Movie Info
Movie Name: Police Story 3: Super Cop (Supercop)
Studio: Golden Harvest
Genre(s): Martial Arts/Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): July 4, 1992/July 26, 1996 (US—Wide Release)
MPAA Rating: R
Rolling is fun!
Chan Ka-Kui (Jackie Chan) is going undercover. Getting in good with the employee of a drug lord named Khun Chaibat (Kenneth Tsang), Ka-Kui finds himself teamed with Jessica Yang (Michelle Yeoh) who is posing as his sister. As Ka-Kui tries to keep his real girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung) from ruining the mission, Ka-Kui and Jessica must stop Chaibat from freeing his imprisoned wife (Josephine Koo) and escaping.
Directed by Stanley Tong, Police Story 3: Super Cop (警察故事3超級警察 or Jǐngchá Gùshì Sān Chāojí Jǐngchá) is the sequel to the Police Story 2 from 1988. The movie was released in the United States as Supercop in 1996 and received favorable reviews.
You show them who’s boss, Michelle!
I saw Rumble in the Bronx in the theater and like many in the US, this was the first real introduction to Jackie Chan (I knew of him but I don’t know that ever had seen any of his movies). When Rumble in the Bronx became a hit, converting old Jackie Chan movies became a quick and easy way for the studios to make money. Supercop was one of the better conversions, but the way Chan’s movies were released hurt it a bit.
The character in the film is generally just known as Jackie in the American versions, but the character is supposed to be the same from the other Police Story films. The U.S. releases shuffled all of the movies so there is no character progression and most likely viewers didn’t know Supercop was a sequel. I wouldn’t say that there is much character development in the series, but it would be nice to watch them in order.
…I’m getting to old for this crap
Part of what makes this movie better than some of the other films is the nice chemistry between Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh. Usually, Jackie Chan in the lone star of his films with only enemies knowing how to fight (and never as well as Chan). Here you get Michelle Yeoh who possibly fights better than Chan at points and is a nice counterpoint to his character.
The movie has some of the best stunt scenes for Chan’s films. Though the action is rather gratuitous at points it does fit in a bit better than some Chan films which are more about the humor and stunts than any reason for them to be occurring. Like always, watching the bloopers of Chan’s stunts and how they were done is a highlight of the film.
Whether you know it as Supercop or Police Story 3, this is one of Jackie Chan’s films that shouldn’t be missed. The film is readily available in big collections and with other Jackie Chan films. Police Story 3: Super Cop was followed by Police Story 4: First Strike in 1996 which was released in the United States as Jackie Chan’s First Strike in 1997 (Yeoh had her character spinoff into Once a Cop also know as Project S or Supercop 2).
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