Police Story 2 (1988, Hong Kong) Amazon Prime 4/5
Personally, I've grown to like this almost as much the original, but it lags a bit going into the last part of the move, as they try and fill time. It's almost like two different movies. Still, it flows great through more than half the movie, has a great finale, has more Maggie Cheung than the original, and Charlie Cho gets punched in the face not once, but three times.
Maybe because we know these characters better, it makes the scenes between them more enjoyable, or maybe just more Maggie Cheung is always a good recipe for the movies non-fighting parts. And most everyone is back from the first movie, which it makes it more familiar. Still, I could've done without Bill Tung's elevator fart. (Ok, I DID chuckle.)
But what makes this work are the fights... the restaurant scene when Jackie goes to defend May (Maggie) - GREAT fight. The park with poles - GREAT fight (Jackie's not pulling punches in his fights yet!) and of course, the finale - GREAT fight, with some great stunts. And when I say GREAT fight, I mean, any of these could and should be a part of any compilation of Jackie's best fights.
The first movie had the cop on a rampage revenge angle and whereas you think this one is going the same way, it veers into a different storyline halfway through. So, of course, they have to set that storyline up - it takes some time, and it slows things down for a little bit. Still, in the end, it deals with Jackie and Maggies' characters relationship and him having to save her, so once again he's on a rampage. And the finale is worth it!
Police Story 2 would finish #2 at the Hong Kong box office at HK $34.1 Million, losing out to Chow Yun Fat's 'The Eight Happiness' at $HK $37 Million and just beating out Jackie's other hit 'Dragons Forever' at HK $33.5 Million. Of the two movies, Jackie's Stuntman Association won for Best Action Direction with Police Story 2, beating out Sammo and Jackie's Dragon's Forever (and The Liu Clan for Tiger on Beat).
1988 Hong Kong Box Office
1988
1. HK $37,090,776.00 The Eighth Happiness (Chow Yun Fat)
2. HK $34,151,609.00 Police Story 2 (Jackie Chan)
3. HK $33,578,920.00 Dragons Forever (Jackie Chan)
4. HK $29,378,769.00 Chicken and Duck Talk (Michael Hui)
5. HK $27,865,158.00 Tiger On Beat (Chow Yun Fat)
6. HK $23,566,173.00 The Greatest Lover (Chow Yun Fat)
7. HK $21,822,756.00 Crazy Companies (Wong Jing)
8. HK $19,419,539.00 The Diary of a Big Man (Chow Yun Fat)
9. HK $18,831,625.00 The Truth (Andy Lau)
10.HK $17,476,414.00 Rouge
Some other notable ones:
HK $17,096,271.00 Romancing Star II (Wong Jing)
HK $16,876,078.00 Crazy Companies 2 (Wong Jing)
HK $15,581,156.00 Inspector Wears Skirts
HK $13,405,571.00 Paper Marriage (Sammo)
HK $13,737,107.00 School on Fire (Ringo Lam)
HK $13,230,754.00 City War (Chow Yun Fat)
HK $11,532,283.00 As Tears Go By
HK $11,485,775.00 Spooky, Spooky (Sammo)
HK $05,259,522.00 I Love Maria