Thanks for the memories!

People are voting emotionally.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The acting in this movie is really good.

I happened to come across "Police Story: Lockdown" (aka "Ging Chat Goo Si") by sheer random luck while searching for Asian movies on Amazon. And being a fan of Jackie Chan, then it was instantly purchased, of course.I must admit that this is one of Jackie Chan's more mature and serious movies in a while. There are some like this is seriousness, but it is still quite nice to see Jackie Chan step up and perform in a serious movie such as this.The story is a fairly generic police vs. bad guys kind, in terms of it being a group of criminals having fortified themselves inside a bar and having taking bar patrons hostage. And it is up to the police to gain entry and save the hostages without casualties. But there is a twist to the story, but I will not give any spoilers. And it was also a nice way that director Ding Sheng had opted to go in terms of how more and more bits of information was revealed to the audience. It was a good way to lure people in and keep your attention focused and determined.Unlike most other Jackie Chan movies, then there is not the usual slapstick action comedy in "Police Story: Lockdown", so if you sit down to watch this movie hoping for it to be a usual Jackie Chan movie, then you will be disappointed. There is but a bit of humor to this movie, and it is subtle and well-used in the movie.Jackie Chan performs well in a serious role, and he does so with his usual grace and charisma. And the action sequences are performed with Jackie Chans usual delivery of excellence, grace and unique style.The title "Police Story: Lockdown", seems somewhat of a cash-in on the previous successful "Police Story" movies, because it is totally different police characters that Jackie Chan portrays. But still, it is wholesome entertaining.This is a good movie if you enjoy police action dramas, and it doesn't really matter if you are a fan of Jackie Chan or not to enjoy this movie. I am rating it seven out of ten stars.

The opening of the film depicts police office Zhong Wen (Jackie Chan) holding a handgun to his temple, resolving to commit suicide. What could motivate a man, after committing himself to a life of law enforcement, to take his own life? This powerful question is what initially draws the viewer into Police Story 2013, a film about crime and punishment, right and wrong, family and survival. Throughout the duration of the feature, arachnid related imagery that appears in the shape of windows, tattoos, toys, amulets and other like items, heightens the idea of being trapped, with no capacity for escape. During one scene, Zhong is strapped by wires (representative of spider silk) to a chair, depicting a massive web, metaphorically developing the notion that he is caught within its trap.Mr. Chan is superb in this thrilling police drama, and though he is potentially not in quite as many fights as demonstrated in some of the former features in the Police Story franchise, the maturity and intelligence of the script and the plot, alongside the acting, really immerses the viewer in the experience. Mr. Chan develops a character who is professional, mature and family oriented, allowing the audience to be emotionally vested in his character as we fear for his safety, and those around him, his desire to save everyone being not only his gift, but a curse in equal measure. Despite much humor having been used in previous installments, this element takes a backseat over the course of the production.Zhong, not long into the movie, finds himself traveling to a bar to meet with his daughter, Miao Miao, who has had minimal contact with him over the past five years, the underlying reason behind this lacking familial bond being explored over the course of the feature, the narrative amazingly tying everything together. After arriving, Zhong, and many of the other patrons, find themselves held hostage at the hands of Wu Jiang (Liu Ye). Though there is no doubting his antagonistic attitude, Wu has a set of principles, and is capable of being negotiated with, the reason for holding Zhong, and the others at gunpoint, being slowly explored.As it is not immediately revealed, the mystery surrounding the plot engrosses the viewer onwards. The film occasionally travels backwards in time, not being consistently set in chronological order, to reveal what has happened previously. Sometimes this is articulated to provide visual guidance for the audience as characters discuss their version of past events, however, it is never truly known if what they emphasize is in fact the truth, or if they are ensnaring people within their own web of deceit, again, linking back to the arachnid imagery. Although Zhong is being deliberately held by Wu for a purpose, he is not the only one, and though we comprehend how he arrived at the establishment the film is primarily set in, how the other characters arrived voluntarily, or through coercion, is largely unexplored.The incredibly beautiful Jing Tian moreover, provides, quite possibly, one of her best performances. Though Ms. Tian is not quite as physically active in this feature as she has been in some of her other films, she plays not only as Zhong's daughter, but as a nurse, and in a hostage situation, this role gives her reason and purpose. In some of her other films, it seems Ms. Tian may have been cast due to her unparallelled beauty, rather than her talent, however, in this feature, the audience are equally graced by both. Possessing her father's desire to save everyone, alongside an opinionated character with the willingness to survive, Ms. Tian brilliantly spends almost half of the film suffering traumatic emotional agony.Accompanying the film is an entertaining musical score that helps immerse the viewer not only into the environment, but the situation's climate. Despite the score also heightening the accompanying action scenes, these moments, which are occasionally explosive, seem to be in the background, rather than the fore, unlike in previous movies staring Mr. Chan. Though a car chase offers viewers nothing they haven't seen before, the fighting that transpires at the bar never feels out of place, fitting purposefully with the setting. However, it is the tension and suspense that really draws the viewer in, the action being more of an added benefit.From the intensity of the beginning, through to the epic close, Police Story 2013 leaves viewers wondering if there will, in fact, be another sequel, and after the quality performances and storyline exhibited in this feature, the answer, is hopefully, a resounding 'yes'.

I love this movie because it has some great action scenes but the movie is not really oriented on that. It shows more of Jackie's dramatic side and he pulls of the role amazingly in this film. Unlike Jackie's earlier films which are lighter in tone, this one is much more dark. This and Shinjuku Incident are almost the same in terms of seriousness. I really recommended this film to Jackie Chan fans or fans of Action, Thriller, or Drama genre. To clear things up for folks this film is not related to the previous 5 Police Story movies, it is a separate film and should be treated as such. Overall this is an excellent movie, two thumbs up from me!

I liked Police Story 2013 and it was a good adaption to the series, however Jackie Chan needs to call it quits with the police story series. There are six installments to it, and the last two lead to a more darker tone for the story. However the 2013 version looks like a rewritten version of New Police story (2002). Just like new police story the antagonists threaten to bomb an area with hostages to kill people,the only difference is in the 2002 version, the killers proceed with the bombing and the story begins from there. The 2013 version is about stopping the victim to prevent the bombing and nothing else. Despite the characters back story from both versions in the 2000's the story itself isn't much of different. I feel like Jackie Chan is pushing his luck with this series by rewriting the story three times. First time the story was written it involved making four sequels installed to it, then came new police story which is completely re-imagined and rewritten, and then comes police story 2013, which to me seems like just a rewritten version of new police story. I think it's time for him to move on from this series and go on to making something that isn't action. Give us something new.