Hellmant
'POLICE STORY: LOCKDOWN': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five) A reboot to the popular Chinese action flick series 'POLICE STORY', starring Jackie Chan. In this film, also known as 'POLICE STORY 2013' in China (where it was released two years ago), Chan plays a mainland Chinese police officer (rather than a Hong Kong one); who's trying to protect his rebellious daughter, from a hostage situation at a local bar. The movie was directed and written by Ding Sheng and it costars Liu Ye and Jing Tian. The film is quite a bit darker, and more melodramatic, than other 'POLICE STORY' movies; and for that reason (among others) I didn't enjoy it as much.Detective Zhong Wen (Chan) is a veteran mainland Chinese detective, who's visiting his daughter, Miao Miao (Tian), at a popular nightclub. Wen is angered to learn that Miao Miao, who hates him, is dating the owner of the bar, Wu Jiang (Ye). After a heated argument, Wen is also troubled to discover that the club has been taken over by terrorists; he's knocked out and held hostage as well. Wen also soon learns that he's part of the criminals' revenge plot. Things become more complicated from there, as Wen desperately tries to save his daughter.I used to be a huge Jackie Chan fan, when I was younger; I've since grown a little tired of the lack of diversity, and originality, in a lot of his films (I also really don't like him as a person, anymore, or his politics). The first three 'POLICE STORY' movies were some of my favorite martial arts action flicks though, and this installment definitely doesn't do them justice. The action scenes are OK, and Chan does give a good performance in it, but the serious dramatic tone definitely doesn't help the film out; it usually makes it seem a lot more cheesy. I was willing to give the movie a chance, despite my recent disgust for Chan (due to his personal views), but the film is definitely a disappointment; for fans of the series or Chan.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40tcsSNoQmo
Derek Childs (totalovrdose)
The opening of the film depicts police office Zhong Wen (Jackie Chan) holding a handgun to his temple, resolving to commit suicide. What could motivate a man, after committing himself to a life of law enforcement, to take his own life? This powerful question is what initially draws the viewer into Police Story 2013, a film about crime and punishment, right and wrong, family and survival. Throughout the duration of the feature, arachnid related imagery that appears in the shape of windows, tattoos, toys, amulets and other like items, heightens the idea of being trapped, with no capacity for escape. During one scene, Zhong is strapped by wires (representative of spider silk) to a chair, depicting a massive web, metaphorically developing the notion that he is caught within its trap.Mr. Chan is superb in this thrilling police drama, and though he is potentially not in quite as many fights as demonstrated in some of the former features in the Police Story franchise, the maturity and intelligence of the script and the plot, alongside the acting, really immerses the viewer in the experience. Mr. Chan develops a character who is professional, mature and family oriented, allowing the audience to be emotionally vested in his character as we fear for his safety, and those around him, his desire to save everyone being not only his gift, but a curse in equal measure. Despite much humor having been used in previous installments, this element takes a backseat over the course of the production.Zhong, not long into the movie, finds himself traveling to a bar to meet with his daughter, Miao Miao, who has had minimal contact with him over the past five years, the underlying reason behind this lacking familial bond being explored over the course of the feature, the narrative amazingly tying everything together. After arriving, Zhong, and many of the other patrons, find themselves held hostage at the hands of Wu Jiang (Liu Ye). Though there is no doubting his antagonistic attitude, Wu has a set of principles, and is capable of being negotiated with, the reason for holding Zhong, and the others at gunpoint, being slowly explored.As it is not immediately revealed, the mystery surrounding the plot engrosses the viewer onwards. The film occasionally travels backwards in time, not being consistently set in chronological order, to reveal what has happened previously. Sometimes this is articulated to provide visual guidance for the audience as characters discuss their version of past events, however, it is never truly known if what they emphasize is in fact the truth, or if they are ensnaring people within their own web of deceit, again, linking back to the arachnid imagery. Although Zhong is being deliberately held by Wu for a purpose, he is not the only one, and though we comprehend how he arrived at the establishment the film is primarily set in, how the other characters arrived voluntarily, or through coercion, is largely unexplored.The incredibly beautiful Jing Tian moreover, provides, quite possibly, one of her best performances. Though Ms. Tian is not quite as physically active in this feature as she has been in some of her other films, she plays not only as Zhong's daughter, but as a nurse, and in a hostage situation, this role gives her reason and purpose. In some of her other films, it seems Ms. Tian may have been cast due to her unparallelled beauty, rather than her talent, however, in this feature, the audience are equally graced by both. Possessing her father's desire to save everyone, alongside an opinionated character with the willingness to survive, Ms. Tian brilliantly spends almost half of the film suffering traumatic emotional agony.Accompanying the film is an entertaining musical score that helps immerse the viewer not only into the environment, but the situation's climate. Despite the score also heightening the accompanying action scenes, these moments, which are occasionally explosive, seem to be in the background, rather than the fore, unlike in previous movies staring Mr. Chan. Though a car chase offers viewers nothing they haven't seen before, the fighting that transpires at the bar never feels out of place, fitting purposefully with the setting. However, it is the tension and suspense that really draws the viewer in, the action being more of an added benefit.From the intensity of the beginning, through to the epic close, Police Story 2013 leaves viewers wondering if there will, in fact, be another sequel, and after the quality performances and storyline exhibited in this feature, the answer, is hopefully, a resounding 'yes'.
