Quentin Tarantino is like a walking film encyclopaedia and has thus also taken some films to heart that many don’t even know about. When it comes to the most spectacular action film of all time, the cult director has a very special favourite…
Quentin Tarantino is known for his immensely broad knowledge of film – and his preference for films as well as genres that are often only known to mainstream audiences by a few corners, but are prominently featured in his films. When the legendary director talks about his favourite films, he not only mentions the titles of well-known classics, but also one or two personal insider tips – such as “Police Story 3” aka “Supercop”.
In 2009, the filmmaker revealed his favourite films from 1992 onwards – that is, from the time when he made his celebrated debut with “Reservoir Dogs” and became active as a filmmaker himself. In addition to his absolute number one from that time, the Japanese manhunt thriller “Battle Royale”, several other titles from far away from Hollywood also found their way into his ranking, many of them from Asia: Takashi Miike’s “Audition” or the aforementioned Jackie Chan smash hit, about which the “Pulp Fiction” maker has particularly praising words.
In the recording linked above, in which he elaborates on his list, Tarantino calls the action film with Jackie Chan the “film that contains arguably the best stunts ever seen in a film”. “And that includes Buster Keaton,” the director then finally adds – even placing Chan above arguably the first and thus perhaps most important action star and stuntman in film history. And FILMSTARTS editor Daniel Fabian, as a die-hard Jackie Chan fan and martial arts enthusiast, can only agree with Tarantino.
“Supercop” as a film may not quite measure up to “Police Story” and “Police Story 2” (which are, after all, among the best martial arts films of all time). However, when it comes to daredevil stunts, Part 3 is still considered one of the greatest masterpieces in film history. Highlights among a series of magnificently choreographed fight sequences, which often hurt just to watch, include the grand finale on a moving train (!) as well as one or two stunts where really nothing could go wrong:
While leading actress Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”, “A Haunting In Venice”) jumps onto the aforementioned train on a motorbike, Jackie Chan’s unsecured (!) jump onto a rope ladder hanging from a helicopter could have ended fatally. In the end, however, everything went well. As Chan later revealed, he only dislocated his jaw during the filming of the movie – almost a trifle compared to the many, many other injuries the action superstar has suffered in the course of his career.
THIS IS WHAT “SUPERCOP” IS ALL ABOUT
In this loose sequel to the first two “Police Story” films, Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh, then also known as Michelle Khan, go undercover to stop a drug lord – until one day their cover is blown and they end up dealing with his army…
Fans of Jackie Chan can look forward to Michelle Yeoh and many, many more of Chan’s faithful companions. Also in the cast are Bill Tung (e.g. “Police Story” and “Rumble In The Bronx”), Maggie Cheung (e.g. “Police Story” and “Twin Dragons”), Ken Lo (e.g. “The Myth” and “Rush Hour”), Wah Yuen (e.g. “Action Hunter” and “Tokyo Powerman”) and Kenneth Tsang (e.g. “Superfighter 3” and “Rush Hour 2”). And with Stanley Tong, one of Chan’s long-term collaborators also took a seat in the director’s chair, for whom the superstar last stood in front of the camera for “Vanguard” (2020).
