Dragon Dynasty Comes to NYC
Before it hits DVD on August 7th, Jackie Chan's rediscovered classic Crime Story will have a rare, one-night-only screening at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 5 at 7pm. Tickets are available now at www.subwaycinema.com.
The original head banging, big budget, true crime action movie, Crime Story is both a battle of wits between a detective on the edge and a gang of kidnappers, and a melding of styles between hardboiled auteur director Kirk Wong (The Big Hit) and megastar Jackie Chan. Wong and Eddie Chan, the officer in charge of the 1990 kidnap case that provided the raw material for the film, envisioned an asphalt-gritty, dark-night-of-the-soul drama about violence, corruption and the wages of sin. The lead role as a locked-down salary man, who erupts into reckless violence when provoked, stood in stark contrast to Jackie Chan’s public image as a kung fu comedian. The resulting on-screen tension among star, director, and material crackles through Crime Story like heat lightning.
It's the story of a kidnapped land developer, the stressed out cop trying to crack the case (Jackie Chan), the police shrink who wants to break his addiction to violence, and the corrupt-but-human police officer who's not only heading the investigation, but who also masterminded the crime (Kent Cheng). Using his fashion background, Kirk Wong created a stylized night town where the black waters of crime eddy and surge. Streets hosed down with machine gun fire, stuntmen plummeting to earth like rain, cars crumpled like used Kleenex and in the middle of it all is Chan's loner cop, violent, angry and volatile. In a career known more for laughs and lightness, it's a hardcore performance that anchors the film and earned him "Best Actor" at the Golden Horse Awards.
So come by the IFC Center this week to catch one of Jackie Chan’s most exciting films on the big screen before you bring it home to your living room on DVD.
