Though he is best known for his comedic roles and humorous stunt work, Jackie Chan has, on occasion, been known to take on more serious roles. They still involve fisticuffs and gunplay, but far less humor. One such of work of Chan's, Crime Story, has recently been released in a "Special Collector's Edition."
Crime Story is based, loosely, according to the afterword given in the movie, on the true story of the kidnapping of a billionaire in Hong Kong. Chan, naturally, plays the police officer, Inspector Eddie Chan, assigned to the case who does anything and everything in his power to see the safe return of the billionaire. He engages in a cat and mouse game with Detective Hung (Kent Cheng), a dirty police officer behind the kidnapping. From early on in the film Chan has suspicions about Hung, but cannot prove anything. This is odd because as the villain of the piece, Hung is completely irredeemable. It is at times laughable that the other police officers do not simply look at him and arrest him on the spot for so obviously being a criminal. However, this does not happen. Rather, Hung is sent with Chan to track down the criminals, all the while exuding the oily feeling of a cop on the take.
Hung working with Chan becomes most silly when the two head to Taiwan. Despite Hung pulling repeatedly for the two to spend the government's money and relax, they almost by chance happen upon the correct den of thieves. It is as though there is one group of criminals in all of Taiwan and the real trouble just happens to get going upon Hung and Chan's arrival in the country.
Director Kirk Wong keeps things moving, but the film is never deep enough for the plot to be intriguing. Chan, in his role as a detective, seems only semi-believable. Part of this is because of the radical changes exhibited by the detective from the beginning of the film to the end without any sort of a logical progression.
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments