Product Description

International martial arts megastar Jackie Chan (RUSH HOUR, TWIN DRAGONS, RUMBLE IN THE BRONX) directs and performs all his own death-defying stunts in a hard-hitting and humorous action adventure that's been called one of his very best! Chan rocks the high seas as Dragon Ma, a determined coast guard officer on patrol in late 19th-century Hong Kong. As he battles with a ruthless syndicate in a seemingly never-ending struggle for control of the dangerous waters, you'll be blown away as Jackie literally throws himself into some of the most amazing movie stuntwork ever captured on film! Also starring popular Sammo Hung (TV's MARTIAL LAW), this must-see, adrenaline-pumping adventure delivers all the intense thrills and witty fun that Jackie Chan fans demand!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30984 in DVD
• Brand: BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2000-05-16
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 105 minutes

Amazon.com
For people who've discovered Jackie Chan through his American hit Rush Hour and want to learn what his Hong Kong movies are like, Project A is an excellent place to start. Chan plays a sailor in 19th-century Hong Kong; pirates have been terrorizing the seas for months, and all efforts to combat them have been sabotaged by the corrupt chief of police and a criminal gang, who are in cahoots with the pirates. But the plot is hardly the point--a Jackie Chan movie is about astonishingly acrobatic action sequences and breathtaking stunts, and Project A has plenty. Of particular interest is a bicycle chase that is more suspenseful than any car chase you've ever seen. Chan is joined by Sammo Hung (star of TV's Martial Law) as a shifty con man who comes through when the chips are down. Project A also features Yuen Biao, a frequent costar in Chan's movies, who's yet another astounding martial artist. But what separates Jackie Chan movies from other kung fu flicks is his sense of humor; every fight scene is punctuated by something--a clever use of a prop or sudden reversal of your expectations--that will make you bark with laughter. Sometimes it's just so exquisitely choreographed that the entire movie seems to float on a cloud of giddy delight. Purists may object to the movie being dubbed, but given the overall hamminess of the acting, it's not particularly intrusive. Jackie Chan is often compared to the classic silent comedians for his grace and timing--he lives up to it. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Project D
In my opinion the original Chinese language version of Project A is one of Jackie Chan's best films. A film full of great stunts and some of the best fight scenes of any Jackie Chan movie. This version however is extremely poor. I was very excited when I saw this release in the video store on DVD. I have a subtilted video tape and I have been waiting for it's release on DVD. However I became leary when I recalled the recent release of Jet Li's Fist of Legend and other recent English dubbed Hong Kong action movies like Iron Monkey, Police Story 1 and 2 and Black Mask. It seems to me that the people involved in these re-releases have no respect for these great movies. It many cases, especially Jackie Chan's movies, scenes are edited out, the original score is replaced by inferior music, profanity is added and the English duubed voices are just horrible and at times downright goofy. The English language versions are so inferior to ther originals that it is not even funny. Often times these films come off as comedies because of the horrible dubbing. Project A is no exception. What was once a serious action movie, with some comedic touches, is now a goofy, wateredowned movie. The voices can not be taken seriuosly. The new score is just ok, the original was so much better. The new score actually slows down the action sequences and eliminates most of the tension that was in the original. I was extremely disappointed with this DVD. I might recommend it to anyone who has not seen the original version and is curious about early Jackie Chan. However I will stick with my subtitled video tape.

Great Movie - The DVD is a Disaster!!
First of all, I love the original Project A, which I have seen in full on our local Multinational TV Channel (with great subtitling I might add - SBS do a great job). The two stars are for the DVD. If you want the real Project A, then don't get this DVD. I thought Jackie dubbed it, the main reason I bought it - but after seeing Legend of Drunken Master (which he did dub) I have my doubts. The voice sounds very fake. All the rest of the actors are obvious dubs. Some scenes have been cut - especially the scene in the Mah Jhong parlour introducing Sammo Hung. They cut the shower scene and other bits when the marine police are in training, as well as other bits and pieces. Picture quality is superb - the only bonus. The music is awful, doesn't keep pace with the action at all and is totally different to the original. All in all, a disappointment, especially when I have to order from overseas, which costs a fair bit. This DVD is in my JC collection, but I much prefer my video version.

Great Movie, subtitles option missing
First off this movie is great, it is truly one of Jackie Chan's classics. The stunts and action scenes are fantastic, and the plot moves along nicely. The DVD is good for the most part, the picture and sound are both good.

But one negative side is the lack of subtitle and language options. With a movie like this it would be nice to be able to turn off the english dubbing and instead have the original chinese soundtrack with english subtitles. But this option is not presented, which really annoys me when you consider the fact that it could have been easily put on the DVD. The english dubbing isn't bad (Jackie Chan does his own voice, and i believe Samo Hung does too). But sometimes the orginal chinese soundtrack can make the movie seem more legitimate and less cheesy, and i like to have the option.

But all in all this really is own of Jackie's finest movies. Samo Hung is very good as well. I took off one star just for the lack of subtitle options, but that isn't the end of the world. I still enjoy this DVD greatly.