First Strike

Details

Jackie tracks the culprit, who turns out to be a rogue CIA agent. Unfortunately for Jackie, things are never quite that simple. Along the way he is framed for murder, chased by intelligence agents, attacked by criminals and generally put through the wringer. He falls into freezing lakes, gets shot at repeatedly and spends much of the film being kicked, punched or thrown through various objects.

If you're wondering where the rest of the plot description is, then wonder no more - that's pretty much it. The story is paper thin, so thin that it almost doesn't exist. Still, that's not really what Jackie Chan films are about. They are about fast-paced action, inventive fight scenes and spectacular stunts - most of which Chan performs himself. Watching him use everyday objects as weapons is always entertaining, and in this film he even turns a pair of stepladders into a formidable defensive tool.

In my opinion this is one of Chan's best films, even slightly better than the more mainstream Rush Hour. The reason is simple - Chan is allowed to do what he does best: perform outrageous stunts and choreographed fight sequences without relying too heavily on other actors or sidekicks.

Picture & Sound

The picture quality is average at best. Since this is not the most high-profile release it can perhaps be excused, although the bit-rate is a little on the low side and occasionally results in minor outlining. Thankfully there are no obvious signs of artifacting.

The sound is somewhat disappointing. With only Pro-Logic encoding, channel separation is fairly limited and the surround channels are rarely used to their full potential. Pro-Logic soundtracks were something of a trademark of Entertainment in Video's earlier DVD releases - including titles such as The Long Kiss Goodnight - although thankfully this approach was abandoned on their later discs.

Menu & Extras

The extras are practically non-existent and, even more frustratingly, the disc contains only six chapter stops. Yes, just six. Considering the number of impressive stunt sequences throughout the film, this makes it unnecessarily difficult to jump between the best moments and often results in a lot of fast-forwarding and the occasional bit of cursing.

The relatively short running time is another minor gripe. While the plot may be thin, it would have been nice to see another ten minutes of action or additional stunt sequences added. One thing worth noting for those unfamiliar with Jackie Chan films: always watch the end credits. They usually include a collection of hilarious and often painful-looking outtakes from the stunt work.

Overall

To sum up, you certainly shouldn't buy this disc for the picture quality, the sound or the extras - none of those are particularly impressive. What you should buy it for is the action. Jackie Chan delivers exactly what fans expect: inventive fight scenes, impressive physical comedy and some truly jaw-dropping stunt work.

If you have never seen a Jackie Chan film before, this is actually a very good starting point. It perfectly showcases his unique style of martial arts action and stunt choreography. Chances are that once you've seen this, you'll be searching out more of his films.

Special features

• None