Crime Story DVD Review

This isn’t a traditional Jackie Chan film in the sense that there is not much of the expected stunts and martial arts flare. Instead Crime Story is more of a straightforward cop film, and a well made and well acted one as well. Although Chan doesn’t scale as many buildings or perform death defying stunts this should not mislead audiences to believing the intensity is lost with these elements missing. On the contrary Chan brings such an impassioned performance as a dedicated police officer that no amount of slapstick fun could compare. Crime Story is a sometimes upsetting look at the life of a police officer, forced to face all sorts of dark characters and friends dying on the job. This is also not to say that there isn’t action, it just happens to be much more realistic in the violence.

Chan is a detective trying to solve a kidnapping case in a story which was ripped from headlines. A billionaire is taken and held ransom with one of the members of the police force working as an inside man. In order to stop the kidnapping Chan does everything he can, unaware of the dirty cop even when he is paired alongside him. Time after time again they are foiled by the kidnappers because of the inside man, so when Chan is paired with the informant to travel out of the country to try and figure the kidnapping case there are many situations his life is endangered by a faulty partner.

Some of the strongest moments in the film come from the more straightforward way that Chan attempts to use action. Instead of the more Buster Keaton influenced fighting this film includes the use of guns and the car chases end in deaths. In one harrowing sequence the kidnappers are chased by several motorcycle cops and two are knocked from their bikes, Chan arrives shortly afterwards and carries the seriously injured officer to the emergency room, injured himself. As he makes the journey he is joined by dozens of motorcycle cops, and their unity is what Crime Story is all about.

The DVD contains deleted scenes, in rough quality but still enjoyable. There is also a commentary track from the director, Kirk Wong, joined by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan. There are also two featurettes that are both essentially just interviews. One is with Wong and the other is with the writer, Teddy Chan. There is also a trailer gallery.