I guess it's worth 2.99 for a rental. Overall, not Jackie's best police story film.

THE GREAT HENDU'S RATING: 5.75/10

SEAN JOHNSON'S REVIEW: First Strike is the fourth installment in the famous Police Story Series. However, I wouldn't classify this as a part of the Series. My first reason: Chan inexplicably changes his name to Jackie. 2nd: Maggie Cheung ain't in the picture (Chan doesn't even call her to say hi, what a jerk!) Final Reason: Chan's character seems totally different. Maybe he's too happy all of the time. In the other 3 he had a slight edge to him, and now he is amused 24 freakin' 7!!!!!!!!!!! Okay grumbling aside the picture actually is entertaining, funny and exciting. The chase on top the snow covered mountain is pure classic. And let's not forget the infamous step ladder fight, OH YEAH!! Many complained the picture was too short and I do too. I hear the Cantonese version is 20 minutes longer, I gotta check it out.

SEAN JOHNSON'S RATING: 7/10

SUPERFLY'S REVIEW: Dead of winter, with the wind chill at 40 below, who cares!! There's a new Chan movie at the theater! These were the conditions when myself and a few good freinds decided to see First Strike. When I stepped inside of the building and grabbed my hood to fold it down, it was stiff, I thought it was going to break off! (not really, but it was cold) I was not dissapointed with what I saw. The movie was funny and action packed! I was stupified by the scene with the ladder. And when he was at that hotel, Oh Yeah Baby! The only complaint, did they really have to take ALL of his clothes?

SUPERFLY'S RATING: 8.5/10

ANDREW'S REVIEW: Action, comedy, stunts... every one of Jackie's films since the early '80s is expected to excel in all three of these areas to be considered a success. Does this make first strike a bad film, since it seems to be lacking in action and stunts? Not at all. The only issue I take with this film is in trying to consider it a part of the Police Story series. Did Kevin chnage his name to Jackie? Did he outgrow his goofy pick-up lines? And what about Mae? Wouldn't he call her from Australia too? At any rate, this film has lots of funny stuff, almost no stunts, and one true, excellently choreographed (sp) fight scene. This is a great film to introduce someone to Jackie Chan with.

ANDREW'S RATING: 8/10

YUMMYSPAM'S REVIEW: Jackie Chan once again returns to the Police Story series to give us another wonderful flick. Though not as good as the previous film of the aforementioned series, this movie is still a fine piece of viewing pleasure. Jackie Takes us around the world, shows off for us on a snowboard, and beats the crap out of a bunch of guys with a ladder (yes, a ladder). Though this movie was humorous and entertaining, the action is not very well-placed. The ending is very anti-climactic, and the fighting peaks about halfway through. No to say the ending is bad, but ifd there's one thing you can count on from a good HK flick, it's that the ending will blow away the rest of the movie. This simply wasn't the case with PS4:FS. All this complaining aside though, First Strike has stunts that are good and different from some of his other stuff. Jackie can still blow away the best American action movies without even lifting a finger.

YUMMYSPAM'S RATING: 10/10

DUSTY'S REVIEW: I have to say I was disapointed with First Strike. However, I had huge expectations for it. Who didn't after the first three installments in the Police Story series? The movie (as I recall) only had 2 real fighting scenes. As is the case with many Jackie movies, there are moments of brilliance. But I really hated the whole shark thing. I just think it was a little dumb. Probably because everything moves so slow underwater. This is probably the worst Police Story film. Well, it's a toss up between PS4 and PS2.

DUSTY'S RATING: 6/10

VICTOR NGUYEN'S REVIEW: Jackie Chan as James Bond. Although this is unusual, it still makes an effective action film. Jackie plays Jackie, a CIA agent assigned to follow a woman named Natasha. They suspect that she is involved in a plot to smuggle nuclear bombs. While following her, Jackie gets a new suspect, Tsui, whom he later finds out is involved in the nuclear bomb trades. But the main feature in this film is action, and fans will not be disappoointed. Fron Jackie sonwboarding down a steep mountain to an amazing fight sequence where Jackie uses a ladder, it has got it all. Also dont miss the outtakes, it shows some of Jackie's painful bloopers with the ladders that the audience I was sittting with thought was hilarious.

VICTOR NGUYEN'S RATING: 8/10

DAN-O'S REVIEW: First Strike features Jackie Chan in an all too familiar role as a professional bowler. NO! WAIT! Damn my feeble brain! Damn it to hell! I don't know about anybody else, but I was giggling with utter joy during the "ladder and broom" sequence. Once again, Jackie shows absolutley no fear towards the prospect of looking like a supreme jackass. But that's why we love the goof. The ending confused me all to heck. I mean, I can accept the fact that the keys were already in the cars ignition (uh huh, riiight), but he rams the boat carrying the girl he's trying to rescue! Logic would seem to dictate that when you crush the boat with the bad guys, you crush the scuba chick too! But who the bloody hell needs LOGIC, THIS IS A JACKIE CHAN FLICK! "CEL-A-BRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON!!"

DAN-O'S RATING: 7/10