Film: Project A
Release date: 24th June 2002
Certificate: 15
Running time: 101 mins
Director: Jackie Chan
Starring: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Dick Wei
Genre: Action/Comedy/Martial Arts
Studio: E1
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Project A is a defining chapter in the astonishing career of Jackie Chan. Conceived and filmed after the devastating critical and commercial flop that was Dragon Lord, Chan resolved to change his cinematic fortunes. The result, Project A, is a masterful example of amazing martial arts and stunts driven by a solid fast-paced plot with the trademark Chan comedy strain.
The coastguard of Colonial Hong Kong at the turn of the 20th century is being continually humiliated by a gang of fearless pirates led by San-Po (Wei). Dragon Ma (Chan), a boisterous marine, is determined to devastate the Pirate stronghold on the South China Seas. However, the coastguard squad, after a terrible decimation of their fleet, is disbanded, and they fall under command of the police force to be re-trained by Inspector Tzu (Biao).
Dragon is frustrated by the lack of help from his new police colleagues and his former Navy superiors in taking on big-time criminals with heavy links to San-Po. Striking out to take down the cutthroats with help from childhood friend and small-time hustler Fei (Hung), and eventually Inspector Tzu, Dragon initiates ‘Project A’, a final solution intended to defeat San-Po and his gang…
Chan, Hung, and Biao (known as the ‘Three Brothers’) were instrumental in pulling Hong Kong film from the traditional kung-fu to more contemporary themes that helped ignite the 1980s boom period. Chan perhaps saw the disappointing reception of Dragon Lord as a shift in the tastes of the public, and so came up the idea of a pirate movie as a shake-up of the classic young rogue he usually played. This venture was filmed in secrecy to prevent the plot from being stolen by rival studios, and it ensured the Three Brothers, under the directorship of Chan in this instance, became the most-loved actions stars of the era.
Project A is flush with excellent stunts and slices of comedy gold that thankfully do not get lost in translation. The opening fight sees the coastguard take on the police in a local bar. As the teams square up on either side of a stage-cum-catwalk, and bottles are broken, Dragon sees sense and downs his weapons. But a sliding police officer bashes into the gramophone, and with a tremendous blast of classical music, the melee look to the record-player, then to each other, before a classic scene kicks off. Chan and Biao showcase polished acrobatics and martial arts expertise. A much-loved slab of humour sees neither want to lose face after smashing chairs across one another’s backs, and they each slip in a corner to rub at their beaten spines before bravado puffs them up and back out to the riot.
The statuesque support from Sammo Hung gives the viewer a much-appreciated lesson in what it must’ve been like to live, grow, and train together at the Peking Opera School as the Three Brothers did. Due nods are dropped to Chinese opera as Dragon and Fei infiltrate a gun deal. They use masks, face-paint, and sing to disguise their face and voices. However, Dragon and Ma fall out after learning they can’t work together to sabotage the supply line to San-Po. They put aside their growing animosity to brawl side-by-side and move-for-move in a tea house fight scored to opera beats. To see a man as big as Hung move with such agility is always a delight, as well as his incredibly strong acting and comedic support.
Chan’s determination to inject freshness into the kung fu genre is best displayed with his homage to other physical comedians, as well as using fads of the time. A high-octane bike chase through a labyrinthine collection of alleys sees Chan tap into the BMX craze of the 1980s, spinning wheels being used as effective weapons. A rumour is that it’s not Chan who climbs up between two walls and throws his front wheel out to knock-out a hoodlum, but Yuen Biao.
Project A’s most infamous scene sees Chan pay respects to Harold Lloyds role in Safety Last by hanging from a clock hand on a tower. As he loses purchase and falls in front of a huge shocked crowd, he plummets through two sets of awnings to the floor. No crash mats or safety nets here. Replayed again (a motif used in the electrified pole slide in Police Story) shows a different landing. As with Police Story, this doesn’t disrupt the story flow, instead it demonstrates Chan savvy. He understands what pleases an audience, and here it’s a terrific stunt done for real.
Jackie Chan undoubtedly is the backbone of the entire piece, not only in terms of acting but physical action, martial arts skill, and comedy turns. The quite sublime support of Hung and Biao mix to create one the greatest movies in the modern history of Hong Kong film. A genuine classic. JM
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