Jung on zo (1993) Reviews

• Chan's serious side

  Dr Worm1999-01-01

  I don't know the background on this one, but it seemed to be based on a true story, and as such there wasn't a lot of room for Jackie Chan's trademark slapstick stuntwork. Not that there aren't any stunts in Crime Story, but they're just lacking the 'fancy' elements from such films as 'Dragons Forever' or the 'Police Story' series. Nevertheless, this is a good film, if for nothing else than to see a different side of Jackie Chan in a serious role as a haunted cop without the fancy footwork in some of his other films.

• Chan is effective in one of his more serious roles.

  gridoon2003-11-17

  Although the complete lack of comedy may disappoint some of Jackie Chan's fans, I found him quite fascinating to watch in this more serious part; he proves, once and for all, that he CAN act, and he handles his complex relationship with the chief villain (who is not as one-dimensional a character as you might expect) particularly well. Perhaps if you're unaccustomed to Hong Kong action cinema, the frenetic pacing and chaotic storytelling, combined with the (bad, of course, but not unacceptable this time) dubbing, can create a disorienting effect. But the action starts early on and never lets up, and the fight scenes, while not numerous, are AMAZING. (**1/2)

• Hardcore Jackie Chan!

  Captain_Couth2005-07-10

  Crime Story (1993) was a very different Jackie Chan film. He stars as a tough cop who only cares about getting the job done no matter what the cost. What was the change in Jackie's attitude? He had a different director in charge. Instead of doing the job, he hired bleak and gritty film maker Kirk Wong direct the project. Wong likes to make police procedural films based on true cases. This one was no exception. It was a strange sight to see Jackie Chan so serious throughout an entire film. He was one dude who did not want to let the bad guys get away. But expect to see a lot of crazy stunts and violent gun play. If you don't think Jackie Chan can get down and dirty in a straight forward action film then don't pass this one up. You wont be disappointed. Highly recommended.

• Jackie Chan like you have never seen him before

  gorthu2009-04-18

  Jackie Chan takes up his usual cop role in this crime thriller and is hired to protect a very wealthy business man. The business man fears that he is going to be kidnapped, and that is exactly what happens. The kidnappers are holding him for ransom and demand 60 million dollars for his safe return. They order his wife to get the money. The cops do a great job of surveillance on the wife and do everything they need to do to catch the criminals, but they don't know that one of their top detectives is one of the kidnappers. Kent Cheng (Butcher Wing AKA "fatso" from Once Upon a Time in China #1) stars as the dirty cop and Jackie gets assigned to work with him. It gets very intense when Jackie suspects that Cheng is helping the kidnappers. Jackie Chan has had many good acting performances in his career, but this tops them all. His usual slapstick comedy is completely absent, but he still does a few of the other things you have come to expect from him. In one scene he is in a car chase and his car gets tipped onto its side. Well, Jackie just pushes the car back on its wheels and keeps on driving. Jet Li was supposed to play this role which seems like it would have been a good choice, but Jet's acting wasn't as good back then as it is now. Jackie plays this role to perfection, and in my opinion, there is no way that Jet Li could have pulled this role off as well as Jackie. If you have ever doubted Jackie as an actor, then check this movie out to see what he can really do. I would actually recommend this movie more to non Jackie Chan fans, but Jackie's die hard fans will also enjoy it. I have always known Kent Cheng as somewhat of a bumbling idiot on screen, so this movie was a real eye opener for me. He shows that he is a great actor when given the opportunity. He couldn't have played his role any better. The movie also stars Chung Fa and Ken Lo who are involved in a group fight with Jackie, and Blacky Ko has a nice cameo as a captain of the Taiwan police force. There is not as much fighting as most Jackie Chan movies, and they keep it more real. The stunt work is top notch and will have you saying ouch, but it is actually the car chases and huge explosions that give the most excitement. This is almost a perfect movie. Rating- 9/10

• Interesting change of pace

  sockii2000-10-01

  I thought this movie was an interesting change of pace for a Jackie Chan film--not a joke to be found, just a lot of dark and gritty action. The production values are better than usual (though the US version's dubbing is awful!) and the story kept me interested. If you want to see a more serious side to Jackie Chan's acting, check this movie out. Don't watch it expecting tons of kung fu fighting, though, or you'll likely be disappointed.