Project A (1983)

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It's late 19th century Hong Kong. Sergeant Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan) leads his men in the naval guard. They plan a big raid against the pirates. They have an unfriendly rivalry with the Hong Kong police. When pirates destroy their ships in the harbor, Dragon and his men are transferred to the police under the command of bitter rival Hong Tin-tsu who is the nephew of the incompetent Captain Chi. When Chi interferes with Dragon, Dragon quits the police force. Dragon is joined by old acquaintance Fei (Sammo Hung) as they try to thwart the pirates buying police rifles and save Admiral's daughter Winnie.As a story, it's a bit silly. It's physically funny but not necessarily a verbal comedy. The action is non-stop. Some of it is quite impressive. Many of the stunts land these guys on pretty hard surfaces. Several times, I end up saying "That's gotta hurt!". Falling off the clock tower is insanity. Jackie landed on his face. That doesn't happen anymore and if it does in today's movies, everybody would think it's CGI. It's that unbelievable.

It seems that for the most part, Jackie Chan movies are the most entertaining with a historical setting and especially when Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao along. This film, following a man named Dragon's exploits as he tracks down and defeats a group of pirates who have been screwing with the Hong Kong Coast Guard and are smuggling weapons, is one of the best offerings of Chan's early career.Much like the majority of his films, this one is full of good comedy and slapstick. Compounding that with some impressive and plentiful action as well as a decent story (for a Chan film at least) and you have a winner. Sammo Hung and Jackie work together quite well (duh, they're basically twins) and the fight scenes including them both are a joy. The other fight scenes are exceptionally choreographed and some of the stunts are death defying.As a Jackie Chan film, this is a good offering. Fun, action-packed, and as entertaining as they come, Project A is a great way to blow a movie night.

This is my favorite Jackie Chan movie because it gives a lot of thrills and a lot laughs too. Also Chan's acting is more convincing than in Police Story (but I like Police Story 1 & 2 so don't think I say they are bad) and it manages to have a good plot and story mixed with a lot of action and humor. One of the things that makes it my favorite Jackie movie is the stunts. The stunts are of course very dangerous and no Hollywood actor would do them, Jackie, Sammo and Yuen makes the stunts look like elegant ballet dances and I almost always get tears in my eyes while watching the movie of sheer joy!The humor is just so good and I always get a smile on my face when I remember one of them. One of the big pluses is that Sammo and Yuen is in this movie and it makes the movie so much more better than it already is.It may not have the same ferocious, demonic :P and of course devil-may-care-funny ending as Legend of the Drunken Master (which in my opinion, one of the best climaxes ever made in the history of cinema) but I think the only movie which can match it is the sequel. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up! 10/10

This movie is heavy on the humor and has a few stunning action scenes, which is honestly all anyone wants from a Jackie Chan movie, right? Most of the scenes are pretty typical barroom brawler type things, skillfully choreographed but not quite as creative and fun as what Chan would show us in the next two decades.The movie's most famous scene is the clocktower fight, which is both an homage to Buster Keaton and one of Chan's most dangerous stunts in his entire career, where he fell 60 feet with only two awnings to break his fall. Also above average is the great bicycle chase which is vintage Chan with all kinds of gags that work quite well.The non-action scenes are fine. Don't expect anything too spectacular, after all you watch these movies for the laughs and the action, but the movie does avoid being boring as we watch the escapades of Chan's character Dragon, an goodhearted but hapless sailor determined to bring justice to the pirates plaguing the coast. He runs into all kinds of bureaucratic problems, of course.I watched the dubbed version, which from the other reviews, I gather is the one to watch, as it includes all the best scenes.