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警察 (1973)
Police Force


Reviewed by: barrst
Date: 09/16/2007
Summary: A police officer struggles between his desire for revenge and the law

A tough, modern (1973) film about a man who joins the HK police force to track down a murderer and then struggles with his desire for vengeance and his new-found respect for the law. Everyone in the film has a hair trigger, ready to explode, perhaps because they have to wear 70's clothes and the police also have to march to bagpipe music. Well-written and -paced, with an ending blessedly free of the 20-minute blood-soaked death scene for which Chang Cheh is known. I would say the film plays like a recruiting vehicle for joining the HK police, but there is that bagpipe music...

Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: mrblue
Date: 10/26/2005

While it might not be the blood-soaked martial arts epic many people expect from Chang Cheh, Police Force is still a solid cops and robbers action/drama that fans of the genre should enjoy. In his first on-screen appearance, the legendary Alexander Fu Sheng plays a karate expert who is killed when some robbers attempt to kidnap his girlfriend (played by the lovely Lily Li). Vowing revenge, Alexander's best friend (portrayed by HK old-school actor/director Wang Chung) joins the police force in order to catch and then kill the man responsible for Alexander's death.

The plot is fairly conventional and the acting won't win any awards here (though Fu Sheng still manages to display his trademark charm), but Chang Cheh and Tsai Yang-Ming's direction keep things moving along at a good clip. Also of note are the cinematography and editing of this movie -- the film has a very fluid look to it. It's something that I think a lot of recent pictures are trying to capture with their MTV-style shooting and editing, but very few can pull off. When you combine this keen visual style along with some stylish choreography from Lau Kar-Leung, you have the makings of good action scenes as well, which Police Force delivers plenty of.

Though the Shaw Brothers usual low-budget rule is in full effect, there are a couple of pretty big action scenes, including the finale, which takes place on a yacht and reminded me a bit of Die Hard. Even though there is nothing really "great" or "outstanding" about Police Force, it's still worth your time if you're an action fan. In these days of over-promoted excuses for action movies crowding theatres, it was nice to see a film that depended more on craftsmanship, rather than a big budget, neat special effects, or pretty pop stars singing their latest crappy ballad to create excitement.

[review from www.hkfilm.net]


Reviewed by: MrBooth
Date: 01/19/2004
Summary: 4/5

**** POLICE FORCE: Fu Sheng's acting debut, though he's only in it for 10 mins or so. Another of Chang Cheh's "co-directed" works that he probably had little involvement with, though his regular collaborators I Kuang, Tang Chia and Liu Chia Liang are all there. Another gritty 70's drama with a very good story, and a great lead role from Wang Chung. Loses its way a bit towards the end, but mostly very good. If it were set a few hundred years earlier and filmed on the Shaws sound stages, it might even get 5 stars

Reviewer Score: 8

Reviewed by: mpongpun
Date: 11/05/2003

This flick reminds me of the 70’s version of Jackie Chan’s “police story” movies of the 80’s and 90’s minus the acrobats, stunts, and comedy. If Jackie took the same plot and incorporated his trademark antics into the flick, you would probably say that the movie would be pretty good. Regardless, I thought the flick was pretty decent and of course the Shaws were trying to thrust Wong Chung in the lead hoping that he would become the next star to come out of the studio. Well, the plan didn’t work and it looks like Wong Chung never received top billing again. Wong Chung plays this guy named Huang Kao Tung. After his good friend named Liang Kuan (Fu Sheng) was murdered, Kao Tung decides to join the police force so that he can avenge the death of his friend at any cost. While in the force, Kao Tung takes to being a cop very seriously and because of his diligence, Kao Tung rise to the top as a police inspector. Many years roll by and even though Kao Tung has spent some time on the case, Liang Kuan’s murderer is still a free man. Eventually, while working a murder case, Kao Tung is able to nab Liang Kuan’s murderer. Will Kao Tung avenge Liang Kuan’s death by killing the man or will he let the “judicial” system run its course?


Reviewed by: cassie_foster
Date: 06/06/2002
Summary: crime drama

this movie is about a young man(fu sheng) wanting to join the police force but is brutally murdered while trying to protect his girlfriend(lily li) from thugs. His best friend who has joined the police force is on the search for the guy's killer. very good over all. i 'll give it a 9/10.