Is the HK version of Jackie Chan's "The Protector" any good?

[INCspot]

I get that it's better than the US release, but is it a good movie in its own right? I've liked most of Jackie's HK films from the 1980s and 1990s, so would I like this one as well?

Thanks!

[ShaOW!linDude]

I'd say it depends more on your expectations. If you've seen the US version, there's a few differences. There's more comedy injected and some of the fight sequences are re-edited in the HK version. Personally, I enjoy them both.

[thedirtytiger]

The H.K. version is MUCH better than the original US cut. The action is hugely improved, it has the gratuitous nudity cut out and it flows a lot better and has extra plot too. The new fight at the gym ( only in the H.K. reshoot ) is one of the best parts of the movie.

[Killer Meteor]

I've only seen the US cut, but I really enjoy it as a prime piece of 80s sleaze and cheese!

[Guest Markgway]

The HK cut has more and better action, but beyond that you'd be hard pressed to say it's a better film.

[Son Of A Gun]

Ideally.... the better version for me, would be the USA version but with the Bill Wallace end fight from the HK version, and with USA sound effects.

[muppetdanny]

Ideally.... the better version for me, would be the USA version but with the Bill Wallace end fight from the HK version, and with USA sound effects.

And the outtakes from the Japan cut:wink:

[Son Of A Gun]

Good point. I forgot about that.

Wong Dong Long

[Apanblod]

t has the gratuitous nudity cut out[...]

How could that possibly make it better?

[CatNap]

How could that possibly make it better?

It was better from my point of view - I'm tired of women being exploited every time in action films, we're always nude, always raped, always hearing rap music in the background. Jackie's Hong Kong version rocked over the sucky American version. When in doubt ALWAYS get the Hong Kong version.

Laura

[Reel Power Stunts]

It was better from my point of view - I'm tired of women being exploited every time in action films, we're always nude, always raped,

I'm with you on that. The nudity in The Protector was particulary gratuitous and distracting. The film is genuinely better off without it. If folks really feel the urge to stare at T&A, there are other places to find that.

I prefer the HK version, despite the dubbing.

_0B9SUKMHaE

[Guest Markgway]

I'm with you on that. The nudity in The Protector was particulary gratuitous and distracting.

Women working in drug plants are kept nude to prevent them from smuggling out merchandise. If the filmmakers really wanted to be exploitative they could have shown the orifice inspections.

[Reel Power Stunts]

Women working in drug plants are kept nude to prevent them from smuggling out merchandise.

I worked that out, thanks. It seemed nonetheless exploitative to me. Horses for courses...

[massa_yoda]

Women working in drug plants are kept nude to prevent them from smuggling out merchandise.

Kinda silly though...of all the things they could have cared to get right/accurate, it was this. Go figure.

[Phoenix]

I'm with you on that. The nudity in The Protector was particulary gratuitous and distracting. The film is genuinely better off without it. If folks really feel the urge to stare at T&A, there are other places to find that.

I prefer the HK version, despite the dubbing.

_0B9SUKMHaE

When I was much younger, I often appreciated the fact that most KF films had no nudity, as I could watch them in front of any grown ups without any akward moments or rushing to forward a scene. Of course they featured people being beaten to death, but the emphasis on honour and morals made up for that .

[popsjnr]

The nudity in the US Protector is no worse than the casual nudity in Bruce Le movies, where women are naked for no reason at all-at least Clickenhaus's movie had an explanation why these girls were butt nekkid-look at Clones of Bruce Lee, Doctor Ngai has nude women dancing around him....why??? Shocking!!

As for the HK version of Protector its still crap, just has better edited fights.... polished turd comes to mind.

[Killer Meteor]

Kinda silly though...of all the things they could have cared to get right/accurate, it was this. Go figure.

Indeed...since when was New York full of Max Max The Musical punks?

[Apanblod]

It was better from my point of view - I'm tired of women being exploited every time in action films, we're always nude, always raped, always hearing rap music in the background. Jackie's Hong Kong version rocked over the sucky American version. When in doubt ALWAYS get the Hong Kong version.

Laura

I wasn't being serious, of course. I'm not a fan of gratuitous nudity in general, even though I might "appreciate" the nudity as it happens to occur. But in this day and age, you can go to a grocery store and buy magazines with that kind of burlesque content as the mood strikes. But to be fair, Hong Kong kung fu-movies had a vast array of female leads throughout the 50's and 60's, a re-emerging trend in the 90's as well. Males in kung fu movies in the 70's and 80's were always bare-chested, killed in brural fashion and maimed on a daily basis. I wouldn't say the genre has been particularly unfair to women.

[Killer Meteor]

The worse JC double must be the one airlifted at the start of the Protector. I mean, he has no nose!

[SpartainX]

On 4/23/2012 at 12:12 PM, INCspot said:

I get that it's better than the US release, but is it a good movie in its own right? I've liked most of Jackie's HK films from the 1980s and 1990s, so would I like this one as well?

 

Thanks!

It's not perfect, but it is better the US Verison which is crap.  The HK verison the action and editing is better but the highlight is the Jackie Chan vs Bill Wallace fight.  The HK cut of the fight is 1000% better and superior than the US Verison.  

 

 

[kami]

The US-cut is stylistically more consistent and I prefer it to the HK-cut, not as a Jackie Chan-film but as a well-made 80s action flick. But the HK-cut has some very nifty fight-scenes that shouldn't be missed.

[Frank Bolte]

as a movie I prefer the US cut..the Jackie chan choreography is obviously better but doesnt fit in the us Version...

[Killer Meteor]

The problem with the film is it stars Jackie Chan, whose screen persona is the HK version of "mom and apple pie" but here he's swearing like a cuddly sailor and interacting with very 70s nudity. The last time I saw bush like that was in a Jess Franco film!

Would have been an awesome comeback movie for Jimmy Wang Yu...

 

 

[Master with OK Fingers]

On 2/7/2020 at 5:17 AM, SpartainX said:

It's not perfect, but it is better the US Verison which is crap.  The HK verison the action and editing is better but the highlight is the Jackie Chan vs Bill Wallace fight.  The HK cut of the fight is 1000% better and superior than the US Verison.  

 

 

I grew up only watching the US version and while I liked it, it always lacked the feel of the usual JC films I was used to. Then I saw the HK version from the recent 88films release and the extra fight scenes between JC & BW and it was like, Holy shit this is the JC film it was supposed to be for all those years. Whether the nudity is in there or not doesn't bother me, I'm here to JC  at his best. Those extra fight scenes at the end change it from being an early JC film trying to crack America, to this was a JC film that I didn't know existed.

[CT KID]

I don't know if Wallace was in any more movies beside this and A Force of One but  pretty sure Bill has never looked better on screen than in his fight with Jackie in the HK version of The Protector.