To date, Jackie Chan has appeared in over 100 movies and is an international super-star. Because of this, I really felt confused as I watched Police Story (2013). After all, with his clout, you'd think he'd get the best of scripts…but this film is a muddled mess of a film. This does not mean some die-hard Jackie Chan films won't like it—the film has plenty of action to keep them happy. But the script is poor, the number of flashbacks boggling (and often irrelevant to the plot) and the film isn't fun—and most Chan films are fun. It also, inexplicably, has absolutely nothing to do with his previous films called Police Story!

The film begins with Captain Zhong (Chan) going to a very strange place, the Wu Bar, to meet his estranged daughter. She apparently has hated him for years because he's always working. She also blames him for not arriving on time at the hospital as her mother (his wife) was dying. The daughter is angry—and introduces Zhong to her fiancé, Mr. Wu—a man she hopes will irritate her father. However, out of the blue, suddenly Wu and a group of his men take the pair hostage—along with more than a dozen others. Now Wu informs the police that unless they deliver a certain prisoner to the Wu Bar, the captives will all die. But, instead of explaining WHY all this is happening, lots of filler occurs in between—some of which just seemed irrelevant. For example, there is a UFC-inspired cage fight right there in the middle of Wu Bar with Zhong and one of the kidnappers (????). There are also LOTS of flashbacks—many of which turn out to have nothing to do with the plot!! And, when the big finale finally comes, it feels that it is about half an hour too late. And speaking of the finale, as I watched it unfold, parts of it made no sense whatsoever. In particular, Wu that done unspeakable acts of brutality, yet the Captain risks his life to save Wu at the end—even as Wu fights tooth and nail to die! Think about it—the super-villain WANTS to die and risk your life to keep him alive?! On what planet does this make sense?

In many ways, Police Story seems like a film that went to production way too soon—well before all the bugs were worked out of the script. At quite a few points in the film, instead of the film being action-packed, it sometimes was incredibly talky and padded. And, instead of the film being fun like most Jackie Chan films, it just seemed oppressive and anything but fun. In fact, that is THE biggest problem with the movie—there is none of that usual tongue-in-cheek fun and there were less stunts and more explosions, blood and breaking of bones. This is not the sort of Jackie Chan film I would want to see again—and the guy deserves so much better.

The film opens with Jackie Chan meeting with his estranged daughter and her boyfriend Wu at his bar/club. It starts out with a hostage situation as father tries to save daughter, but not nearly as good as "Taken." The film ends up with a classic mystery ending where all the suspects are assembled in one room. The whole premise of the film was inane. Who does this to get information and revenge?

Much of the film consisted of flashbacks. Chan managed to get in a "Rocky" scene, but for the most part, his abilities were not used. The film started out good, but started to bore me at the flashbacks.

It must be said that the anticipation for a Jackie Chan film has changed over the years. Chan himself had announced in last year's Chinese Zodiac 12 to be his last film with major action in it. We cannot go in expecting to be wowed by death-defying stunts or exhilarating fight choreography anymore. Instead of fights, he has chosen to switch into the dramatic.

Police Story 2013 is not a continuation of the original Police Story series, the title is in name only. Chan's character Zhong Wen is not Chan Ka-Kui, Jackie Chan's Supercop character from the original Police Story series. Zhong Wen is not hotheaded, not prone to solving conflicts with violence or even a great hand-to-hand fighter. The only similarity both characters share is their whole-hearted belief of the law and their obligation to do the right thing. Otherwise, Zhong Wen is a dramatic character exploring themes of old age and dealing with the consequences of being a poor father, and therefore it is a role that the older Jackie Chan naturally fits into. In comparison to Chan's dramatic turns in The Karate Kid remake and The Shinjuku Incident, this performance is the most honest.

The fights, which are not choreographed by the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, are shot close and choppily edited. And sadly, there are not that many of them. For Jackie Chan fans that are hungry to watch a good fight or a stunt will be disappointed. Originally there were not going to be any fights in the film.

Director Ding Sheng, who previously worked with Chan on Little Big Soldier, constructs some tense moments and keeps the audience guessing with red herrings. Liu Ye plays the villain in true scenery chewing fashion, the cat-and-mouse game between Liu and Chan is the price of admission. Jing Tian, having been played the most annoying female police officer in Donnie Yen's Special ID earlier this year, fares much better in a more fleshed-out role. I'm curious to see what part she will play in the upcoming Chow Yun Fat-Wong Jing God of Gamblers rehash From Vegas to Macau.

As for the hostage situation itself, the bickering hostages are very annoying and it begs to question how they would be able to yak on the way they do without risking execution. The final reveal in the mystery plot is pedestrian, as one would expect a more epic conflict. Immense effort has been made to shift things to a ground level and while it succeeds at creating a gritty realism, it works against the film in terms of payoff. With a back catalogue full of dangerous stunts and action scenes, who could imagine a Jackie Chan movie made so humbly and low- volume?

Police Story 2013 ultimately is an incidental addition to the Jackie Chan canon and does not hold a close candle to the original Police Story series -though much better than the awful New Police Story-, but I did not expect it to be either. It was entertaining for its running time, but I won't watch it again. The 3D is a shameless cash grab as minimal design has been put in and it is counter-productively dulling down its colorful cinematography. Overall the average Jackie Chan fan might be happier to see it as a rental. Nothing here is worth being angry or disappointed over.

You might be thinking, why am I being so forgiving? Why am I giving Police Story 2013 a pass? The answer: I am not ready to live in a world without Jackie Chan movies in it.

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