Police Story 2 (1988)

The Hong Kong supercop must stop a group of blackmailing bombers, while the villains of Police Story (1985) are out for revenge.

Director:

Jackie Chan

Writers:

Jackie Chan, Paul B. Clay

Stars:

Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Kwok-Hung Lam

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jackie Chan	...	Chan Ka Kui
Maggie Cheung	...	May
Kwok-Hung Lam	...	Supt. Raymond Li
Bill Tung	...	Bill Wong
Keung-Kuen Lai	...	Deaf Criminal
John Cheung	...	Cheung
Charlie Cho	...	John Ko
Yuen Chor	...	Mr. Chu
Ben Lam	...	Tall Pau
Chi Fai Chan	...	Ngor
Shan Kwan	...	President Fung
Mars	...	Kim
Isabella Wong	...	Secretary of President Fung
Ann Mui	...	Karen
Siu-Ming Lau	...	Senior Police Official

Storyline

Despite his success at apprehending criminals, Kevin Chan's unorthodox approach to his work as a police officer sees him demoted to the traffic branch. Despite this, the man he put behind bars is now out of prison, and has vowed to make his life a misery. While this crime boss his harassing Kevin and his girlfriend, the police are contemplating reinstating Kevin to help them fight a group of bombers attempting to extort $10 million from building owners.

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Plot Keywords:

police | hong kong | one against many | one man army | showdown | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, pervasive martial arts action and some nudity

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Release Date:

20 August 1988 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Police Story 2

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Way Films Ltd., Paragon Films Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 98 min (New Line Version) 122 min (Japan) 121 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby (Dolby 5.1) DTS (DTS HD Master Audio)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chiao Chiao, who played May's (Maggie Cheung's) aunt in this movie, was married to Kenneth Tsang, who played Khun Chaibat in Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992).

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Goofs

The number of trucks with their headlights on in the opening sequence changes with each different shot.

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Quotes

Chan Ka Kui: Dynamite is a controlled substance. There's only two ways you can get it; legally for industrial use, or, it has to be smuggled in.
Supt. Raymond Li: [Top of police command] Interesting; I never thought of that.

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Alternate Versions

Just like the first Police Story, the American New Line Cinema cut of the film uses the international cut as a base, but is completely re-dubbed, with Ping Wu dubbing Jackie Chan and using J. Peter Robinson's music from First Strike and Rumble in the Bronx.

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Connections

Featured in Top 10 Jackie Chan Stunts (2007)

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Soundtracks

Jalopy
Performed by Daisyhaze
(Only in American New Line Cinema version)

User Reviews

More of the same, unfortunately

It's a real shame that 1988's "Police Story 2" is more of the same from star/writer/director Jackie Chan because it could have been even greater than the classic "Police Story" (1985). The greatest of what "Police Story 2" suffers from is an uneven story and lack of trademark Chan fight scenes and stunts. "Police Story 2" has Hong Kong police detective Chan Ka Kui (Chan) busted down to patrolman because of the mall brawl fiasco in the first film. For those expecting an all-out stunt-fest like "Police Story," this first sequel in the series will be a disappointment. Although more character/story-driven (which is a plus for Chan and martial arts movies in general), those who came to see stunts and hard-hitting, slap-happy hand-to-hand combat action will be the ones feeling left-out or cheated. Now as a patrolman, Ka Kui finds himself at the mercy of girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung) and his superiors who are trying to keep him out of trouble. However, because Ka Kui is a Hong Kong super-cop in need of some action, the aforementioned trouble comes in the form of the gangster he locked up in the first film, in addition to more bloodthirsty criminals and a deaf, gonzo, high-kicking toymaker (Benny Lai) who has an aptitude for rigging RC vehicles with things that go BOOM. Like its predecessor, "Police Story 2" does have Chan battling criminals like any movie cop, but with a kung-fu vengeance. The action/fight sequences are few and far between, intermingled with comedic or dramatic scenes of Chan and company sorting through bureaucracy and political red-tape as they try to nab the bad guys, and many of these comedic or dramatic scenes seem to run on as you await the action. Perhaps it's a change for most martial arts movies, but an unneeded change for those accustomed to Chan's usual work. Albeit an entertaining and a conflicted and uneven tale, when it does come to action Chan doesn't disappoint. There are two early fights with hired goons, one in a restaurant and another in the park, and then there is also a truck chase that climaxes with Ka Kui diving into a window. Then there's the ending confrontation between Ka Kui and the criminals, with a deadly kung-fu brawl between him and the Toymaker, who has some pretty lethal moves of his own and proves to be Chan's most skilled opponent. It all ends with a huge display of fireworks.

8/10