The second act of Jaws maintained this incredible build to July 4th and then the town-wide hunt for the shark. The aim and stakes were so clear, and unique. This just becomes a slasher, with no ticking clock. People are just out and about, whilst Brody sort of awaits the next inevitable death.
There are some great 70s moments of intimate hard boiled cop work, which makes sense from a Kojak/Columbo director, such as Brody watching as a photo develops…
There’s always going to be issues with truly feeling tension in an action film when you are told pretty regularly the lead is ‘unkillable’, but this was still a pleasingly earthy, simple tale of well-enough directed, uncomplicated action.
There’s a lot of derivative post-The Raid/John Wick martial arts-heavy neon-drenched work saturating the action film world these days, so this was pleasingly enjoyable in its adherence in feel to its period setting. It’s paper thin stuff, and some of the ways…
Jackie Chan considers this his best film in terms of, "pure action". You can see why. Deftly mixing with impactful, hard-hitting violence with entertaining sequences of physical comedy, this is one of those films that really proves why Chan was the best.
As both performer and director he impresses at every point, and surrounding himself with a cast of characters makes sure he doesn't out-shine the other aspects of the film too much.
I've always considered Drunken Master 2 his performance masterpiece, but as director alone this ensures his place as one of the greatest of all time. It doesn't really get much better than this.
The final battle threw me a little, feeling a tad rushed and a bit confusing for a couple of reasons, but everything up to that is a pleasingly back-to-basics action thriller anchored by a great lead performance. The best Predator sequel, for me at least (Predator 2 isn’t far behind, but it always felt too all over the place).
Oh and the dog’s quality. A very good girl.
