This film marked the most important turning point in Jacky Chan’s career. Not only did he morphs successfully from early Republic kung-fu to cop thriller genre, but he made temporary housing blocks, buses and shopping malls his studios. And there he turned slapstick acrobatics and life-threatening stunts into large-scale action spectacles. He was script-writer, director, actor, and action choreographer in one. He designed each scene with meticulous attention. From monitoring large venues (car stunt at a housing estate), through extreme performances (jumping from a high-rise), to crashing into glass (even Brigitte Lin had to do it), and more falls from heights (Chan stopping a bus), Chan’s ruthless aesthetics and grassroots heroism look incredible to us today.

© Fortune Star Media Limited. All rights reserved

11/5

(Sat)

7:00pm

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

Post-screening talk with Honkaz Fung

9/6

(Sun)

2:00pm

Broadway Cinematheque