Police Story 3: Supercop is a movie that will never be equaled. As is usual with a Jackie Chan film, that statement has little to do with the film's story or acting, and everything to do with the artistry and panache of its amazing action design. Chan and buddy Stanley Tong have outdone themselves here.

Chan returns as HK cop Chan Ka-Kui, who volunteers to go deep, deep undercover in a Mainland Chinese prison. His goal is to help evil bastard Panther (Yuen Wah) escape and earn his trust, thereby discovering who's the mastermind behind the drug trade in Asia. Chan's mainland partner is played by Michelle Yeoh, who came out of retirement to take on the role. Together, the two zip around Asia as "comrades" of Panther. Then, they run into Chan's girlfriend May (the returning Maggie Cheung), and comedy hijinks ensue.

Supercop boasts some impressive production values (at the time, it was the region's most expensive production), which are far above Hong Kong par. The result makes the film seem more international, but the action is vintage HK. Suprisingly enough, there are few moments that channel Chan's usual prop-filled action design, but the trade-off is fine thanks to some of the most insanely amazing stunt sequences EVER. Michelle Yeoh's stunts are actually more impressive than Chan's, and include a remarkable motorcycle jump onto a moving train, as well as an extended sequence with her hanging from a speeding van. Chan's shining moment is his hang from a helicopter, which proceeds to fly all over Kuala Lumpur with no obvious safety measures below him. Some may term the stars "insane", but respect for their daring is usually automatic.

The rest of the film is nondescript and even colorless, with the script and plot stacking up as nothing more than standard cop movie stuff. The usual Hong Kong comedy is subdued, and manages to be genial and not distracting. Chan is at his most winning, and Yeoh and Cheung are equally charming and charismatic. Their presence anchors the slower parts of the film (of which there are few), but it's the all-out, eager-to-please action sequences which win the audience over. What's so overwhelmingly wonderful about Supercop is the panache with which it impresses. It's a movie that few have seen without being absolutely floored, as what happens onscreen cannot be easily described or believed. It's likely that many fans of HK Cinema owe their present allegiance to some art-house screening of Supercop. And it wouldn't be a stretch to say that I'm among them. (Kozo 1993/1999)