Almost a decade after New Police Story (2004), Jackie Chan is back
in another reboot of the highly successful Police Story film series
which started in 1985.
The Hong Kong action star was in Singapore on Tuesday to promote
Police Story 2013 and dressed casually in an orange checked shirt
and cream pants.
The comedy action flick CZ12 was a hit for him last year but he
says in Mandarin: "I can't do that genre all my life. After that, I
want to show audiences a different side of Jackie Chan."
In Police Story 2013, where he plays a cop thrust into a hostage
situation, the tone is darker compared to the first four
instalments of Police Story.
The action scenes remain from the franchise, although he had
previously announced that CZ12 would be his last major action
film.
Explaining his apparent about-face, the 59-year-old says drily:
"Since I'm still young, I should make more action films."
After a decades-long career spanning plenty of hits, Chan says he
knows what audiences want. "They are tired of films with people
flying about. They like to see genuine down-to-earth Jackie Chan
flicks."
After having played cops from the 1980s till today, he observes how
movie cops have evolved over the years.
"Cops nowadays have more of an interior life. This new film's cop
has a family and a daughter, and I find that quite moving. As I get
older, I like emotional drama more."
He is quite dismissive of his earlier works with all that "endless
fighting and jumping". The story here is key and "more important
than the fighting", he adds.
He professes that he no longer makes films for the money but for
his own interest and the fact that he likes challenges.
He has yet to take on a villain role though and says he might try
playing a "good bad guy, as Sylvester Stallone says".
If the right baddie role proves elusive, that is okay. He says his
film slate is packed with several projects anyway.
"If I don't make films, I don't know what else to do. Every day,
I'm thinking of different ideas."
Police Story 2013 opens in Singapore on Dec 24.
