Police Story 3: Supercop – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1992
Director: Stanley Tong
Writers: Edward Tang, Fibe Ma, Lee Wai Yee
Cast: Jackie Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, Kenneth Tsang, Wah Yuen, Bill Tung, Josephine Koo, Kelvin Wong, Philip Chan, Ken Lo, Lieh Lo

Release Date: September 26th, 2022
Approximate running times: 96 Minutes 30 Seconds (Police Story 3: Supercop), 91 Minutes 10 Seconds (Supercop Alternate US Version)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Stereo Cantonese, Dolby Atmos Cantonese, LPCM Mono English (Police Story 3: Supercop), Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Mono Cantonese (Supercop Alternate US Version)
Subtitles: English (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £18.99 (UK)

"Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh team up in this action masterpiece! Featuring some of the most dangerous stunts ever performed on camera, Police Story 3: Supercop represents the pinnacle of Jackie Chan’s unique style of Hong Kong action filmmaking. A dazzling blend of gritty action cop drama, impeccably choreographed martial-arts sequences, and bone-crunching stuntwork.

Action superstar Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) joins the series as Inspector Yang Chien-Hua, who teams up with Chan Ka-Kui to take down an international drug ring. With some of the most outrageous stunt sequences ever committed to film, Police Story 3: Supercop is an action masterpiece that must truly be seen to be believed." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Police Story 3: Supercop), 4/5 (Supercop Alternate US Version)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "a brand new 4K restoration of the original film elements."

Police Story 3: Supercop comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.5 GB

Feature: 26.7 GB (Police Story 3: Supercop), 12 GB (Supercop Alternate US Version)

The sources used for each version's transfers are in excellent shape. Color saturation, image clarity, contrast, and black levels are solid, and there do not appear to be any issues related to digital noise reduction. That said, this is easily the best this film has ever looked on home video.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Stereo Cantonese, Dolby Atmos Cantonese - Police Story 3: Supercop), 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono English - Police Story 3: Supercop) 

Police Story 3: Supercop comes with four audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, a LPCM stereo mix in Cantonese, a Dolby Atmos mix in Cantonese, and a LPCM mono mix in English. Despite the fact that all audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. The Cantonese stereo and Atmos tracks sound noticeably more robust than the mono Cantonese and English tracks. It should be noted that the Cantonese audio tracks feature some dialog in Mandarin. Included with this version are removable English subtitles for all the dialog in Cantonese and Mandarin.

Supercop alternate US version comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in Cantonese. Both the audio mixes sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should. It should be noted that the Cantonese audio track features some dialog in Mandarin. Included with this version are removable English subtitles for all the dialog in Cantonese and Mandarin.

Extras:

Extras for this release include Hong Kong theatrical trailer (3 minutes Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Japanese teaser trailer (41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), UK export theatrical trailer (2 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), US teaser trailer (1 minute 39 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), US theatrical trailer (1 minute 38 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), six US TV spots (2 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), US video promo (1 minute 37 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), outtakes (51 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono, no dialog, music from the film playing in the background), an archival interview with actor Jackie Chan titled Flying High (19 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Michelle Yeoh titled Dancing with Death (23 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Stanley Tong titled The Stuntmaster General (19 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Ken Lo titled The Fall Guy (21 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Stanley Tong from 2003 (17 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Stanley Tong from 2005 (31 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), locations featurette titled Police Story Location Guide (11 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled The Ultra Violent Jackie Chan Video Games (11 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with stunt coordinator and action film historian John Kreng (22 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and F.J. DeSanto, an audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, reversible cover art, a limited-edition slipcase (First 3000 copies only) and a booklet (First 3000 copies only) with cast & crew credits, an essay written by James Oliver, archival materials and information about the transfer titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

Jackie Chan (Drunken Master) returns for a third time as Inspector Chan Ka Kui. And just like its predecessors, Police Story 3: Supercop is a wall-to-wall action extravaganza that's filled with spectacular stunts that showcase Jackie Chan’s prowess as one of Hong Kong cinema’s most fearless martial artists when it comes to dangerous stunts.

Police Story 3: Supercop was directed by Stanley Tong, a director best known for his collaborations with Jackie Chan. Their notable collaborations include Rumble in the Bronx and First Strike.

The narrative revolves around Hong Kong police Inspector Chan Ka Kui, who is sent to China under the guise that he is a supercop. His mission once inside China is to make contact with a man named Panther who can get him closer to a notorious drug kingpin named Chaibat.

Despite the fact that Police Story 3: Supercop picks up where its predecessors left off in terms of content, the result is a film that is best described as a different breed. Most notably, the difference between Police Story 3: Supercop and its predecessors is that humor is not as prominent, and the addition of Michelle Yeoh (Yes, Madam!) in the role of inspector Yang Chien-Hua, provides Jackie Chan with a female equivalent who more than holds her own.

Besides Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh, the rest of the cast is filled with performances that all exceed expectations. Notable cast members include Maggie Cheung (The Heroic Trio) in the role of May, Chan Ka Kui’s neglected girlfriend; Lieh Lo (King Boxer) in the role of a general who supplies various crime bosses with drugs; and Kenneth Tsang (The Killer) in the role of Chaibat, a crime boss who resembles a James Bond villain.

Though most sequels fail to live up to the first film in their series, The Police Story films are a rare exception where each film somehow betters its predecessor. With Police Story 3: Supercop standing tall as the best of the three Police Story films.

Police Story 3: Supercop gets an exceptional release from Eureka Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation, two versions of the film, and a wealth of informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer