Starring as a swashbuckling turn-of-the-century coast guard, hot on the trail of cutthroat pirates, smugglers and free-wheeling police officers, Jackie Chan treats his audience to a fun-filled, action-packed motion-picture experience, showing him at his most reckless and brilliant in a film that has become a benchmark standard for other filmmakers to follow.
PROJECT A – Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan, Rush Hour) is a lieutenant in the 19th-century Hong Kong marines. Pirates have been terrorizing local waters, with assistance from the corrupt authorities. Dragon Ma hopes to defeat the evil pirate clan led by Sanpao (Dick Wei), but his plan is short-circuited. Ma then teams with a navy admiral (Hak Suen Lau), a police captain Tzu (Biao Yuen) and a crafty thief (Sammo Hung) in a new round of high-seas battles with Sanpao and his pirates.
PROJECT A: PART II – Corrupt police inspector Chun (David Lam) has made himself the most powerful law enforcement officer in Hong Kong by staging high-profile arrests of the criminals and mobsters with whom he’s in cahoots. The British authorities know Chun is a dirty cop but have not been able to infiltrate his inner circle. Enter fearless and incorruptible military policeman “Dragon Ma” Yun (Jackie Chan), who comes back to his hometown to pose as Chun’s new right-hand man and take down both cops and criminals.
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Video Quality
88 Films presents Project A and Project A: Part II with a knockout 2160p HDR Dolby Vision transfer sourced from a 4K restoration of multiple different versions of these films: the original Hong Kong Versions, the Extended Taiwanese Cut (Project A), and the Export Cut (Project A: Part II). The restorations for this set will make your jaw drop with how well they turned out.
The Dolby Vision HDR enhances the aesthetic of these films, as it makes the vibrant locales spring to life. The standout moments of HDR implementation are in the film’s exterior environments under the bright sun, next to the open water, and amongst natural foliage which serve up colors that saturate the frame naturally with unbeatable intensity. The exceptional white levels provide greater stability without succumbing to blooming. Black levels do not struggle when it comes to crush, as they maintain a significant amount of depth and detail in darker environments. Skin tones appear to be natural, if not just a smidge warm, but you could not ask for better color saturation throughout.
Facial details such as perspiration or cuts and bruises present with ideal clarity. The texture on display in the outfits, production design, and environments allows these films to look better than ever. The level of detail and clarity is second to none with a lovely amount of natural film grain intact. The grain largely resolves well, but there are some moments that can appear a bit thick or noisy due to how it was captured. This transfer is primarily free of stray specks throughout the runtime. This presentation maintains the original look of the film with the added resolution making elements seem more natural. 88 Films has made Jackie Chan fans extremely happy.
Audio Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Project A comes with a new Dolby Atmos track in Cantonese and Mandarin and a remastered mono track in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English in DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio. The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Project A: Part II comes with a new Dolby Atmos track in Cantonese from the Hong Kong Mix along with multiple DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono presentations: Cantonese Original Mono (Hong Kong Mix), Cantonese Remixed Mono (Hong Kong Mix), Cantonese Mono (Japanese Mix), and Mandarin Remixed Mono. The Export Version of Project A: Part II is only provided in English with DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio audio. Optional English subtitles are provided. All of these tracks provide a fairly solid listening experience, but the strongest showings are the original Cantonese in terms of pure fidelity.
The new Dolby Atmos tracks are as nuanced and impactful as you might hope. These tracks feature an expansive soundscape that captures the frenzied sound design of the series with perfect fidelity. The environmental sounds are rendered favorably alongside everything else, and things get particularly engaging when it comes to the expansion into the height channels overhead. Balance is maintained so that dialogue comes through clearly, and there is never a moment where any element threatens to smother competing sounds. The low end response knocks you out when it is necessary. The score and soundtrack are used effectively to establish the tone of the features. There do not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. These tracks handle everything quite well throughout these two outings. 88 Films has provided a robust selection of audio options for fans.
Special Features
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of the Project A Collection comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer case and includes a 100-page bound book featuring “Labor of Love: Jackie’s PLAN A Worked Out” by Thorsten Boose and “Project A, No Plan B: A Look into how Project A I & II defined the Jackie Chan 1980s style” by Paul Bramhall, PLUS “Someone Will Know Me” an interview with Roberta Chow by Thorsten Boose. These works provide a great analysis of the films and the ensemble in a thoughtfully written style. This package also includes two double-sided posters and six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions. The on-disc special features are as follows:
Project A
- Hong Kong Cut (1:45:48) and Extended Version (1:55:24)
- Audio Commentaries (Hong Kong Cut)
- Audio Commentary #1: Asian Film Experts Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto
- Audio Commentary #2: Asian Film Experts Frank Djeng
- Interview with Jackie Chan’s Best Stunt Double, Mars Cheung: A 15-minute interview with the performer who discusses his path to working in the movies, working with Jackie Chan, shooting some of the most difficult stunts in Project A, the
- Dancing with Danger – Interview with Stunt God Mars Cheung: Another nearly 16-minute archival interview that covers some of the same ground as the previous interview but offers some new insights and anecdotes.
- Master Killer – Interview with Grandmaster Lee Hoi-san: A 22-minute archival interview in which the grandmaster discusses his path to movies, the kung fu he uses on-screen, finding styles that fit the cinematography, the importance of taking stunts seriously, and more.
- The Elusive Dragon – An Interview with Yuen Biao: An 18-minute archival interview in which the performer discusses his childhood, working with directors, the desire to impress the audience, and more.
- The Pirates Den – Interview with Dick Wei: A 14-minute archival interview in which the performer discusses his preference for acting in contemporary films, his history in film, difficult shooting scenarios, and more.
- Can’t Stop the Music – An Interview with Composer Michael Lai: An 18-minute archival interview with the composer in which he discusses his background in music, working on various projects, the work of Jackie Chan, the evolution of certain pieces, and more.
- Project Collector with Paul Dre: A 16-minute piece spotlighting one of the biggest Jackie Chan fans in the world.
- Plan B – Writer Edward Tang on Project A: A 15-minute interview with the writer who discusses his contributions to the feature and his experiences in the film industry.
- Outtakes: A 24-minute collection of candid footage from the set.
- Japanese Version Ending: A two-and-a-half-minute look at the Japanese end credit scroll.
- The Making of Project A: A 12-minute wordless look at the production of various scenes with music playing behind them.
- Stills Gallery: A collection of stills, marketing materials, and more.
- Lunar New Year Introduction: A three-and-a-half-minute address from Jackie Chan discussing the New Year and wishing everyone good fortune while showing off footage from the film.
- Trailers: This disc provides the Hong Kong Trailer (4:00) and the English Trailer (2:22)
Project A: Part II
- Hong Kong Version (1:46:36) and Export Version (1:38:09)
- Audio Commentary: Asian Film Experts Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto
- An Interview with Anthony Carpio: A nearly 26-minute interview with a member of Jackie Chan’s stunt team who discusses his journey to the team, how the choreography was developed as a team, the production of the sets, and more.
- The Big Boss – An Interview with Chan Wai Man: A 20-minute archival interview in which the performer discusses his background, the important facets of performing, his thoughts on Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and more.
- Someone Will Know Me – Archive Documentary: A 13-minute documentary on three members of Jackie Chan’s stunt team.
- Full Screen Jackie Chan Recording Session: A two-and-a-half-minute look at the full recording session seen in the ending credits.
- Stills Gallery: A collection of stills, marketing materials, and more.
- Japanese Ending: A four-minute look at the Japanese end credit scroll.
- Trailers: This disc provides the Hong Kong Trailer (3:09), the Export Trailer (2:14), and the Tai Seng Trailer (1:41).
Final Thoughts
The Project A Collection offers a thrilling pair of films that rank among the best we have seen from Jackie Chan. We know the legendary performer is one of the most exciting figures to grace the screen, but his efforts behind the camera should not be underestimated as these films execute some truly stunning set pieces with lively camera work to capture every hit. These two films have a bit of a different energy with the first film feeling a bit more unhinged in a good way and the sequel conforming to a more traditional narrative structure. Each has its strengths, and we are happy to have both in amazing quality. 88 Films has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray set with multiple cuts of each movie, a fantastic new A/V presentation and a slew of special features that are truly fun to dig into. If you are a Jackie Chan fan, do not pass this one up. Highly Recommended
The Project A Collection will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray on October 15, 2024.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: 88 Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
