THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607270037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: 44 lines
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to view the face of Jackie Chan without smiling.
The martial-arts star, who is surely the most recognized film star in the Asian world, has the kind of joyful presence that immediately suggests that he's out to have fun, not just to maul his adversaries.
``Supercop,'' his latest film to reach these shores, reflects the lightness of his approach. It is the standard good guys vs. drug dealers plot, but it lets us know that none of it is to be taken seriously.
Chan, with a Beatle haircut and a frequent grin, plays a Hong Kong cop who is flattered into taking a suicidal mission to the Chinese mainland to go undercover and find drug warlords. Like Inspector Clouseau, he believes himself to be a gifted officer, readily accepting the false flattery that calls him a ``supercop.''
Co-starring is Michelle Khan, Asia's most famous female action star. She more than holds her own in the action category, but doesn't have quite the gift for Astaire-like movement as Chan.
The star, meanwhile, jumps from a 10-story building and is involved in a series of battles in and on cars, motorcycles and, finally, atop a moving train.
The action here is in marked difference to all the high-tech Hollywood movies that depend heavily upon special effects. Chan and Khan use no stunt doubles. The lack of editing proves the fact.
Following the hit ``Rumble in the Bronx,'' ``Supercop'' is yet another entertaining actioner in which the Chan persona works. He's the reluctant hero - always an underdog who has dangerous situations thrust upon him.
It is clear that Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, not Bruce Lee, are his heroes. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``Supercop''
Cast: Jackie Chan, Michelle Khan
Director: Stanley Tong
MPAA rating: R (simulated violence)
Mal's rating: three stars by CNB