Now available from 88 Films
Project A (aka ‘A’ gai wak ) (1983)
The Hong Kong Navy is failing at fighting pirates. In comes Sergent Lung to the rescue.
Written by Jackie Chan and Edward Tang and directed by Chan and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (aka Sammo Hung), this film packs a star-powered punch even before the cast comes into play. The story here was clearly developed to star Chan and the stunts are numerous and a bit on the crazy side, but that is his signature. Bringing in Sammo Hung as co-director was a power move at the time and still would be now. Hung is a talent actor and a fun martial artist, but also a good director. This pairing with the help of Edward Tang creates one of those slightly insane and a whole lot of fun martial arts extravaganza of an action comedy. There is a lot here and fans of the above-listed men should love this one. The story is a bit simple, but it’s entertaining enough, and the fights are great fun to watch. The film shows the action clearly most of the time, showing good direction.
The cast here is led by Jackie Chan, and this is very much “his” movie. The film was developed for him and his skills, he co-wrote and co-directed it, so it all makes sense that it’s meant to make him look good as the star and look good he does with his usual on-screen charm, his stunt exhibitions, his martial arts skills, and his sense of humor. Fans of his will love this if they have yet to see it. Sammo Hung is also a part of the cast, and he brings his charisma and his sense of showmanship, making his part just as fun to watch as Chan’s, or just about. Joining them are Yuen Biao, Dick Wei, Mars, Wai Wong, and a bunch of other talented entertainers. This is one of those films made for the fun of it and the cast brings it to this day. The film also looks good with solid cinematography and editing and great stunts throughout.
Project A Part II (aka ‘A’ gai wak 2) (1987)
In this sequel, Lung is brought in when a gangster kingpin seems to team up with corrupt police, Manchu Loyalists, and pirates.
Here the film is written by Jackie Chan, Edward Tang, and Yu Ting, and directed by Chan alone. This sequel takes the action and relocates it to a seemingly small town where corruption and gangsters work hand in hand. The film is once again clearly made to showcase Chan and his skills, something it does rather well while giving the viewer new characters, new stakes, and a bunch of new stunts. The writing is good here and the direction works. The cast as a whole works well and lead Jackie Chan clearly knows what he wants to achieve here and how to do so. In this sequel, he is joined by Maggie Cheung who is good in her role while being the most charming cast member, Rosamund Kwan, David Lam, Carina Lau, Ray Lui, Bill Tung, and so many others. This cast is packed, and everyone is clearly having fun which becomes contagious to the viewer and greatly helps with the enjoyment of the film. The cinematography and editing are on par with the first film while the story is just a little less entertaining than the first. The twists and turns are interesting however and they keep the viewer riveted throughout. Overall, the film is a worthy sequel.
In terms of this new release from 88 Films, the new 4K high-definition remasters from the original negatives look and sound as good as they can for their age and how they were filmed. The extras here are numerous for both films, the best of the bunch being the different cuts of the film available in the set, the new subtitles, the audio commentary on each film, the interviews with Mars, Yuen Biao, Dick Wei, and Chan Wai-Man, as well as the 1988 documentary about Jackie Chan’s three stuntmen, and the Jackie Chan recording session. There is a whole lot more here, so there is something for everyone.