Still Kicking

After entertaining us for years with high-octane, action /comedy Hollywood movies, martial-arts guru Jackie Chan has now decided to return to China and his roots. Exactly why is still unclear but speculation suggests that the stuntman extraordinaire was frustrated at the limited roles available to Asian actors in mainstream Hollywood. Other rumours cited the lack of control Chan was given on various projects and that he has therefore returned east in order to have more jurisdiction over how midriffs are kicked and necks are chopped.

His return sees the imminent release of the latest in his 'Police Story' series which, despite being made 20 years after the original, shows that Jackie can still bounce off walls with the best of them. The latest edition, creatively titled 'New Police Story', is a bold move for Chan as it takes an entirely new direction with a darker, more serious approach and - Gasp! - some real acting. Taking a departure from his usual happy-go-lucky staple character, our favourite black-belt plays down and out alcoholic cop Wing, who, after losing his whole team, has alienated himself and (as clichés abound) is pulled back into action by the up-and-coming wisecracking cop, Cheung (Tse), to rid the forces of evil.

Love him or hate him, you have to credit Chan's gung-ho approach to moviemaking, where he jumps through ladders and hangs from buses without a hint of blue-screen. However, fans should prepare themselves for a different kind of movie to the high-jinks the likeable ninja usually provides. Will we see some innovative yet story-necessary action? Indeed. Will we see guns, flicks and some nifty kicks? Of course. But will we see some crying and Chan being sick with whisky in an alleyway? Actually, yes. Certainly not a typical Chan effort but make no mistake, he is most definitely still kicking.