One of Jackie's greatest and most painful stunts took place at the end of Police Story. After kicking China's largest gunless criminal organization to death, supercop Kevin Chan finds himself at the top of a mall watching the final villain escape four floors below. Instead of shouting down for any of the hundreds of onlookers to grab the elderly, unarmed man, Jackie leaps onto a metal pole covered in lights and explodes down it, shattering through the mall's very, very last unbroken pane of glass. Then, without a camera cut, he climbs from the ruins of a sales kiosk to hold a shard of glass against the man's neck. Because when you make an arrest in Hong Kong, the only Miranda right you give the perp is the right to shit his pants.
"Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you!?"
Why Was It Unnecessary?
Supercop Kevin Chan had to get to the bottom floor as quickly as possible. Narratively speaking, sliding down the Christmas-light-covered pole and falling through glass was the right move. However, the pole wasn't wrapped in "special" lights or pyrotechnics. They were regular bulbs being smashed open with a naked human hand, and instead of a crash mat, Jackie landed on a Sunglass Hut. Sure enough, he hit the floor way too hard, and with second-degree burns all over his palms. You can even see in the middle of his slide that he had to adjust his grip to accommodate his sudden lack of hand flesh. Why did such an experienced stunt crew approach an electrified four-story death drop with all the foresight of a drunken frat boy dare? I have no idea, but I'd sure call you a pussy if you asked them.
684 Comments