Project A Part II (1987)

Project A Part II (1987)

6/10

Starring

Jackie Chan

Maggie Cheung

Rosamund Kwan

Bill Tung

Directed by Jackie Chan

In the second part of Project A, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, who were with Jackie in the first film as part of a trio, are not in this movie.

Jackie Chan plays Sergeant Dragon Ma once again, and like the first film, the action choreography earned Chan an award at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

The film is mainly an action comedy, with Chan's character being a bit funnier than he was in the first film. Although the movie wasn’t as good as the first one, I found the script to be a much-needed improvement. Unlike the first film, where it seemed like a lot was happening with many unintended twists, this one was easier to follow.

The sequel starts with some of the pirates from the first film who escaped and gather on an island to plot revenge on Dragon Ma. Ma is promoted to superintendent, tasked with replacing the former superintendent, who is suspected of staging some of his supposed victories against criminals.

Ma is way over his head in this town, as the local kingpin has every officer under Ma’s command in his pocket. The movie then portrays Ma as a bit of a hero, inspiring his officers to turn over a new leaf. However, Ma’s changes in the town don’t sit well with the criminals, and they plot to ruin his reputation.

With a kidnapping, Ma’s name being smeared, and the pirates out for revenge, Ma is in a lot of trouble. You’ll have to watch the movie to see how he manages to handle everything.

The movie wasn’t as financially successful as the first, but it was a critical success nonetheless. It was directed and written by Jackie Chan, who was also the action director.

I did miss Hung and Biao’s characters in this movie, and while I enjoyed it, I felt the clumsy script of the first film added to its entertainment value. Chan’s new duo, two ladies, did enough to cover the hole left by the missing duo from the first film.

Jackie Chan didn’t spare any jumps or falls in this movie, giving us magnificent martial arts skills and impressive stunts, none of which resulted in any major injuries like the Clock Tower stunt from the first film.

Like the first film, this one pays homage to classic slapstick comedy, one of which I recognized as being from Buster Keaton's 1928 movie Steamboat Bill, Jr.. The scene is where a wall falls on Jackie, but he isn’t injured because he is standing exactly where the window of the wall is.

After seeing Project A (1983), I would definitely recommend going ahead to see this one.