Police Story 4: First Strike (1996)

Police Story 4: First Strike is Jackie Chan at his most purely watchable: a globe-trotting rush where every punchline seems to have a bruise behind it and every bruise comes with a grin. Stanley Tong stages the action like a series of escalating daredevil poems—snowy pursuits, ingenious close-quarters brawls, and a finale that turns an aquarium into a playground of peril—while Chan’s athletic clarity keeps you laughing even as you wince. The tone is bright, fast, and crowd-pleasing, more about momentum and inventive set pieces than dense espionage logic, and that’s exactly its charm. If you need airtight plotting, it may feel featherweight, but if you want a charismatic action-comedy showcase built on real, breath-catching stunts, this one delivers.

Police Story 4: First Strike is clearly trying to be a globe-trotting spy-action romp, using an international conspiracy as an excuse to fling Jackie Chan into one dangerous set piece after another. When it works, it’s because Chan’s physical comedy and stunt work are still the main event, with a couple of inventive sequences (including the aquatic mayhem) that remind you why he’s a legend. But if you need a tight story, sharp dialogue, or Hollywood-level slickness, this one can feel like a flimsy, awkwardly written plot delivery system between fights. Watch it for the stunts and Chan’s charm; skip it if you’re hoping for a memorable thriller or a coherent, character-driven crime drama.