Today’s quick review: Police Story: Lockdown. Captain Zhong Wen (Jackie Chan) is a veteran police officer who never had time for his daughter Miao (Jing Tian). His devotion is put to the test when her boyfriend Wu Jiang (Liu Ye) takes the two of them hostage along with a club full of civilians. Now Zhong must figure out Wu’s true motives and defuse the situation before anyone gets killed.
Police Story: Lockdown is a crime drama starring Jackie Chan as a cop caught in the middle of a hostage standoff. Much like New Police Story, Lockdown is a gritty reboot of the Police Story series that has little to do with any of its predecessors. The movie’s dark tone and limited action make it a far cry from Jackie Chan’s usual formula. Still, interesting character dynamics and a compelling mystery give the movie a good payoff.
Police Story: Lockdown makes a few decisions that can rub viewers the wrong way. The nightclub setting is disorienting at the best of times, and it’s made more so by the film’s busy camerawork, odd angles, and disorienting flashbacks. The action is more subdued than Jackie Chan’s earlier work, with less of a focus on stunts and more on Zhong Wen’s attempts to control the situation. And while the plot has substance, nearly all of it is back-loaded.
The reward for these stylistic choices is a story that goes to interesting places. Wu takes a long time to reveal his motives for taking Zhong and the others hostage, but when he does, it turns the rest of the film into a compelling mystery. Zhong’s commitment to saving everyone, even criminals, leads to tense situations throughout the movie. Lockdown’s story is far from masterful, but it does have more substance to it than it first appears.
Police Story: Lockdown is an unusual movie that will have a hard time finding the right audience. Fans of Jackie Chan may not like the darker tone and comparative lack of action, while fans of gritty crime dramas may lose interest before the best parts of the story come into play. Interested viewers who are willing to take a gamble should give it a shot. But those looking for either consistent drama or all-out action will want to skip it.
For a more tonally balanced entry into the same series, try Police Story or Police Story 2. For a more action-heavy entry into the series that also features some darker themes, try New Police Story. For an American action thriller about a cop caught up in a hostage standoff, try Die Hard.
6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for an interesting story hurt by odd stylistic choices and mediocre action.