DVD Review: Jackie Chan Double-feature that satisfies

A couple of months ago, this column ran a mildly unenthusiastic review of Shout! Factory’s double-feature disc of Jackie Chan’s “Crime Story” and “The Protector”; really the best that could be said was that it was priced to move. The company’s second such release is priced likewise and is much more satisfying on every level.

To start with, while the earlier two features were both uncharacteristic, minor Chan entries, “Police Story” and “Police Story 2” are widely regarded as two of his best. Along with the two “Project A” films, they represent the quintessence of Chan’s mix of action, humor and lovability; it’s probably significant that in addition to starring, he also directed.

The Blu-ray’s audio/visual quality on “Police Story” is better than the earlier Dragon Dynasty DVD, but frankly, that’s a pretty low hurdle. “Police Story 2” fares much better in terms of the visual, and it’s presented in its full 121-minute cut, rather than the shortened versions that were distributed to western theaters. The disc defaults to the English dubbed versions, but you can switch it to Cantonese with English subtitles. The dubbed tracks appear to be the American versions, which are better than the British tracks.

The only minor negative is the extras section. While more impressive than those on the earlier double-feature Blu-ray, they are nonetheless a bit disappointing. They include only trailers and brief selections of deleted scenes and outtakes. All this material appeared on the Dragon Dynasty DVDs, plus a good deal more.

“Jackie Chan Double Feature: Police Story/Police Story 2” (Shout! Factory, Blu-ray, $19.97; DVD, $12.99)

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ANDY KLEIN is the film critic for Marquee. He can also be heard on “FilmWeek” on KPCC-FM (89.3).