Project A (1983)

(Originally released as ‘A’ Gai Wak)

Starring: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Biao Yuen, Dick Wei, Mars, Isabella Wong, Po Tai, Wu Long Cheung

First, the Lowdown: Jackie Chan is a sailor in the wackiest ship in the Navy.

Hong Kong at the turn of the century is plagued by pirates and thieves. The two major security forces, the Police and the Navy, have been at odds with each other. It seems that only the Police are adept at rooting out crime on the land, whereas the Navy seems only good at losing ships to pirates. Dragon and his fellow sailors hope to change that – much to the ire of the Police squad, who have had more funds diverted from their budget to the Navy. After a bar brawl starts between the rival factions. The Admiral of the Navy is about to launch their new plan to capture the pirates that have been terrorizing their ships when the Navy’s vessels explode while birthed in the harbor. Obviously sabotage is afoot, but before anything can be done, the governor orders the Navy to be seconded to the Police force.

Dragon and the sailors detest the strict discipline of police work, seeing as Captain Tze (who got rather mussed in the bar brawl earlier) seems to take great delight in tormenting the new trainees. Needing more leads into the pirate activity, the Police send a squad to a high-class club to arrest a major gang leader. But Dragon can’t seem to keep his fists to himself and the place erupts in a miasma of violence again, with Dragon dragging their arrest subject out kicking and screaming. The police chief is offended by Dragon’s behavior and demands he apologize to the gangster. Dragon tells the chief to take his badge and shove it and storms out the door.

Dragon’s sulking is curtailed quickly by the arrival of an old friend of his, a con-man by the name of Fats.

Okay, so Jackie Chan is here in his “Whacky Chan” mode in a movie that started his habit of blurring the lines between physical comedy and martial arts mayhem – one particular scene recalls Harold Lloyd in Safety First. This film feels like a starting effort, like it was hard to resist putting every single idea that came to mind. Which is probably why it also feels very stream of conscious, with one scene segueing into another without so much as a pause. There is a bunch going on here for what should be a simple martial arts flick. Also interesting to note is how the fight scenes are shifting from the “rhythmic blows” kind of choreography that was prevalent in the 1970’s to a more fluid style that is seen today. That being said, one of the more frustrating parts of the movie is how little Sammo Hung is utilized in it. He seems to only pop up occasionally to remind the viewer he’s still there.

Line of the Movie: “To capture the pirates we’re gonna need boats. A lot of boats.”

Three and a half stars. I think I’ll paint the ceiling beige.