Four years after the second installment to arguably Jackie Chan’ most popular franchise, the actor would reprise his role as police inspector Chan Ka-Kui in “Police Story 3: Supercop” (or just “Supercop” in some areas). Perhaps due to his busy schedule in front and behind the camera, working on other projects such as the equally successful “Armour of God”-films, Stanley Tong took over directing duties from Chan, who would still be a producer for the project. This collaboration turned out to be quite fruitful for both them, setting the foundation for features such as “Rumble in the Bronx”, which would give the actor the breakthrough with US-American markets after years of trying. Although the previous entries into the franchise had already set quite a high level when it came to action set pieces, “Supercop” would see Chan in the middle of some of the most ambitious and costly action scenes of his career, while also showing him next to maybe the most valuable asset within the whole production, Michelle Yeoh as inspector Yang Chien-Hua.
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In order to put a stop to the dealing of a powerful drug kingpin named Chaibat in South-East Asia, his superiors give Ka-Kui (Chan) a dangerous mission, one best fitting for a “supercop” like him, as they put it. He is to infiltrate the operation, helping in the escape of one of Chaibat’s hechmen, Panther, who is currently in jail. His only help comes in the form of Chinese inspector Yang (Yeoh), a skilled and experienced police officer, who supports Ka-Kui in establishing his new identity and background, along with providing valuable information about the drug lord. Eventually the first part of the operation is a success and Ka-Kui is able to earn Panther’s trust, and is on his way to join forces with Chaibat, who is eager to gain control over all the drug trade.
However, Yang, under the pretense of being Ka-Kui’s little sister, also joins the mission, after her superiors ordered her to support her HK colleague further. Aside from taking over all the drug trade, and thus eliminating his competition, Chaibat also aims to rescue his wife, who is being held prisoner in Malaysia by the local authorities. After running into Ka-Kui’s girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung) by accident, the drug lord and his men have their suspicions about their new recruits’ motifs, and the once secret mission turns into a dangerous operation, which not only threatens their lives, but also the survival of Chan’s love.
If you are an action fan, there is a good chance “Supercop” might be on your top-ten list of genre flicks, given the action sequences alone. Apart from a few short moments throughout the story, the shoot-out in the jungle as well as the infamous chase sequence in Malaysia, culminating in Chan’s and Yeoh’s character fighting off henchmen atop of a speeding train, are perhaps some of the best action set pieces of 90s HK cinema, easily competing with the Hollywood genre blockbusters of the same decade. Apart from the performances, this is also thanks to a combination of efforts, from Tong’s direction to Ardy Lam‘s cinematography and, last but not least, the editing by Cheung Ka-Fai and Peter Cheung. Similar to the action scenes of its predecessor, these moments are visually impressive and quite suspenseful considering what is at stakes for the two heroes.
At the same time, these scenes highlight the overall tone of the movie, which, despite still having its fair share of slapstick moment, is even more serious and dark than the last two “Police Story”-movies. The violence of the criminals along with the action scenes containing more explosions and gun fights, this aspect is, in some way, connected to Michelle Yeoh’s character, whose performance at times even outshines Chan’s, and already establishes the actress as a very different action persona than her male counterpart. Her character’s professionalism and ideological foundation makes for an interesting foundation, whereas Chan as the hero is again busy rescuing the damsel in distress. If you concentrate on Yeoh’s dialogues, Yang’s exchanges with her HK colleague, you will certainly notice not only her firm understanding of that particular character, but also her intelligence as an actress, which she would further develop in future projects.
In conclusion, “Police Story 3: Supercop” is an impressive and very entertaining action feature. Its set pieces and especially Michelle Yeoh’s performances make the third entry into this popular franchise a must-see for genre aficionados.
