Dragon Dynasty’s two-disc release of POLICE STORY 3: SUPERCOP on DVD is a major, feature-rich upgrade from the previous Dimension Films release but purists will still find fault in the fact that the same international cut was used which is missing several minutes of inconsequential scenes made available on the original Hong Kong print.
This release could be considered SUPERCOP 2.0. DD salvages the same title, cut, credits, and English-dubbed soundtrack from The Weinstein Company’s Dimension Films vault and adds to it a cleaner anamorphic print, optional Cantonese audio with English subtitles, improved packaging and menus, and an excellent collection of bonus material topped by an exclusive interview with Jackie Chan.
This version looks superior to most previous releases (see comparison image) and that alone makes it worth considering but I know collectors will be wondering about the roughly two minutes of cuts. On his audio commentary that accompanies this release, Bey Logan talks about each of the cuts made to the international print and offers explanation for why they were made. The cuts, which can still be found on Hong Kong versions of the movie including an out-of-print Mega Star version, are not that important to the film. Bits cut here and there include some talking among supporting players at the beginning, discussion referencing things that only Hong Kong audiences would fully appreciate or extended comedy with Chan falling out of a tree he has become lodged in.
At the same time, I don’t buy the reasoning for omitting this footage. I tend to agree with Jackie Chan in his interview on this disc when he suggests that cuts were made simply because someone was paid to “fix” the movie for the American market and not because the cuts were really necessary. It could be argued that there are a lot of references in the movie that Americans might not fully understand such as why in one scene Jackie is seen wearing makeup or in another is talking about money collected by Hong Kong authorities eventually going to the Chinese government after the “handover.” Yet the Weinsteins chose to leave these scenes in while removing others. They did similar nonsense with their release of IRON MONKEY and THE PROTECTOR. The rule seems to be that if a foreign movie is headed for theaters then make it more American with a series of arbitrary cuts.
Bottom line, DD should have included the original Hong Kong print, on a separate disc if necessary, because collectors will not be satisfied with less even if the general public is. Once again, the label’s “Ultimate Edition” claim is proven to be exaggerated and this is one reason why DD will continue to be criticized despite their substantial efforts to produce quality releases with the materials at their disposal.
Thankfully, viewers now have the option of ditching the awful English-dubbed track for the original Cantonese track. This is especially important for two reasons. One, the English track that accompanied Dimension Films’ theatrical release changed most of the music to American pop and hip hop. It’s crap, including the Devo song at the end and I say that as a fan of Devo. The worst sin is that they dropped a decent Cantopop song sung by Jackie Chan during the outtakes and replaced it with a Tom Jones rendition of “Kung Fu Fighting.” I’m sure some genius actually thought it was a clever or hip idea. Note to distributors: never ever use the song “Kung Fu Fighting” in conjunction with any martial arts movie release unless you’re targeting children.
The second reason we can be thankful for the Cantonese-language option is that SUPERCOP was Jackie Chan’s first Sync sound movie. That means for the first time in his career his voice was being recorded as the movie was being shot instead of having someone else come in and dub his voice in post-production. So for once we get to hear Jackie Chan’s native voice recorded live and in their DVD release Dimension Films threw it away. Now, Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh did perform their own English dialogue for the Dimension Films version which is fine but having the option to revert to the original is very welcome for those of us comfortable with reading subtitles.
As is usually the case, the real strength of DD’s release is found in its bonus material. For this one, they score big with exclusive interviews with Jackie Chan, director Stanley Tong and JC stunt team member Ken Lo. There is also an older interview with Michelle Yeoh and as usual, audio commentary by the knowledgeable and entertaining Bey Logan.
Disc One
Audio Commentary with Bey Logan – The Weinstein Company’s Asian acquisitions head, film producer and martial arts movie guru Bey Logan weighs in on the film with his well informed insights and opinion. Of particular interest is where he points out all, or at least most of the places in the film where cuts were made to the original Hong Kong version. This includes a description of what we’re missing. He also discusses changes made to the film score and ends with a mildly defensive statement on the company’s efforts to present in his public opinion the best possible release to meet the needs of fans and the market. No doubt, this will in no way sate the ire of a vocal minority of Dragon Dynasty’s critics but it shows that the company is well aware of public opinion.
Bey is perhaps now one of the most seasoned DVD commentators around and he effortlessly runs through a litany of facts while often stopping to give detailed play-by-play analysis of scenes like a pro sports announcer. This includes identifying actors, stuntmen, locations, and even martial arts techniques or stances. I know a few readers get tired of me constantly praising Bey’s work but I feel strongly that it is well deserved given the effort he puts into each commentary, even though I do not always agree with his opinions. For example, I cannot support his defense of Tom Jones’ rendition of “Kung Fu Fighting” that sadly replaced Jackie Chan’s song during the outtakes at the end of the international version of the movie. There is no defense for using that song on a soundtrack regardless of who sings it.
Disc Two
Exclusive Interview with Jackie Chan (19 minutes) – After releasing several Jackie Chan movies without interviews from the man himself, DD finally scores an exclusive. In his characteristically broken English, Jackie runs through his memory of making the movie, some of which is hard to fully understand but Bey covers most of the same topics in greater detail on his commentary so I recommend listening to that first. The most interesting comments from Jackie focus on his frustration with the editing of his movie for the American market. He makes a compelling argument suggesting that a 20-something aged editor has no right to rearrange in two weeks what took movie veterans like Jackie and Stanley Tong two years to meticulously put together. It’s a little late to protest after he has collected his money but at least Jackie is willing to say something now. It still has value given that the same folks who ordered cuts and music changes to SUPERCOP are the same ones allowing this interview on their re-release. I am, of course, speaking largely of Harvey Weinstein and not the Dragon Dynasty team or Bey Logan who likely conducted the interview. I hope Jackie knows that many of his fans here in North America share his sentiments, just not enough to make a difference to those who put dollars ahead of artistic integrity and cultural deference.
Interview with Michelle Yeoh (23 minutes) – This non-exclusive interview with Michelle Yeoh looks to be somewhat old, I’d guess five to ten years old judging by Yeoh’s appearance. It’s still relevant though as she mostly discusses her work on SUPERCOP, in addition to briefly covering her background leading up to it. She is an extremely charming woman, on top having phenomenal looks, brains and tenacity. About the only thing she lacks is a large dose of humility but I won’t fault her for that.
Exclusive Interview with Stanley Tong (19 minutes) – Tong nearly spoils one of the best stunts in the movie by revealing that wires were placed on Yeoh during a scene when it’s impossible to tell by looking at it. I’ve never heard anyone else mention this, including Yeoh which leads me to wonder if it was supposed to be a secret or if Tong was confused. I’m more suspicious because in the same sentence he states that this was the only use of wires in the movie which contradicts Chan’s sensible claim that wires were used to keep him from falling off the ladder while dangling from the rope ladder on the helicopter. Perhaps Tong doesn’t count that because it doesn’t require a wire support team. Tong also mentions Yoeh cried after getting an injury. Seriously, he’s popping my inflated image of Yeoh as a complete badass. In all seriousness, Tong provides excellent insight into how he staged the pyrotechnics. Chan can claim this is his movie but Tong had most of the action storyboarded prior to shooting. Disregarding THE MYTH and its lousy script, Tong is a brilliant action filmmaker and its great to see him talking about one of his best movies.
Exclusive Interview with Ken Lo (22 minutes) – Ken Lo, former bodyguard to Jackie Chan and a 20-plus-year veteran of Chan’s stunt team gives his take on working with Jackie and SUPERCOP. He has a very different perspective given some of his statements. For instance, he says that Jackie has no problem working with any directors. This is contradicted by Jackie’s words in his interview where he talks about kicking out directors he doesn’t like, such as Kirk Wong. Lo obviously has great respect for Chan and maintains strong loyalty. No one would stay working under someone for so long otherwise. Lo is one of the best in the business. He talks about taking hard knocks on set and holding back his tears for when he got back to the hotel room. Hong Kong stuntmen were made of steel in those days, or so they wanted everyone, including each other to think. Their pain has been our gain. Here’s hoping DD scores interviews with more of Jackie’s team members.
Format: Region 1 NTSC DVD
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio: Cantonese 2.0, English 5.1, English DTS
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Length: 91 minutes
Release Date: 2009.01.13
Related Topics:
Bey Logan • Dimension Films • Dragon Dynasty • DVD • Jackie Chan • Ken Lo • Michelle Yeoh • Police Story 3: Supercop (1992) • Stanley Tong • The Weinstein Company
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