Jackie Chan's First Strike (1996) Ging chaat goo si 4: Ji gaan daan yam mo (original title)

Director:

Stanley Tong

Writers:

Greg Mellott
Elliot Tong
(more)

Release Date:

10 January 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Jackie Chan fights for America in his biggest action film ever.

Plot:

This installment of Chan's Police Story series has our hero trying to locate a missing nuclear warhead.

Plot Keywords:

Australia | Hero | Showdown | Helicopter Chase | Surrounded

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jackie Chan	...	Insp. Chan Ka Kui
Jackson Liu	...	Jackson Tsui (as Jackson Lou)
Annie Wu	...	Annie Tsui (as Chen Chun Wu)
Bill Tung	...	'Uncle' Bill Wong
Yuri Petrov	...	Col. Gregor Yegorov (as Jouri Petrov)
Nonna Grishaeva	...	Natasha (as Grishajeva Nonna)
John Eaves	...	Mark
Terry Woo	...	Uncle Seven
Kristopher Kazmarek	...	Cmdr. Korda (as Kristoff Kaczmarek)
Ailen Sit	...	Golden Dragon Club Member
Man-Ching Chan	...	Golden Dragon Club Member
Rocky Lai	...	Golden Dragon Club Member
Chan Wai To	...	Golden Dragon Club Member
Brett Arthur	...	Hit Man
Mark French	...	Hit Man
Damien Gates	...	Hit Man
Mark Gilks	...	Hit Man
Nathan Jones	...	Hit Man
Mathew Walker Kininmonth	...	Hit Man
John Langmead	...	Hit Man
Steve Livingstone	...	Hit Man
Steve Morris	...	Hit Man
Brenton Hoeren	...	Sniper
Steve Jones	...	Sniper
Jennifer Hung	...	Annie's Relative
Doris Lam	...	Annie's Relative
Shirley Mak	...	Annie's Relative
Wella Shieh	...	Annie's Relative
Symantha Liu	...	Channel 7 Reporter
Gary Wilkinson	...	Channel 7 Anchorman
Ken Lo	...	Hong Kong Policeman (as Low Houi Kang)
Esmond Ren	...	CIA Agent
Jim Hsin	...	CIA Agent
Igro Guleen	...	USS Agent
N. Leshcinkov	...	USS Agent
Rusean Scripnik	...	Strike Force Leader
Alexander Ustichenko	...	Maj. Majenko
Ping Wu	...	(voice)
Mary Ellen Dunbar	...	(voice)
Dan Lorge	...	(voice)
Paul Pape	...	(voice)
Jonathan Nichols	...	(voice)
Burton Sharp	...	(voice)
Endre Hules	...	Russian General #1
Raissa Danilova	...	Russian Group #2
Grisha Dimant	...	Russian Group #3
Larisa Eryomina	...	Russian Group #4
Misha Markaryan	...	Russian Group #5
Alex Veadov	...	Russian Group #6
Oleg Vidov	...	Russian Group #7
Leeza Vinnichenko	...	Russian Group #8
Ilia Volok	...	Russian Group #9
Rosalind Ayres	...	Australian Group #1
Neil Dickson	...	Australian Group #2
Sofie Formica	...	Australian Group #3
Jean Gilpin	...	Australian Group #4
Bridget Hoffman	...	Australian Group #5
Poosy Holmes	...	Australian Group #6
Kendrick Hughes	...	Australian Group #7
Martin Jarvis	...	Australian Group #8
Randall Montgomery	...	Australian Group #9
Oliver Muirhead	...	Australian Group #10
Ian Ruskin	...	Australian Group #11
Alan Shearman	...	Australian Group #12
Diz White	...	Australian Group #13
Diane White	...	Australian Group #14
George Cheung	...	Chinese Group #1
Conan Lee	...	Chinese Group #2
Dana Lee	...	Chinese Group #3
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Tuen	...	Man (uncredited)

Directed by
Stanley Tong

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Greg Mellott
Elliot Tong
Stanley Tong
Nick Tramontane

Produced by
Pavel Douvidzon	....	line producer: Russia, Ukraine
Leonard Ho	....	executive producer
Johnny Lee	....	line producer
Barbi Taylor	....	line producer
Barbie Tung	....	producer

Original Music by
J. Peter Robinson		(US version)
Nathan Wang

Cinematography by
Jingle Ma

Film Editing by
Peter Cheung
Chi Wai Yau

Production Design by
Oliver Wong

Set Decoration by
Brent Houghton

Makeup Department
Siu-Mui Chau	....	hair stylist
Connie Lai	....	makeup artist
Yun-Ling Man	....	makeup artist
José Luis Pérez	....	makeup artist (as José Pérez)

Production Management
Clem Barrack	....	unit manager
Mark Graziano	....	post-production supervisor
Rick Kornaat	....	unit manager
Davie Lam	....	unit manager
Valentina Plugaru	....	production manager (episodes in Russia, Ukraine)
Sasha Stratievsky	....	assistant production manager
Viktor Taranov	....	production manager: Russia/Ukraine
Sasha Voronin	....	unit production manager: Russia

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Cheng	....	first assistant director
Brett Hardy	....	third assistant director
Sharon Lam	....	second assistant director
Valentina Plugaru	....	assistant director: Russian crew

Art Department
Ilia Iovu	....	set dresser: Russia

Sound Department
Steve Burgess	....	foley artist
Frank Fleming	....	sound recordist
Gerard Long	....	foley artist
Peter McBain	....	dialogue editor
Paul Pirola	....	sound mixer
Vic Radulich	....	foley editor
Roger Savage	....	sound mixer
Gretchen Thornburn	....	sound recordist
Mark J. Wasiutak	....	boom operator
Bill Voigtlander	....	adr editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jeff Little	....	special effects
Albert Payne	....	special effects
Angelo Sahin	....	special effects
Peter Stubbs	....	special effects
Kevin Turner	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Mike Sowa	....	digital timer

Stunts
Man-Ching Chan	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Mike Clark	....	ski stunts
Ronald Dabu	....	ski stunts
John Eaves	....	ski stunts
Rocky Lai	....	stunts
Bernard Ledger	....	stunt coordinator: second unit (as Bernie Ledger)
Steven Lee	....	ski stunts
Craig Mogul	....	ski stunts
Ip Choi Nam	....	stunts
Nick Pay	....	ski stunts
Hsin Shen	....	stunts (as Yu Yuen Yin)
Ailen Sit	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Chiu Yau Tang	....	stunts (as Tang Chiu Yau)
Chan Wai To	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Stanley Tong	....	stunt coordinator
Yu Kai Wai	....	stunts
Vic Wilson	....	stunt coordinator: second unit
Shea Adams	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Bradd Buckley	....	stunts (uncredited)
Zelie Bullen	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jackie Chan	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Wah Cheung	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mick Corrigan	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Jim Dunn	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Jim Dunn	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sebastian Foxx	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Nigel Harbach	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mars	....	stunt double: Jackie Chan (uncredited)
Mars	....	stunts (uncredited)
Puven Pather	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Stanley Tong	....	stunt double: Jackie Chan (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Bruce	....	gaffer: Australia
Ross Isaacs	....	underwater camera operator
Chris Loveday	....	gaffer: Australia
Ron Taylor	....	underwater camera operator
Matt Toll	....	additional second assistant camera
Stanley Tong	....	underwater camera operator
Anthony Tulloch	....	best boy

Casting Department
Jonathan Nichols	....	adr voice casting: USA version

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Juanita Cheng	....	costumer
Wendy Law	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Adam M. Duthie	....	apprentice editor
Michael J. Duthie	....	editorial consultant (as Michael Duthie)
Geoffrey Lamb	....	assistant editor
Hope Moskowitz	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Brent Brooks	....	music editor
Lee Scott	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Oleg Gres	....	unit transportation coordinator
Vladimir Skakun	....	unit transportation coordinator: Russia/Ukraine

Other crew
Charles Boyle	....	location manager
John Brousek	....	location manager
Second Chan	....	production assistant
Tom Coltraine	....	safety officer
Mary Ellen Dunbar	....	adr voice
Zinaida Kravchenko	....	production accountant: Russia
Wade Krawczyk	....	assistant armourer
John Langmead	....	diving instructor
Lemon Liu	....	continuity
Lemon Liu	....	script supervisor
Dan Lorge	....	adr voice
Teodor Matveev	....	army supervisor: Russia
Lina Merculova	....	production coordinator: Russia
Jonathan Nichols	....	adr voice
Paul Pape	....	adr voice
Burton Sharp	....	adr voice
Stanley Tong	....	action choreographer
Ping Wu	....	adr voice
Yulia Zhuravleva	....	production assistant: Russia

Production Companies

• Golden Harvest Company
• New Line Cinema
• Paragon Films Ltd.
• Raymond Chow

Distributors

• Golden Harvest Company (1996) (worldwide) (all media)
• Constantin Film (1997) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Entertainment Film Distributors (1997) (UK) (theatrical)
• Filmes Lusomundo (1998) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Focus Film AG (1997) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Líder Films (1997) (Spain) (theatrical)
• New Line Cinema (1997) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Distribution (1997) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Entertainment (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Alliance Communications Corporation (1997) (Canada) (as "Jackie Chan's First Strike") (dubbed)
• Alliance Releasing Home Video (Canada) (VHS) (as "Jackie Chan's First Strike") (dubbed)
• DMEG (2004) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2007) (United Arab Emirates) (DVD) (Middle East)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Mei Ah Entertainment (1996) (Hong Kong) (VHS)
• New Line Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• PolyGram Video (1997) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Roadshow Entertainment Video (Australia) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• VCL Communications (199?) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (Hong Kong) (DVD) (remastered version)

Special Effects

• Centro Digital Pictures Ltd. (special effects)

Other Companies

• Salon Films  equipment provided by: Panavision
• Filmtech Camera Services  equipment provided by: Technovision
• Cameraquip Australia  camera equipment provided by
• Kodak (Hong Kong) Ltd.  film supplied by
• Cine Art Laboratory  film processing
• Atlab  film processing (Australia)
• Cinevex  film processing
• Ecou Films  
• Soundfirm  sound recording studio
• Atlab  sound recording studio
• Golden Harvest Company  sound recording studio

Also Known As:

"Ging chaat goo si 4: Ji gaan daan yam mo" - Australia (original title)
"Police Story 4: First Strike" - Hong Kong (English title)
"Final Project" - Japan (English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for plentiful action/violence

Runtime:

Hong Kong:107 min | USA:88 min

Country:

Australia | Hong Kong | Russia | USA

Language:

English | Cantonese | Mandarin | Russian | Ukrainian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS (US version)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | USA:PG-13 (certificate #34522) | South Korea:15 | Hong Kong:IIA | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Company:

Golden Harvest Company

Trivia:

Most of the vehicles used were provided courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors. In the beginning, there are several Diamantes, Galants and a couple of Lancers. Near the end, they showcase the GTO Twin Turbo convertible (3000GT VR-4 Spyder). Also, there are a few Hyundai vehicles, some of which are manufactured by Mitsubishi.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the ski chase scene when the helicopter drops its second load of soldiers, the one on the right drops off, stumbles, and falls just before the scene cuts away.

Quotes:

Chan Ka Kui:[phone call] Uncle Bill! I'm calling you right now from Australia and I'm having a great time! I'm talking to you while enjoying my great view. Wow! Working for the FSB is great. I have a sauna, swimming pool, and jacuzzi. Oh, wait a second. My koala bear just came out.
Uncle Bill:[on the other end of the call] What? You mean in your hotel room? It's only a toy, right?
Chan Ka Kui:No. It's the real thing!
[hands the phone to the koala bear]
Chan Ka Kui:Say hi to Uncle Bill.
[takes the phone back]
Chan Ka Kui:He's too shy. Don't hang up.
Hong Kong Policeman:[to Bill] He's living it up. I should've gone with him.
Chan Ka Kui:Really. I'm not making this up! What else? Money... clothes... car. I feel almost like James Bond. Except no gorgeous girls.
Uncle Bill:Hey. If all of this is for real, you should be very careful.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Dr. No (1962)

A nice introduction to Jackie Chan

If you've never seen a Jackie Chan film before, this is a good place to start. I speak from experience, for it is the first film of his that I saw. I must warn you, though: his films are not for everyone. The plots are often pedestrian and sometimes incoherent. They also are usually dubbed, making them seem cheesy. Sometimes I describe him to people as a guilty pleasure, but that may give the wrong impression. What Chan does well is sheer genius. Plot is besides the point. It's not what his films are about.

What, then, are they about? It's hard to put into words. You may have heard him described as a martial artist, a stuntman, and a slapstick comedian. None of those descriptions do him justice. I could add that he's something of an acrobat and gymnast, but even that doesn't sum it up. There is no actor he can be compared to, for his style is unique; it's like he's developed his own art form. These are not "fighting films" in a traditional sense. They're more like the types of acts you might see at a circus, involving props used in astonishing ways and depending on careful choreography and exquisite timing. For example, at one point in this film Chan flips and twirls a heavy stepladder like it was a baton, then sets it down and weaves his own body through the rungs, while fending off attacks from a group of men.

Typically in his films, the acts he performs get increasingly formidable as the film progresses, culminating in some large-scale stunt such as him leaping off a building. But even the little things he does are eye-popping. In this film he's constantly climbing walls with an agility reminiscent of Donald O'Connor. You never know what to expect, for he does different things in each film.

Well, at least that once was the case. Since "Rush Hour," his 1998 American blockbuster, his stunts have become less intricate, and he's begun repeating ideas. It may be that he's getting older, but it also may be that he's moved from Hong Kong to Hollywood. Undoubtedly the recent films have more polish and better production values, which has helped make them accessible to a wider audience. But his earlier work is so full of invention that I'm able to overlook formula plots, bad acting, and cheesy humor. I do have my limits. A few of his films--"The Protector" comes to mind--are so badly done that it doesn't matter that they have cool fight sequences. His films need some measure of competence to work. They are more than a series of routines strung together.

Part of what makes them charming is Chan himself. He is a pretty solid actor compared to some of the leading American action stars, capable of conveying a full range of emotions convincingly. He is particularly good at expressing panic. The character he plays is not your standard tough-guy. He is frequently an inferior fighter to those he confronts. When hit, he grimaces in pain. When faced with the opportunity, he runs. He survives by a mixture of quick wits and luck. He is far more a throwback to Keaton and Chaplin than a martial arts master.

Of course, I won't call this film or any other by Chan a masterpiece. Perhaps I'm too conventional. If the purpose of films is to entertain, his succeed brilliantly. Whether they appeal to you depends on your taste, but one thing you cannot do is claim he's untalented. It may not be a talent you're used to, but it's one that's likely to remain unparalleled.