{"id":33764,"date":"2026-06-27T02:19:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T09:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=33764"},"modified":"2026-06-27T02:19:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T09:19:06","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-4k-ultra-hd-review-jackie-chans-breakout-hits-1994-1998","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=33764","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! 4K Ultra HD Review: JACKIE CHAN\u2019S BREAKOUT HITS! (1994 \u2013 1998)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD box set from Arrow Video\nwill be available to purchase on June 30th<\/sup>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Legendary action hero Jackie Chan has had a long and\nsuccessful career spanning more than fifty years on the big screen (and over\nsixty if you include his film work as a child). The one market that the\nperformer did struggle to break into was the US. While he was already a\nhousehold name abroad by the late 1970s, it took much longer for North American\naudiences to respond to his unique brand of martial arts and action films. He\ndid star in the US production Battle Creek Brawl<\/em> (1980), which flopped.\nAfter making memorable cameo appearances in the all-star comedies The\nCannonball Run<\/em> (1981) and Cannonball Run 2<\/em> (1984), he tried again\nwith The Protector<\/em> (1985), which was both a bad experience for the actor\nand yet another box office disappointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chan returned to making films in Hong Kong, moving away from\nperiod martial arts pictures to progressively bigger titles featuring action,\nadventure and comedy (like the Police Story, Project A<\/em> and Armour of\nGod<\/em> series). These were massive successes in China and nearby territories,\nand while that could easily have been more than enough for most actors, Chan\nnot only regrouped fantastically in his homeland, but a decade later, finally\nbroke into the US market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrow Video is putting out an incredible 4K Ultra HD set of\nJackie Chan movies that finally began drawing the performer a lot of attention\nin this part of the world. Jackie Chan\u2019s Breakout Hits!<\/em> contains Drunken\nMaster II<\/em> (1994) aka The Legend of the Drunken Master<\/em>, Rumble in\nthe Bronx<\/em> (1995), Thunderbolt <\/em>(1995), Police Story 4: First\nStrike <\/em>(1996) aka First Strike<\/em>, Mr. Nice Guy<\/em> (1997) and Who\nAm I?<\/em> (1998). Many of these pictures played on the big screen in North\nAmerica and raised Chan\u2019s profile, before he starred in the hit Hollywood\naction\/comedies Rush Hour<\/em> (1998) and Shanghai Noon<\/em> (2000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this release, Arrow is delivering incredible 4K\nrestorations of the Hong Kong cuts and international versions from the original\ncamera negatives (for some of the extended cuts, they have inserted the best\navailable materials – it all looks consistent and viewers generally won\u2019t\nnotice the occasional, brief change in source material). They are all presented\nin Dolby Vision with exceptional picture quality, along with wonderful extras\nto give perspective on where they fit into the performer\u2019s career. If you\u2019re a\nfan of action cinema, I can\u2019t recommend this set highly enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let\u2019s go disc by disc through the contents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first 4K Ultra HD title is Drunken Master II<\/em>\n(1994) aka The Legend of the Drunken Master<\/em> (in North America) presented\nin the Hong Kong cut, international edition, and US version. Truth be told,\nmost of us in this part of the world didn\u2019t end up seeing this feature until\nafter the next title in the set, but it was produced first and released in its\nhomeland earlier. The film is a sequel to the 1978 Hong Kong hit Drunken\nMaster<\/em>, featuring the actor\u2019s take on legendary folk hero Wong Fei Hung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plot features various criminals, a sinister British\ngovernment official all of whom target the martial arts establishment of Wong\nFei Hung\u2019s father. This is because of a valuable Chinese seal that ends up in\ntheir possession. As tensions rise, the mischievous protagonist eventually uses\na barred \u201cdrunken style\u201d fighting technique\u201d to protect those around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was actually considered Chan\u2019s return to martial arts\nfilmmaking (after the previously noted and more modern franchises of the decade\nprevious), and he didn\u2019t hold back in any department. The fight choreography is\ntruly epic and features many of the best sequences the star had ever produced.\nThere\u2019s a remarkable and amusing fight under a train in close quarters, an\nincredible showdown in a public restaurant between the star and, seemingly, a\nhundred opponents, and a phenomenal final battle in a foundry that is\njaw-droppingly put together. Even in the elaborately choreographed battles, the\ntakes are surprisingly long and exciting, with several big moves made by the\ncharacters without cuts. It\u2019s also very funny – Anita Mui stands out as the\nhero\u2019s aunt (even though the actress was close to the same age as the star).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For me, it\u2019s Chan\u2019s best traditional martial arts picture\nand is one of, if not the best, ever made. The picture looks incredibly sharp\nand there is a clear upgrade in terms of detail in the 4K edition when compared\nto older discs. This is especially true during the climax, which features\nembers, flames and various impressive backdrops that all look incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as extras go, there are plenty to enjoy. As\nmentioned, you\u2019ll get three cuts of this film. The Hong Kong edition is the\npreferred one featuring the original Mandarin, a few lines of English, and\nEnglish subtitles. The international version is a couple of minutes shorter,\nand the American cut is actually very close to the original, only completely\ndubbed in English. There is a film historian commentary with Hong Kong cinema\nexperts Frank Djeng and F. J. DeSano, who goes into the history of the production.\nIt seems that original director Lau Kar-leung (who also has a role in the\nmovie) and Chan had different approaches to shooting action, and thus\ndifficulties arose on-set. Chan eventually took the film over, with the\npreviously noted longer, more elaborate choreography between cuts, as well as a\nstronger emphasis on more comedic material with Mui. The information presented\nis very interesting and informative throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are also a great series of documentary pieces\nthroughout the set. The first, Breakout! Part 1<\/em>, features critics and\nfew crew members going into the early career of Chan. They explain his trouble\nfinding success in North America, and his determination. It transformed into\nthe development of a winning persona for Chan\u2026 that of a talented, but sweet,\ngenial and funny hero who rises above adversity to save the day. They also note\nthat the filmmaker had been directing himself in many 1980s productions that\nhad become bigger and more unruly. Working with other filmmakers in the 1990s\nwas, in part, a way of keeping his perfectionist tendencies under control and\nthe movies on budget. Of course, this didn\u2019t end up working, but the feature\nwas still a huge success for all involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another plus are interviews with stuntman Mars and co-writer\nYuen Kai-Chi. They both note that, with the exception of the opening train\nconflict and the more serious drama, Chan ultimately directed most of the\nmovie. Mars also talks about his stuntwork in the picture. If that wasn\u2019t\nenough, there are interviews with authorities about the historical elements of\nthe story, an appreciation piece on martial arts cinema of the era, and\narchival interviews with Chan and others for a 2000 release of the feature. There\nare also interesting Chinese New Year messages recorded by Chan for the film\u2019s\nTaiwanese and Malaysian openings, promo materials, and the end credit outtakes\nwithout text running through them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chan\u2019s next picture was the one that truly made him a famous\nfigure in North America. Rumble in the Bronx<\/em> involves Hong Kong cop Ma\nHon Keung (Chan) leaving Hong Kong to visit his engaged Uncle Bill (Bill Tung)\nin New York and help him celebrate his wedding. When Bill announces that he\u2019s\nselling his corner store to fellow Chinese immigrant Nancy (Anita Mui), Keung\ndoes his best to help out. Unfortunately, the location is troubled by a nasty\nmotorcycle gang. Things get even more complicated when crime syndicate leader\n\u201cWhite Tiger\u201d loses stolen diamonds and decides to wipe out anyone in his\nway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This picture was a massive box office success, featuring\nmore incredible stunts and impressively orchestrated fights. There\u2019s an\nincredible chase through a parking structure, and the battle in the gang\u2019s\nhideout, which includes characters jumping, and bouncing off of pinball\nmachines, stolen refrigerators, shopping carts, bottles, and seemingly every\nbit of background d\u00e9cor. It\u2019s a blast to watch. The villain characters are all\nover-the-top and ridiculous, but it isn\u2019t a bother. In fact, it actually seems\nto help lend a fun tone and atmosphere to what would normally be serious\nproblems being depicted. The finale is also memorable, featuring a hovercraft\nflying down city streets and interrupting a rock performance (don\u2019t worry, the\nband keep playing, even with the wind from the hovercraft blowing them around\ntheir stage).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the movie delivers more laughs with Anita Mui,\nas well as a young boy who befriends Chan\u2019s character. The kid isn\u2019t the most\nconvincing actor, but his lines are amusing, as are the hero\u2019s blunt\ndeclarations to the bad guys. Another eccentric element is the location shoot\n(which many of the extras go into). Vancouver, British Columbia is very clearly\nstanding in for the Bronx, with mountains clearly visible, as well as\ndistinctive, familiar Canadian sites like BC Place and Science World right there\nonscreen as the characters talk about their difficult lives in the Bronx. (If\nyou happen to be watching the World Cup, Vancouver\u2019s Science World is the\nglobe-like building currently painted up to represent a soccer ball).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Those who own the set will get both the 107-minute Hong Kong\nversion and the international cut in 4K. There is a major difference between\nthem, as the first version is roughly 17 minutes longer than the edition that\nplayed in North America. It\u2019s fascinating to see the differences. Opening\ncredits are different, and many scenes are trimmed down in the international\nversion. There is more character development in the Hong Kong edition, as well\nas a different score and music cues. In fact, most scenes in the longer version\nare slightly extended, be it comedic bits, and even some of the action. As far\nas drama goes, viewers learn more about the difficulties immigrants face in\ntrying to make a new start in the US, which is addressed in the longer version.\nWhile I understand why New Line might have wanted to pare it down to 90 minutes\nand primarily emphasize the action, the Hong Kong cut is a stronger film and it\nis great to finally have it on 4K in this part of the\nworld.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No matter which cut you prefer, the movie is always fun.\nOnce again on this disc, there is an entertaining film historian commentary\nthat goes over shooting in Canada and Chan perfecting his heroic character\nimage for audiences around the world. The Breakout! Part 2<\/em> doc includes\nstuntman Mars, as well as stuntwoman Kathy Hubble, in addition to film\nhistorians discussing the project. Hubble was a local stuntwoman who describes\nworking on the picture and how much fun everyone had during the production.\nYou\u2019ll learn more about Chan breaking his ankle leaping to the hovercraft from\nthe base of a bridge, and Hubble\u2019s own injury, which wasn\u2019t quite as bad as the\ncameras made it appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One interesting secret from stuntman Mars is that the\nincredible leap from the parking garage rooftop to an adjacent building wasn\u2019t\nperformed by Chan. He jumps in the medium shot setting up the action, and\nappears in close-up during the landing, but several involved suggest the wide\nshot\/leap over the alley was actually performed by director Stanley Tong (who\nwas a similar size and build to the star). Chan\u2019s ankle was broken at the time,\nso Tong did the stunt leap himself. You\u2019ll also get an expanded discussion with\nHubble, alternate footage, a textless version of the outtakes from the end of\nthe movie, and an image gallery. The disc containing the US\/international cut\nalso has EPK materials from the movie, two scenes from the Hong Kong version\nthat were added to network television broadcasts (with different dubbing) and\npromo materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The next disc contains Thunderbolt<\/em> (1995), an unusual\nfollow-up for Chan that attempts to expand his repertoire. It\u2019s a car-racing\naction picture with a much more serious tone than the other titles on this set.\nThis movie didn\u2019t receive as much fanfare in North America, and as such isn\u2019t\nas well remembered in these parts. Many of those on the bonus features note\nthat the film wasn\u2019t as appealing to western eyes because it was a car race\nmovie, and not a martial arts film that most would have expected from Chan. But\nit did strike a chord in the east and was one of Chan\u2019s biggest hits there.\nAnd, it seems to have been a bit ahead of its time, marking something of a\nforerunner to titles like The Fast and the Furious<\/em> franchise, that would\narrive a few years later and become a major franchise in the US. The complete\n110-minute version is included, along with a Japanese cut that is 9 minutes\nshorter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A part-time racer (played by Chan) spends his days working\nat his family\u2019s junkyard\/car servicing business. He also ventures out at night\nto help the Hong Kong police stop illegal street racing. One evening, he\ncrosses paths with a psychotic driver named Warner Cougar Kaugman (Thorsten\nNickel), who has ties to criminal organizations around the world. Cougar is\nalso a murderer, and when he isn\u2019t causing trouble and being interviewed by\ncops, does race professionally (which admittedly makes no sense). The protagonist\ngets into a chase with the villain and helps to get him arrested. Furious,\nKaugman associates hunt down the lead, his family and even kidnap some of them.\nThe antagonist threatens to kill them unless the hero takes part in a\nprofessional race in Japan. Wildness ensues as the pair compete on the track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As mentioned, this effort is more about racing, although it\ndoes feature a couple of memorable conflicts between the protagonist and\nmembers of Kaugman\u2019s ensemble. One, involving a lengthy chase\/fight in a\nJapanese pachinko parlor, is jaw-dropping. Machines are smashed, and the\ncharacters even end up bouncing around and kicking each other on display\nmaterials that are hung from the ceiling. It looks phenomenal. The driving is\nwell-captured as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admittedly, this is an odd effort. The tone is darker, there\nare too many characters, and the plot is at times convoluted and confusing. But\nthe action is fantastic and it might be the best-looking movie in the set.\nThere is a lot of neon, and light bouncing off of wet streets, as well as\nincredible racetrack footage. If you can forgive the strange story and more\nserious approach, there is still enjoyment to be had here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once again, there is a great film expert commentary, with\nthe speakers going over the details about this production and its differences\nfrom previous Chan efforts. They do note the star\u2019s further attempts to tell\nmore and more stories outside of Hong Kong in order to draw in worldwide\naudiences. Breakout! Part 3<\/em> also goes into this and adds a new speaker\ngiving insights on this production. That man is dubbing supervisor Paul Clay,\nwho notes his experiences creating English-language tracks for various Chan\nfilms. He explains how he would find performers who looked and sounded like the\nactors racing around onscreen. An expanded interview with the speaker is also\nincluded as a bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some interesting tidbits about this title include the fact\nthat, despite the fact that one director, Gordon Chan, is listed in the credit,\ntitles also state that this is \u201cA Film by Jackie Chan\u201d. As it happens, there\nwere several filmmakers working on the project. Gordon Chan did shoot the\nmajority of the film, but Sammo Hung was responsible for the pachinko battle,\nand Chan himself handled other elements. There are also tales about capturing\nthe dangerous stunts and driving feats. Apparently, there was talk about\nfilming racecar crashes on the track, but the production team discovered that\ntheir elaborate plans would have ripped up the driving surface of an actual\nracetrack, costing them astronomical amounts of money to repair. So, they shot\nmany elaborate car stunts and explosions separately and incorporated them into\nthe regular racing footage. Most of the speakers do note that while hugely\npopular in the Asian-Pacific market, Chan himself doesn\u2019t appear to have been\nall that taken with the final film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll also get textless outtakes, trailers, and an image\ngallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police Story 4: First Strike<\/em> (1996), which was released in North American theaters simply as First Strike<\/em>, is the fourth film in the set. It\u2019s a complete 180-degree turn from the previous effort, with Chan returning to a familiar franchise (at least, the Police Story<\/em> series, which was famous in eastern territories) and starring as a good-natured, well-meaning, heroic police detective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yet unlike other pictures in this series, he isn\u2019t hunting typical criminal gangs in Hong Kong. In this tale, he is asked by his boss to help the CIA with an international investigation. Our protagonist is told to follow a woman named Natasha and report on her actions while visiting the Ukraine. The hero ends up in the middle of an arms deal involving a stolen nuclear warhead, which is wanted by the CIA, the Russian mafia and everyone else who is aware of it. Jackie\u2019s exploits take him all the way to Brisbane, Australia as he attempts to figure out who the real villain is and recover the dangerous weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is Chan\u2019s take on a James Bond picture with\nglobetrotting hijinks, and even grander, more elaborate stunts. It doesn\u2019t have\nthe same level of threat as far as villains go (we\u2019re not even sure who the\nantagonist is until the final act), but it is a great time, and contains some\nmemorable sequences. The opening act consists of the hero in the Ukraine (and\neventually Russia) dealing with enemy forces and trying to escape on a\nsnowboard (also donning a seal hat he purchases from kids at a ski chalet). There\nare gun-toting skiers jumping out of helicopters, explosions and all sorts of\nimpressive chaos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Later in the picture, the protagonist is hanging from the\nside of a tall Brisbane condo. The most famous scene is the fight involves an\nintricately staged and jaw-dropping conflict involving a full ladder, as well\nas a series of bits with Chan on stilts and using them to kick bad guys. It\nfinishes with an elaborately staged climax at an aquarium in which Jackie\nfights a henchman underwater while they are all hunted by \u201ckiller sharks\u201d in\nthe tank. It\u2019s all very silly, but it knows it\u2019s over-the-top and wants nothing\nmore than to entertain you, which it does easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is another picture in which you will receive two very\ndifferent versions of the same story. The Hong Kong cut is more than 20 minutes\nlonger. Again, there are more character bits, and more humor between the\nfights. A great moment involves a series of Russian warning signs featuring\nsoldiers shooting intruders who enter their country. You get a brief line about\nit in the international version, but more humorous panic from the lead in the\nextended version. Early scenes also involve Jackie following his suspect around\nfor much longer. The longer cut is, again, in my opinion superior. This picture\nwas literally cut to the bone in the international edition, and a few pauses\nfor more laughs and character beats actually help the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It comes with an enjoyable film critic commentary and the\nfeaturette Breakout! Part 4<\/em>, which goes into the story behind this\nfeature. Additionally, there is an interview with martial arts cinema expert\nFrank Djeng. Everyone notes that this was not really a Police Story<\/em>\nfilm, but that it was essentially reworked to become one when fans kept asking\nfor another in the series. This movie ended up being a massive hit in China and\nAsia, but not quite as popular in the US as previous titles. All involved have\ninteresting theories, and I will offer my thoughts on what was going on in\nNorth America while examining the next picture in the set. They do note that,\nas is obvious, this movie was once again an attempt by Chan to expand his\nworldwide audience and tell stories set outside of Hong Kong. Other bonuses\ninclude scenes added for the US network TV version with unique dubbing,\ntextless outtakes, an image gallery, and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mr. Nice Guy<\/em> (1997) is the fifth film in this box,\nand it is set primarily in Melbourne, Australia. This plot involves a cook and,\nwell, nice guy who spends his days performing with an Italian restaurant\nowner\/chef on a television program. In the meantime, a local reporter uncovers\na drug-dealing criminal gang with ties to wealthy mob boss Giancarlo Luchetti\n(Richard Norton). She and her cameraman record incriminating evidence on a\nvideo camera. The villain and his goons hunt the woman, who bumps into Jackie.\nSoon, Jackie and everyone close to him are pursued by relentless villains\ndetermined to recover the tape and kill them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is essentially an extended chase movie, but the\npursuits are exciting throughout. Sammo Hung stepped in to direct this picture.\nLike many of Chan\u2019s films, there are some clumsy plot elements, including the\nappearance of Miki (Miki Lee) as the lead\u2019s jealous girlfriend who doesn\u2019t do\nmuch in the film but requires constant reassuring and rescuing. Despite the\ncharacter issues, the action is top notch and, to some degree, even better than\nthe previous title. There are many incredible physical bits, with Chan running\nacross trash bins while opening a few and causing pursuers to fall in. There is\nan absolutely wonderful fight sequence at a building construction site. One\nsection involves Jackie being chased and using doors to defend himself (this\nparticular floor of the incomplete building has an absurd number of doors, but\nit allows for the performer to use them in thrilling ways. The fight then moves\nto an open area, where running cement mixers and saws are used for some\ndangerous looking stunts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Add in fisticuffs on a horsedrawn carriage in downtown\nMelbourne and a finale featuring a massive mining vehicle and huge explosions\n(an entire residence is destroyed) and you\u2019ve got a satisfying and occasionally\nriotous movie. Hung even has a fun cameo in the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll get two versions of the movie here, with the Hong\nKong edition running an extra five minutes and featuring a bit more English\nlanguage dubbing between characters. Again, the original version is superior to\nthe international cut and one wonders why there was any effort at all to trim\nfive minutes out of a 95-minute picture and add a few extra lines between\nJackie and his girlfriend rerecorded into English, especially when so much of\nthe film is already in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The disc contains a film historian commentary and the Breakout!\nPart 5<\/em> featurette on the movie. A new appreciation of the picture is also\nincluded. Those involved in the bonuses note that the feature is actually much\nbetter than they remembered it being during its initial release, and they\npraise the incredible stunt work and fun comedic moments. They also explain\nthat this title, again, wasn\u2019t as big a hit as earlier efforts like Rumble\nin the Bronx<\/em>. There are also textless outtakes, promo materials and more\nincluded as extras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If it matters to anyone, I think I might be able to explain\nfrom my perspective why these later efforts weren\u2019t as big of a box office draw\nin North American. When Rumble in the Bronx<\/em> arrived, the film was\nwell-marketed and a huge success for New Line Cinema (who would continue to\nrelease Chan\u2019s latest titles). These pictures were so successful that other\nstudios sought to take advantage of Chan\u2019s newfound popularity. Particularly Miramax\nand the Dimension Pictures line, who bought up the rights to several earlier\ntitles starring Chan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediately after Rumble in the Bronx<\/em>, Dimension\nreleased Supercop<\/em> (aka Police Story 3: Supercop<\/em>) at cinemas,\nwhich was also a big hit. Over the same period as the titles on this set, Crime\nStory, Operation Condor<\/em> (aka Armor of God II: Operation Condor<\/em>), Twin\nDragons<\/em>, and many more were also released at theaters and on home video, to\nthe point where it seemed like Chan movies were almost competing with each\nother. In Hollywood tradition, US studios saw a good thing and quickly\nsaturated the marketplace with Chan movies, to the point where after only a few\nyears average viewers were likely becoming exhausted by all the releases. Thus,\nNorth American box office grosses for Chan\u2019s newest titles began to suffer.\nThat\u2019s my hot take, anyway. Now, back to the set\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The final film on this set is Who Am I?<\/em> (1998).\nUnlike previous features, this effort was from a different US distributor, Sony\nPictures. It also was the last Hong Kong production before Chan was cast in\nmajor Hollywood productions. This is another globetrotting adventure about a\nsecret compound that governments and sinister individuals want for their own\nuse. Jackie Chan is a Hong Kong agent sent to help out, but is set up and ends\nup left for dead and waking up with amnesia in South Africa. He is taken in by\nthe indigenous population, before assisting a snake-bitten Japanese rally car\ndriver and his sister. The sibling Yuki (Mirai Yamamoto) decides to help the\nnameless figure find out his identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It isn\u2019t long before officials figure out his identity and\nwant him killed. He evades death in Johannesburg and receives extra assistance\nfrom reporter Christine Stark (Michelle Ferre), who may know more than she\ntells Jackie. Almost everyone ends up in Rotterdam, Netherlands for some wild\naction and an amazing stunt slide down the side of a skyscraper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Hong Kong cut and an international cut are included. The\nHong Kong cut is 12 minutes longer and presents the events differently. In the\noriginal cut, the audience slowly finds out about Jackie\u2019s history as he does,\nwhereas in the international cut his entire backstory is relayed immediately\ninstead of in pieces. While one understands trimming down some of the material,\neliminating any suspense by giving away all the possible surprises in the\nlatter version seems unwise. The Hong Kong cut is, again, stronger.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The story is more convoluted this time out, with Yuki\neventually disappearing from the story entirely. But, the last half-hour in\nRotterdam is fantastic, with a great chase down cobbled streets involving a\ngreat many dangerous and heavy items falling from above and creative use of\nclogs. The final battle atop the skyscraper is memorable (with the lead almost\nfalling over the roof edge at one point), as is the incredible final sliding\nstunt. This isn\u2019t his best picture, but it still has some great moments that\nlook all the more impressive in 4K.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New bonuses include Breakout! Part 6<\/em> featuring\ninterviews with film historians and co-star Glory Simon. There is also a film\nhistorian commentary, and a lengthy featurette on where Chan\u2019s career would\nprogress after this film. Apparently, Chan was visited on-set during production\nby director Brett Ratner, who offered him the co-star role in Rush Hour<\/em>.\nIt took some consideration, but obviously Chan soon agreed to take part and his\ncareer would get another big boost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The interview with Simon is also enlightening. She discusses\nher experiences working on two Chan productions. In this one, she worked\ndirectly with Chan and spent time with him. She noted that the actor was\nhard-working but friendly, and would always invite cast and crew to big dinner\nparties after wrap and that the meals were incredible. She also recounts her\nexperiences on The Accidental Spy<\/em> (2001) in Turkey. She wasn\u2019t in any\nscenes with Chan and didn\u2019t even see the star during her time on the\nproduction, but noted that the director of that film kept the same kind of vibe\non set, and that they all had a great time and ate well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, this disc contains archival 2000 making-of\nfeaturettes, alternative credits, textless outtakes from the final credits, a\nHong Kong theatrical trailer, image gallery, an interview with the second unit\ndirector, a US video trailer, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, yes, in general the 4K picture quality is noticeably\nimproved here, with impressive photography throughout (and with a few titles\nthat look absolutely stunning). The set is also worthwhile for compiling all of\nChan\u2019s films from this era, some of which are out-of-print and hard to locate.\nAnd, the extras are incredibly enlightening, offering great stories and\nbackground information about the various titles. If you adore action pictures,\nthen the 4K Ultra HD \u201cLimited Edition\u201d of Jackie Chan\u2019s Breakout Hits!<\/em>\nis a must own. I had a great time revisiting all of the performers’ 90s films,\nand heartily recommend this box to everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD box set from Arrow Video will be available to purchase on June 30th. Legendary action hero Jackie Chan has had a long and successful career spanning more than fifty years on the big screen (and over sixty if you include his film work as a child). The one market […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":33784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[128,129,130,133,300,697,785,1836,2056,2926,2933,3365,4098,4617,6329,6330,7617,9288,10133,10134,11936,13303,14357,14718,16220,17387,17423,18709,18752,18907,20186,22839,23672,23989,24229,24230],"class_list":["post-33764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-128","tag-129","tag-130","tag-1997-1998","tag-4k-ultra-hd","tag-action","tag-adventure","tag-arrow-video","tag-australia","tag-blasts-from-the-past-4k-ultra-hd-review-2","tag-blasts-from-the-past-2","tag-box-set","tag-chan","tag-collection","tag-drunken-master-2","tag-drunken-master-ii","tag-first-strike","tag-hong-kong","tag-jackie-chan","tag-jackie-chans-breakout-hits","tag-kung-fu","tag-martial-arts","tag-mr-nice-guy","tag-new-line-cinema","tag-police-story-4-first-strike","tag-rotterdam","tag-rumble-in-the-bronx","tag-sony-pictures","tag-south-africa","tag-spy","tag-the-bronx","tag-thunderbolt","tag-vancouver","tag-warner-bros","tag-who-am-i","tag-who-am-i-2"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33764\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}