Police Story 2 (1988)

"Police Story 2" makes a concerted effort to continue the story and characters established in the original film. Chan's character is still fighting with his girlfriend (Maggie Cheung), and while he's still being hunted by the baddies from the first film, there's also a new threat in the form of a series of bombings. The film's second act primarily avoids action scenes in favor of character development and plot — which adds some minor bloat and explains the film's apparent lower standing — but it works and generates some laughs. When the action starts, it's brutal.

After some lowlifes kidnap Chan's woman and force him to unleash hell, a restaurant brawl and a scorching playground brawl whetted the appetite for what's to come. In a pyrotechnics factory, the fireworks practically erupt. We get a full ten minutes of Chan fighting multiple bad men, involving fights, spectacular stunts, and a prank that required Cheung to have scalp sutures. It all culminates in a spectacular climax that includes rockets, explosives, neon lights, and more.