Review of Project A Collection

Introduction

Ask me what my favourite Jackie Chan film is, and the immediate answer would be Wheels On Meals, closely followed by Project A. Both films were made during the prime of his career, both starring the Triple Dragons, graduates of the Peking Opera School, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. Both films also relentlessly laid on the action, slapstick and hair-raising stunts. What I didn`t realise was that Project A was such a landmark film in Hong Kong cinema history. Prior to this the industry has been in something of a slump, with films following a tried and trusted formula of building dance-like fight sequences around fighting prowess and martial arts skills. Project A was the movie that changed that, and in doing so catapulted Jackie Chan to mega-stardom. This established his loveable underdog character, who succeeds in the face of adversity from all sides, whether it comes from the villains or authority figures. Gone are the carefully choreographed, ballet-like fight sequences, to be replaced with equally choreographed, but barely controlled mayhem, making use of props, sets and scenery to magnificent effect. Speaking of which, Project A was set in the turn of the century Hong Kong, a location pretty much underused by the industry. After Project A, Hong Kong cinema would never be the same. Hong Kong Legends have collected the previous two-disc Platinum release of Project A, and its sequel Project A II, and released both films in a three-disc digipack.

Project A

The sea-lanes are infested with pirates, and it is up to the Hong Kong coastguard to hunt down and apprehend the vicious corsairs. The coastguard is less than successful, its ships are notorious for getting lost, and the life expectancy of crews is risible. It`s a money-pit that particularly rankles the police force, which haven`t had a pay rise in years. Dragon Ma is the plucky coastguard who is eager to prove himself, but when the latest flotilla is sabotaged before it even leaves port, the Governor of Hong Kong has enough, and disbands the coastguard, seconding all the crews into the rival police force. This means some tortuous retraining at the hands of Captain Chi, but during their first mission to capture a criminal, Dragon is almost thwarted in the arrest by his corrupt superiors. He resigns in disgust, determined to defeat the pirates his own way. It doesn`t start well, when he gets involved with old friend Fei who plans to liberate some police rifles. The same rifles are destined for the pirates and soon Dragon has to run from the police, as well as some disgruntled brigands. But when the Admiral who has been called to defeat the pirates, is kidnapped by the very same, Dragon, Fei, and Chi will have to set aside their differences, dust off Project A and work together to defeat the criminals.

Project A II

The action comes to land, as Dragon is reassigned. Superintendent Chun is the rising star of the Hong Kong police force, but it`s an ascent that has been built on corruption and bribery. When his underhand nature becomes obvious even to the press, his superiors decide to find a politic way of removing him. The first step is to take one of the districts under his control and give it to the hero of Project A to clean up. Dragon and his friends find Sai-Wan a ferment of corruption, where only one policeman is principled enough to refuse bribes, and organised crime works hand in hand with the police. When Dragon brings his own particular form of justice to Sai-Wan, Chun`s underhand livelihood is threatened. He plans to frame Dragon, using some Chinese revolutionaries. Things get complicated when agents of the dowager empress show up to put a stop to the little revolution. If that isn`t enough, the pirates who survived Project A have sworn to avenge their leader and kill Dragon.

Video

Project A

Project A gets a thorough going over from those diligent restorers at HKL. As such, the 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is absolutely gorgeous. Print damage is practically invisible, the colours are strong and the image is clear throughout. There is a smidgen of grain, and the occasional flicker, darker scenes are a tad faded at times, but relatively speaking, this is an absolutely splendid transfer. The production design in Project A is also something special. This was an era when most Hong Kong films were set in an indeterminate legendary past on mainland China, when a master would invariably instruct a student, to do battle (reluctantly) with whatever bad guy may be lurking. Either that or they would be set in contemporary times. Project A was unique in being set in a different historical period. While there are anachronisms, as commentator Bey Logan will point out, the look of the film is astounding. It evokes a lushness of the mid-colonial period, with the look of 19th Century Hong Kong, and the uniforms and costumes of the time. The transfer brings out the best of the frenetic action, breathtaking stunts and hilarious slapstick.

Project A II

It`s another 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer that has seen some restoration done to it. It isn`t up to the standard of the first film though, and while print damage is virtually non-existent, the image does feel a little subdued in comparison. The colours aren`t as vibrant and there are moments of softness. There is a hint of grain and the image is more prone to flicker on occasion. The feel of the film is markedly different, with a grittiness to the texture, indicated by some misty nighttime scenes and the costumes looking a little drab. While Project A is the better looking of the two films, the sequel is still in good condition.

Audio

There are DD 5.1 English and Cantonese soundtracks provided with English and Dutch subtitle tracks for both films. I listened to the Cantonese track for preference, and found it to be clear if unimpressive. What surround there is, is subtle and understated. It`s mostly ambience and not much else. I briefly listened to the English dubs, and on Project A it sounded a little hollow, but clear nonetheless. In Project A II, while the hollowness wasn`t there, the actors sounded unsuitable for the characters. But then again, that may just be my preference for original language dialogue raising its head.

Features

Project A

Project A has the meat of the extras and comes on two discs. Hong Kong Legends do their usual fantastic job with the animated menus of course; the transitions between menus are dynamic but never lengthy.

Disc 1 contains the movie, and it almost goes without saying, a commentary by Bey Logan. It`s another information rich track, where he spills all about the people involved in the film, the setting, and the departure of the film from traditional Hong Kong cinema. He puts it all in historical context in another excellent commentary. But, he does make one mistake. See if you can spot it. Also on this disc, you`ll find the UK trailer and original theatrical trailer, as well as a 15-minute interview with Mars, who stars in the film alongside Jackie Chan as one of the coastguards. He talks about his training in the Peking Opera, and his career in films as an actor and as a stuntman. Finally there are trailers for 8 other HKL titles.

Disc 2 contains the rest of the extras for Project A, divided into four categories.

In The Tea House, you will find around 10 pictures of promotional artwork put together in a Campaign Art Gallery, as well as a text biography of the Triple Dragons, Yuen Biao, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.

In The Schooner, there is an interview lasting 18 minutes with Yuen Biao, who talks about his life and his career, peppered with plenty of film clips. This is supported with a trailer for his film The Prodigal Son,

In The Clock Tower you`ll find the meat of the extras. Project A - A Classic Revisited is a 77-minute documentary presented by Bey Logan. It goes into the details behind Project A, the cast and crew, the process of making the movie and the impact it had. Bey Logan takes us to some of the locations used in the film, and the site of some of the most memorable stunts. It`s peppered with interviews with the cast and crew as well as critics and other people in the industry. Also in this section is an 18-minute interview with Michael Lai, who composed the music for Project A and has worked with Jackie Chan on other projects.

Finally in The Pirates` Cave, there are interviews with the villains of the piece, actors Lee Hoi-San (22 minutes) and Dick Wei (14 minutes). Again they talk about their careers and working in Project A.

Project A II

Disc 3 contains both the film and the extras for Project A II. You`ll find the UK promotional and the original theatrical trailers for the film, as well as six other pieces of promotion for other HKL titles.

There are two interviews on the disc. 20 minutes is spent with Chan Wei-Man who played Tiger in the film. He talks about his life with emphasis on his career as a fighter. Warriors Two is a 25-minute look at the action and stunts in Project A II. Bey Logan interviews stuntman Anthony Carpio and the watch and discuss key action moments in the film. It`s interesting to hear what the culture is regarding stunts in the Hong Kong film industry and how it differs from Hollywood.

Finally there is requisite commentary from Bey Logan. It`s more of the same information rich delivery, as he talks about the sequel and how it moved on from the original.

Conclusion

With over three hours of high-octane comedy action, The Project A boxset is a treat. Naturally if you are looking for depth of character and intricacies of plot, then you probably took a wrong turn somewhere, but for slapstick, kung-fu mayhem, and good old-fashioned good guy versus bad guy face-offs at a relentless pace, you simply can`t go wrong with the Project A movies.

Project A is my favourite of the two, featuring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao leading a movie together for the first time. The period setting and the piratical villains make it a singular Hong Kong film. The input of Sammo Hung is apparent in the style of the set pieces, and it`s a chance for the actors to show off their skills. The plot is pretty much irrelevant, but this is a film to savour, not analyse. While the pirates provide the impetus for the story, they remain invisible for much of the film, allowing the main characters to spend more time trying to stay one step ahead of each other than they do worrying about the villains. It`s only when the pirates get serious that the three heroes put aside their differences and decide to deal with the problem.

Project A II is a different animal. Made 4 years after the first film, it stars a Jackie Chan who has found his persona, and who knows what stories he wants to tell. He carries this film alone and it shows in the style of the film. While the comedy is no less raucous, the sheer goofball antics of the first film have been restrained, the action is if anything more frenetic, and there is a stronger plot running through the film. Jackie Chan`s earnest underdog character is brought to the forefront as he single-handedly battles corruption at the heart of the police force. The nautical flavour of the earlier film has been lost, and while the turn of the century period shines through, Project A II never feels as anything other than a Police Story (with a hint of the Untouchables) transposed to an earlier setting, especially given that both films share much the same cast. It still delivers in terms of pulse pounding action and delicious comedy, but does feel a little generic in comparison to the earlier film. There is also more of an overt message to Project A II, not only because of the revolutionaries fighting the corrupt leadership on the mainland, but many of Jackie Chan`s later Hong Kong movies had a strong thread of self empowerment and civic responsibility to them, and that comes through strongly here.

For sheer comedy and unexpurgated action, Project A is perfect, while the sequel delivers more of a plot, with the stunts and action sequences are even more energetic if possible. Both films deliver in terms of excitement, with homage paid to silent stars like Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. Visual spectacle like this, accomplished without the aid of wires or CGI, is becoming increasingly rare. I find myself thinking more and more of these films as timeless. With the stunning restoration done on these films, putting the treatment afforded to Hollywood films of a similar vintage to shame, it becomes exceedingly simple to recommend this boxset.

The Project A films are essential if you are a Jackie Chan fan, essential if you are a fan of Hong Kong cinema, and if you are looking to watch a Hong Kong movie for the first time, there is no better place to start.