The protector

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title The protector
Original title The Protector
Country of production Hong Kong , USA
original language Cantonese , English
Publishing year 1985
length approx. 85 ( censored ) minutes / approx. 91 (US version) ( indexed ) minutes
Age rating FSK 16 ( censored ) / 18 (US version) ( indexed )
Rod
Director James Glickenhaus
script James Glickenhaus
production David Chan ,
Leonard Ho
music Ken Thorne
camera Chang Yao Chu ,
Mark Irwin
cut Yao Chung Chang ,
Evan A. Lottman ,
Barbara Minor
occupation

The protector (engl. The Protector ) is a 1985 in Hong Kong and the United States turned martial arts - and action film , staged in the American version by director James Glickenhaus.

action

The New York policeman Billy Wong avenges a colleague who was killed in gang wars by means of martial arts and great use of weapons. Thereupon he is demoted and assigned to guard a fashion show. However, the tranquil tranquility does not last long as the fashion designer is kidnapped. It turns out that her father, an allegedly serious businessman, is the head of an international drug gang and that the kidnappers have fled to Hong Kong.

Together with his colleague Danny Garoni, Wong now sets out to pursue and fights against the drug cartel and the authorities in Hong Kong, with entire company buildings being blown up. Ultimately, it comes to a bloody but happy showdown for the protagonist.

criticism

"Not a police film. Not a karate film. Rather a contemporary knight film. Glickenhaus uses the cinema as a modern fun fair. He asks what effects provide. That is why he shows the violence as brightly as possible. The genres he chooses are used." he used it as a template to choreograph his hardcore action. Glickenhaus doesn't talk, he sums up highlights. " (The time)

Remarks

  • The film is Jackie Chan's second attempt to conquer the American market after The Great Brawl . This also failed, but what critics mainly attributed to the director Glickenhaus.
  • Glickenhaus had previously made the vigilante justice film The Exterminator (1980), his only commercially successful film. In the same way, he wanted to direct The Protector . The role just didn't fit Jackie Chan at all, which is why the two fell out a lot. Glickenhaus even dictated the action sequences to Chan and forbade him to bring his own stunt team.
  • When Jackie Chan came back to Hong Kong after the actual filming, he produced some new scenes himself (including the finale in which he fought against Bill Wallace ), added new subplots and cut out what he believed to be the stupidest scenes of the Glickenhaus cut. This is how the 30-minute-longer Hong Kong version of the film, which is much more popular among collectors, was created, which is much faster, but was only allowed to be shown in Asia due to international agreements.
  • The film inspired Jackie Chan to his hit film Police Story .
  • Since Jackie Chan found the film too brutal and sexist, he cut out the most brutal and sex scenes and shot many things anew, which is why the Hong Kong version is over 20 minutes longer.
  • In Germany there is an 85 minute long FSK 16 version, which roughly corresponds to the censored Hong Kong version without the additionally filmed scenes, and the uncut, indexed US version.

Web links