As Good As It Gets

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This instalment of Jackie's POLICE STORY series doesn't have much connection to the previous episodes, other than the welcome return of a cameoing Bill Tung playing Jackie's superior, Uncle Bill. Instead, this is more of a James Bond-style tale of international espionage, the hunt for a missing nuclear warhead, warring factions, and of course plenty of Jackie's unique style of action, namely martial arts mayhem. As with most of Jackie's films from the 1990s, the emphasis is on non-stop stunts, chases and action, mixed in with a fast placed plot and a couple of HUGE bad guys (action cinema veteran Nathan Jones) lurking around for good measure. Critics will always complain about elements of Chan's movies, whether it be the acting or the storyline, but rest assured that this is solid entertainment all the way which - whilst not quite up to the previous three movies - certainly packs a punch in terms of action and is at least as exciting, if not more so, than the latest Hollywood blockbuster.So my recommendation is to sit back, ignore all the double-crossing agents and confusing back story of the film, and instead enjoy the endless action which just gets better and better as the film progresses. Beginning with some action on the ski-slopes of the Ukraine for a change, the film offers lots of adventures in international locations. Jackie is chased by henchmen at the top of a tower block, jumps on to a helicopter from a cliff, and falls into a freezing cold lake. Then there's the major martial arts fight halfway through, in which he takes on a gang of henchmen using all kind of furniture as weapons, culminating in his ultimate use of a step ladder to repel the enemy! My favourite moments include the assault on the carnival parade and the ensuing hijinks, and the awesome climax which offers tons of the usual kung fu action, all taking place underwater in a shark-infested tank! Plus things are rounded off with the usual stunt work and Jackie being as cool as ever. Not one of THE classic Chan films, but very entertaining, smooth and recommended viewing for action lovers everywhere.

First Strike (1996): Dir: Stanley Tong / Cast: Jackie Chan, Jackson Lou, Jouri Petrow, Bill Tung, Wu Chen-chun: This film eventually strikes out big time with its horrible dubbing, but its first strike is its numerous martial arts sequences that seem to be chain linked. Jackie Chan stars as an agent sent to follow a woman. He discovers that the villains wish to steal a missile off of a warhead. This all occurs during a visit to the Ukraine, which isn't exactly his best bet for a vacation site since he nearly loses his life more times than a cat. Director Stanley Tong knows how to present the action and he is backed with fine winter location sites, but finding a script worth the time is his problem. Chan is subdued to bad dubbing and at one point held at gun point where his clothes are demanded leaving him in his underwear with only a car door to shield himself. Unfortunately he had nothing to shield himself from the lame writing. He is skilled and creative with these stunts, adding an innocent sense of humour, but it is all show and little substance. His co-stars are not exactly hand picked by the Academy Award voters either. Among them are Jackson Lou, Jouri Petrow, Wu Chen-chun, and Bill Tung and none of them are going out of their way to give a convincing performance. Conclusion includes bloopers and outtakes but the entire film pretty much sums that up. Score: 2 / 10

This is the fourth installment of Jackie Chan's Police story series.The movie is separated into two parts. The first part is in Russia and the second part is in Australia. Jackie is after an ex-CIA agent Tsui who've stolen a nuclear bomb. Another group of terrorists are after the bomb too. Jackie gets between the terrorists and Tsui, and the terrorists tries to kill him too. Tsui's sister Annie and Jackie gets together, and tries to recover the case hidden in the aquarium.This movie was made during the period Jackie Chan was making movies in international locations. The story and the comedy is especially well done, perhaps it's because the screen play was written by four people. The fight sequences at the high rise hotel and the aquarium are one of Jackie's best.Good movie that will give you lots of laughs and action.

jackie chan's first strike is your typical jackie chan fare featuring all the brilliant fight scenes and breathetaking stunts one expects from the chanster. a big improvement over supercop while not as good as jackie chan's who am i, never the less this is perfect entertainment from start to finish as jackie chan is hired by the c.i.a and gets tangled in some dangereous stuff and people are not to be trusted, but hey jackie chan movies are rarely there for story lines, the storyline is just the excuse to have some great fight scenes and stunts and here first strike delivers. i am one of the biggest jackie chan fans in the uk i think anyway and have seen all his films, and even though first strike isn't one of his best it's a solid effort none the less.