Project A Collection, The (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Feb 26, 2025
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
-
Director
Jackie ChanRelease Date(s)
1983/1987 (October 15, 2024)Studio(s)
Golden Harvest/Media Asia/Fortune Star Media (88 Films)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A+
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: A+
- Overall Grade: A+
Review
Jackie Chan’s brand of action comedy stunt extravaganzas were off to the races with the release of Project A in 1983. He had been in a number of martial arts films with comedy bents and even directed a couple of them, experimenting more fully with his own formula in Dragon Lord the year before, but Project A was where everything solidified into what we think of as a Jackie Chan movie. Its enormous success led to a string of other films, including the Police Story and Armour of God series, as well as a sequel, Project A: Part II, in 1987. As per usual, they delivered the goods with impressively choreographed and highly dangerous stunts mixed with character-based humor and situations, which became the trademark of Jackie Chan’s work for the rest of his career, even when he wasn’t directing.
In Project A (’A’ gai wak), Chan is Sergeant Dragon Ma, a member of the Hong Kong Marine Police in the late nineteenth century, attempting to take down corrupt police officials, gangsters, and sea pirates who’ve been capturing various vessels and stealing everything on board, including the passengers. Frustrated at every turn, Dragon quits the force, while the ever-resourceful Fei (Sammo Hung) comes to him for help, secretly endeavoring to acquire stolen rifles in order to sell them for profit. As Dragon attempts to thwart Fei’s plans, the police come looking for Dragon for interfering in the investigation, under the orders of Captain Chi (Kwan Hoi-san) and his nephew, Inspector Hong Tin-tzu (Yuen Biao), but not before Dragon is able to find the whereabouts of Captain San Pao (Dick Wei) in the hopes of saving a group of hostages.
In all fairness, the plot of Project A is a bit convoluted and might take a couple of watches to catch everything. The film moves pretty quickly, and doesn’t allow much time for the digestion of information, which is coming from several directions and many different characters, not all of which have been mentioned in the previous paragraph. That said, the action sequences and stunts are stellar, which is what keeps you engaged, more so than the narrative. This is typical of many of these types of films, but in this case, it’s much more evident. Look no further than Jackie Chan hanging from the hands of a clock tower face Harold Lloyd style and subsequently falling through a couple of awnings before hitting the ground without any padding. Needless to say, you get your money’s worth and then some with Project A, byzantine storyline or not.
In Project A: Part II (’A’ gai wak 2), Dragon relocates to Sai Wan as the new Superintendent. Unfortunately, the local police force there is crippled and corrupted under the current Superintendent, Inspector Chun (David Lam), who is working with the criminal underworld. Dragon and his former Marine Police friends arrest and bring in the local Kingpin, Tiger Au (Chan Wai-man), forcing Chun to frame Dragon for a crime in order to get rid of him. Meanwhile, a group of ax-wielding pirates are seeking revenge against Dragon as a pair of Chinese revolutionaries and crooked Imperial agents are all trying to outmaneuver each other for various reasons, with Dragon caught in the middle. Maggie Cheung and Bill Tung also star.
Like the previous film, trying to decipher the ins and outs of the plot to Project A: Part II is a tangled web that takes some extra gray matter to unweave. Everything seems simple at the outset, but once forces outside of Dragon and the San Wai police get involved, it becomes more and more tangled. Unfortunately, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao didn’t return for the sequel as they were busy shooting another film, but in true Jackie Chan style, the fight sequences more than make up for any misgivings. Memorable moments include Dragon devouring a generous helping of hot peppers quickly in order to spit them in the eyes of his adversaries, not to mention some amazing chase and fight sequences. There’s also the obvious nod to Buster Keaton as a structure falls on top of Dragon, only missing him through one of the small windows. In other words, Project A: Part II is certainly on par with its predecessor in terms of entertainment value.
Project A and Project A: Part II were shot by cinematographer Cheung Yiu Tsou on 35mm film using blimped Arriflex cameras and Technovision (anamorphic) lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. 88 Films brings both films to Ultra HD via Fortune Star Media with new “4K remasters” of the original Hong Kong and extended Taiwanese versions of Project A and the original Hong Kong and Export versiond of Project A: Part II, both from their respective original camera negatives. Both versions have been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision and presented on two triple-layered BD-100 discs, with encoding duties handled by Fidelity in Motion. Surpassing any previous presentations, these new transfers are knockouts with crisp, filmic images, high levels of fine detail, and bitrates that primarily sit between 80 and 100Mbps, frequently soaring far beyond that. Occasional minor scratches and speckling are visible, but the images are otherwise clean with excellent detail and clarity. The HDR grades blow the gamut wide open, boosting each film’s color palette with rich hues in the costumes and varying environments. Contrast is perfect with deep blacks and the overall image is stable from end to end. They look phenomenal.
Audio for Project A is presented in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as Cantonese and Mandarin Dolby Atmos (7.1 TrueHD compatible), with optional newly-translated subtitles in English. The single channel Cantonese track is very clean with excellent support for sound effects and score, while the Mandarin track has a bit more aural bite, sounding much less flat. The Cantonese and Mandarin Atmos mixes widen out these tracks, allowing for more surround support for the score, as well as more high and low end support. However, the score seems a bit too wide at times, or even lopsided in some cases, despite the added room for the other elements. The English mono is the loudest of the five, with some hiss and more of a canned quality than the other tracks. It’s worth noting that the Cantonese mono has a minor dropout at the 51:37 mark, but the other tracks seem unaffected.
The audio for Project A: Part II is presented in a Cantonese Hong Kong mix, a Cantonese Hong Kong remix, and a Cantonese Japanese mix, all in 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio. Also included is a Cantonese Hong Kong Dolby Atmos (7.1 TrueHD compatible) track, as well as a Mandarin remix in 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio. The original Cantonese mix is very muddied and the least of the five. The remix is much better with clearer elements, though less low end than the original mix. The Dolby Atmos track seems to be based upon the remix, but widens out the score and adds a bit more high and low end. The Japanese mix is the thinnest of all, sounding a little too hot, while the Mandarin track is slightly less thin, but offering good volume and decent low end. All of the Cantonese and Mandarin-based tracks have a mild dropout at the 5:03 mark, while the original Cantonese mix has another at 87:19. However, the other tracks seem to be unaffected in this particular spot.
88 Films’ 4-Disc 4K Ultra HD release The Project A Collection is presented in two black Amaray cases, both containing Region Free 4K UHD and Region A-locked 1080p Blu-ray discs of each film, as well as six double-sided art cards featuring artwork from each film’s release, and double-sided inserts (along with 2 posters) with new artworks by “Kung Fu” Bob O’Brien on one side and the original Hong Kong theatrical poster artworks on the reverse. Also included is a 100-page booklet containing cast and crew information for both films, the essays 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, Someone Will Know Me: An Interview Roberta Chow by Thorsten Boose, and a set of production credits and special thanks. Everything is housed in sturdy slipcase packaging, also featuring new artwork by “Kung Fu” Bob O’Brien. The following versions of the film and extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE: PROJECT A (UHD)
- Hong Kong Version (4K w/HDR – 105:48)
- Taiwanese Extended Version (4K w/HDR – 155:24)
- Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto (Hong Kong Version)
- Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng (Hong Kong Version)
- Lunar New Year Introduction (HD – 3:32)
- Hong Kong Trailer (HD – 4:00)
- English Trailer (HD – 2:22)
DISC TWO: PROJECT A (BD)
- Hong Kong Version (HD – 105:45)
- Taiwanese Extended Version (HD – 155:22)
- Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto (Hong Kong Version)
- Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng (Hong Kong Version)
- Interview With Jackie Chan’s Best Stunt Double, Mars Cheung (HD – 14:35)
- Dancing With Danger: An Interview With Stunt God Mars Cheung (Upscaled SD – 15:26)
- Master Killer: An Interview With Wing Chun Grandmaster Lee Hoi-san (Upscaled SD – 22:03)
- The Elusive Dragon: An Interview With Yuen Biao (Upscaled SD – 18:07)
- The Pirate’s Den: At Home With Dick Wei (Upscaled SD – 13:57)
- Can’t Stop the Music!: An Interview With Famed Hong Kong Composer Michael Lai (Upscaled SD – 17:27)
- Project Collector (HD – 16:17)
- Plan B: Edward Tang on Project A (HD – 15:11)
- Outtakes (Upscaled SD and HD – 24:03)
- Japanese Version Ending (HD – 2:24)
- The Making of Project A (SD – 11:45)
- Lunar New Year Introduction (HD – 3:32)
- Hong Kong Trailer (HD – 4:00)
- English Trailer (HD – 2:22)
- Stills Gallery (HD – 48 in all)
In the first audio commentary, Hong Kong film historian Frank Djeng joins writer and producer F.J. DeSanto via Skype/Zoom, while in the second Djeng flies solo. In the first, Djeng hands out the majority of the particulars about the film, while the second commentary is meant to supplement the first by providing details that simply couldn’t be fit in. It’s all very well-researched and entertaining, chockablock full of information about the production. Next are a series of interviews with Mars Cheung, Lee Hot-san, Yuen Biao, Dick Wei, and Michael Lai, which are slightly vintage, but the participants speak at length about their careers in the film industry. Project Collector features Jackie Chan fan and collector Paul Dre of The Jackie Chan Appreciation Society showing off his vast collection of memorabilia. Plan B is a new interview with Edward Tang about his co-writing of the Project A films. The Outtakes feature much more B-roll material than what’s in the final credits, playing silently with music from the film. The Japanese Version Ending is mostly the same, but in a different aspect ratio with Japanese credits instead. The Making of Project A is simply more outtakes (who can’t get enough of those?). The Lunar New Year Introduction is Jackie Chan speaking to camera, wishing everyone a Happy New Year and promoting the film. Last are the film’s Hong Kong and English language trailers, as well as a Stills Gallery that features 48 images of posters, lobby cards, and promotional photos.
DISC THREE: PROJECT A: PART II (UHD)
- Hong Kong Version (4K w/HDR – 106:36)
- Export Version (4K w/HDR – 98:09)
- Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto
- Hong Kong Trailer (HD – 3:09)
- Export Trailer (Upscaled SD – 2:14)
- Tai Seng Trailer (HD – 1:41)
DISC FOUR: PROJECT A: PART II (BD)
- Hong Kong Version (HD – 106:36)
- Export Version (HD – 98:09)
- Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto
- An Interview With Anthony Carpio (HD – 25:25)
- An Interview With Chan Wai Man (Upscaled SD – 19:40)
- Someone Will Know Me (HD – 13:21)
- Full Screen Jackie Chan Recording Session (HD – 2:33)
- Hong Kong Trailer (HD – 3:09)
- Export Trailer (Upscaled SD – 2:14)
- Tai Seng Trailer (HD – 1:41)
- Stills Gallery (HD – 36 in all)
- Japanese Ending (HD – 3:59)
Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto return once again to share another commentary via Skype/Zoom, with Djeng taking up the reins and pumping out an enormous amount of background information about the film. The interview with Anthony Carpio is a straight-up Q&A session to camera, whereas the interview with Chan Wai Man is a more traditional interview, both men covering their careers in the film business. Roberta Chow’s Someone Will Know Me is a vintage documentary that interviews Mars Cheung, Chris Li, and Rocky Lai about their stunt work, and features footage from the set of Project A: Part II. Next is a full screen version of Jackie Chan’s recording session from the end credits as he performs the song for the film. Last are the film’s Hong Kong, Export, and Tai Seng home video trailers; a Stills Gallery containing 36 promotional photos; and the Japanese Ending, which offers a different sequence of outtakes, as well as Japanese credits.
There’s also a number of extras from various releases not carried over for both films. For Project A, the Scandinavian Region 2 DVD from Universal includes an audio commentary for the Hong Kong version by Bey Logan; a UK promotional trailer; an exclusive photo gallery; the essay Triple Dragons; and the Project A: A Classic Revisited documentary. The German Region B Dragon Edition Blu-ray from Splendid includes the German version of the film, as well as the German trailer. Some of these extras did manage to carry over to other releases, including the UK Region B Blu-ray release from Eureka Entertainment, which also includes an interview with Tony Rayns and a restoration trailer. For Project A: Part II, the German Region B Dragon Edition Blu-ray from Splendid includes an audio commentary with Bey Logan and the Warriors Two: An Inside Look at the Action of Project A: Part 2 featurette, while the UK Region B Blu-ray release from Eureka Entertainment includes the vintage featurette Jackie Chan: King of Action. So you may want to hang onto those previous releases if you want everything.
Needless to say, The Project A Collection is a mighty fine package with stellar presentations of each film and mountains of extras, swag, and reading material. If you’re a Jackie Chan fan, this a must-own release. Highly recommended.
- Tim Salmons
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