Jackie Chan Double Feature: Not Your Typical Chan Set

Jackie Chan is most famous for being a wacky martial artist starring in insane martial arts films. He has done some serious, gritty roles that took him out of his element. Shout Factory released two of these movies in “Jackie Chan Double Feature” which showcase “Crime Story” and “The Protector.”

“Crime Story,” based on true events, has Chan as Eddie Chan, a cop struggling with some inner demons trying to solve a kidnapping case before the kidnapped is killed. Little does Chan know there is a mole in the Hong Kong police trying to stop Chan from solving this case.

Given the subject matter and the background, it shows that the film creators took a lot of care into making this film. Yes, it does have a lot of entertaining action scenes and, even though the mole angle is old, the way the angle is used in this movie does seem more believable than in most films. The mole does a great job of making sure he’s not discovered which gives him a heads up to most other characters.

The way the kidnapper’s master plan and the cops rescue plan folds out are well orchestrated. The scene where Chan tells all the cops to act natural and they all move in the same direction at the same time with Chan saying “not at the same time people” is brilliant.

If you’re expecting lots of kung-fu, look elsewhere. This movie is more about lots of guns getting fired off and people getting shot left and right in a beautiful symphony of Hong Kong cinema bliss. What little kung-fu there is looks more like brawling than anything else. It does have some of Chan’s “pick up whatever and use it,” but it’s more gruesome than comedic.

There are a few downsides to this movie. Firstly, there is no original Chinese track on the DVD so you’re stuck with the dub. The dub itself is your typical awkward kung-fu dub with the characters saying phrases in awkward ways, out of sync lips and when a character is supposed to be yelling the dubbing actor does a bad job of it. Finally, there are just some scenes that seemed to not do anything for the story but were kept in anyway. This is especially true for some of the opening scenes that are supposed to establish Chan’s character but it only slows the movie down a bit.

“The Protector” sees Chan as Billy Wong, a New York City cop whose partner was killed in a bar. He is sent to Hong Kong with a new partner (Danny Aiello) to rescue a wealthy man’s daughter after she was kidnapped by a drug kingpin named Mr. Ko.

This movie is your typical “rescue daughter from bad guy” film played straight with the buddy cop angle thrown in (also played straight.) It has all your typical 1980s clichés with NYC being a den of violence, everyone in Hong Kong speaks in this weird Amazing Chan accent- it’s all there. You can see all the surprises coming from a mile away.

The action scenes, except for maybe the boat chase scene at the beginning, are a bore. There wasn’t any thought put into any of them and even the climactic fight at the end will put people to sleep.

The DVD extras are decent. U.S. and Chinese trailers for both films are worth watching even though the Chinese trailers spoil a lot more than the US ones. “Crime Story” has three deleted scenes that all revolve around Chan and his psychiatrist. It’s apparent as to why these were cut. They’re boring and don’t do anything for the story. “The Protector” has an interview with director James Glickenhaus about the development of the movie with Chan involved. It’s worth watching to know a little bit about what went on between Chan and Glickenhaus during production.

Shout Factory’s “Jackie Chan Double Feature” is a decent double feature with only one good Jackie Chan film. It would’ve been better if it had a better Chan film in the same genre and a Chinese audio option.