Police Story 2013
(aka Police Story: 2013)
2013; directed by Ding Sheng

Similar to 2004's New Police Story, Police Story 2013 is a sequel in name only to the classic series. Also like NPS, PS2013 forgoes Jackie Chan's traditional comedy-tinged action for more of a dour "realistic" story. These sorts of elements make this release not really feel like a "true" Jackie Chan film, but it's still pretty entertaining nonetheless.

Some of the different vibes Police Story 2013 puts out compared to the "original" PS films is that this is, for all intents and purposes, a Mainland film rather than a Hong Kong one. In a move that some might see as Chan pandering to the Mainland audience -- the same people that were the butt of jokes in the third installment of the series -- Chan's role here of Zhong Wen is much different than Kevin Chan Ka-Kui, an unironic "supercop" whose only flaw -- in line with Mainland censorship -- is that he is too dedicated to his job.

Screen capture from Well GO USA Blu-ray taken with VLC Media Player. Click here to view the full resolution version.

Political and societal aspects aside, the crux of the film riffs on Die Hard, with Zhong Wen being trapped in a club being held hostage by its owner and trying to find a way to save the day while dealing with family problems and annoying reporters. There are some attempts to generate real emotion, and Jackie does a fine enough effort in this regard, if sometimes a bit too much over the top, but, for the most part, the story feels pretty thin, even taking into account that this is "just" a Jackie Chan movie.

Where it counts for most people, though, is the action, and Police Story 2013 delivers in this regard. Is it up to the level of Jackie's best work? Of course not. The guy is in his sixties now and we shouldn't be expecting the same level of output as when the original films came out. SO while the first film had stunts like Jackie sliding down an electrified pole, here the worst treatment he gets is getting his face smooshed into a fence. Is it as exciting? No. But Jackie Chan at fifty percent is still more fun to watch than most of the so called action dreck out there.

RATING: 7

Blu-ray Information

This movie has been released in North America by Well Go USA under the alternate title Police Story: Lockdown. Besides the title change, the release is uncut and in the original Mandarin soundtrack or an optional English dub, with Jackie supplying his own voicework. Bonus features include a behind the scenes featurette, interviews with the director and stars, and trailers for the movie and several other Well Go releases.

The DVD and Blu-ray are available from Amazon.