Project A Part II (1987) Review – A Hong Kong Classic

Project A Part II is Jackie Chan stepping into complete command of his craft. If the first film was Jackie proving he could out-stunt the world, the sequel is him proving he could out-direct it. The pirate adventure gives way to a more grounded urban thriller, but the energy, ambition, and fearless creativity remain every bit as exciting.

Jackie’s Dragon Ma has matured. He’s more experienced, more confident, and far more aware of the corruption surrounding him. Thrown into a district controlled by gangsters, crooked officials, and political unrest, Dragon finds himself constantly fighting battles on multiple fronts. Jackie plays him with the perfect balance of determination, humour, and frustration. He’s a good man trying to do the right thing in a world that seems determined to punish him for it.

The absence of Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao is certainly noticeable, but Jackie wisely avoids trying to recreate the chemistry of the Three Dragons. Instead, he builds a larger supporting cast and places greater emphasis on storytelling, allowing the action to grow naturally out of the situations rather than simply serving as spectacle.

And what action it is.

This was Jackie operating during one of the most creative periods of his career, refusing to settle for anything ordinary. Every sequence feels as though it was designed to challenge him physically while giving audiences something they had never seen before.

The teahouse fight is a perfect example. Tables, chairs, walls, and every available object become part of the choreography as Jackie is thrown around the room before gradually turning the environment to his advantage. It’s frantic, inventive, and packed with the kind of visual comedy that only Jackie Chan could blend so effortlessly with martial arts.

Then comes the apartment escape.

It’s pure Jackie Chan insanity.

Windows become doorways. Balconies become escape routes. Poles become lifelines. Jackie throws himself through impossibly dangerous situations with such commitment that you almost forget you’re watching carefully choreographed action. Instead, it feels like you’re watching someone somehow survive complete chaos through sheer determination and split-second improvisation.

But if there’s one sequence everyone remembers, it’s the ladder fight.

Quite simply, it’s one of the greatest action scenes Jackie Chan ever created.

What should be an awkward construction tool becomes one of the most versatile weapons in martial arts cinema. Jackie flips it, spins it, traps opponents inside it, blocks attacks, and somehow transforms it into something completely unique. The creativity behind the choreography is astonishing, and even decades later, it remains one of the most copied—and never truly replicated—fight sequences in action history.

What impresses me most about Project A Part II is its confidence. Jackie isn’t trying to recreate the first film beat for beat. He’s expanding the world, refining his filmmaking, and proving he can tell a larger, more ambitious story without sacrificing the inventive action that made him famous.

Everything feels more assured. The storytelling is stronger, the characters are more layered, and the action is constantly finding new ways to surprise the audience. It isn’t simply bigger—it feels smarter.

Project A Part II stands as one of the finest sequels Jackie Chan ever made. It showcases him not only as one of cinema’s greatest stunt performers but as a filmmaker whose creativity behind the camera was every bit as impressive as the risks he took in front of it.

It’s Jackie Chan at his most disciplined, his most ambitious, and unquestionably one of the greatest action filmmakers the genre has ever seen. guts to risk everything to get the shot.