The Protector (1985)
Directed by James Glickenhaus
Genres - Drama, Action, Adventure, Crime, Thriller |
Sub-Genres - Buddy Film, Martial Arts |
Release Date - Aug 23, 1985 (USA) |
Run Time - 95 min. |
Countries - Hong Kong, United States |
MPAA Rating - R
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Synopsis by Jonathan E. Laxamana
Although this American action film, which has little of Jackie Chan's comedic martial arts, was less successful in the U.S. than hoped, it is still a worthy effort. Chan plays Billy Wong, a New York cop whose partner is murdered by Hong Kong gangsters. His new partner is Danny Gorani (Danny Aiello). They are sent to rescue an American woman who was kidnapped and taken to Hong Kong. There, they must also stop a shipment of narcotics before it reaches the U.S. The mismatching of Chan and Aiello is reminiscent of the chemistry between Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy in the original buddy-cop film, 48 HRS. The lack of success of this enjoyable thriller was unfortunate; Chan would not make another attempt to break into the American market until 1996 with the hit Rumble in the Bronx.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
chase, China, drug-dealer, gangster, kidnapping, Kung-Fu, martial-arts, one-against-odds, police, rescue, shoot-out, smuggling, undercover, urban