Watch Police Story: Lockdown

Police Story: Lockdown is a 2013 Chinese-Hong Kong action thriller film directed by Ding Sheng and starring Jackie Chan, Ye Liu, and Tian Jing. It is the sixth installment of the Police Story franchise, which has been considered one of the most influential action film series in Hong Kong cinema history. The movie follows the story of Zhong Wen (Jackie Chan), a police officer who reunites with his estranged daughter, Miao Miao (Tian Jing), in a bar in Wuhan. As they catch up, a group of armed men led by the bar owner Wu Jiang (Ye Liu) storms in, taking everyone in the bar hostage. Wu Jiang demands that Zhong Wen brings him a witness to a crime that he claims he did not commit. The situation becomes even more complicated when Zhong Wen learns that Miao Miao is among the hostages.

The film takes place in a single location, the bar, making the tension build up throughout the story as the characters are forced to interact with each other in such a confined space. The claustrophobic environment becomes an important element of the movie, creating a sense of uneasiness that lingers until the very end.

Jackie Chan's character in this film is more serious and intense than his previous roles in the Police Story franchise. He portrays a broken man, haunted by his past mistakes and trying to reconnect with his daughter. Chan's performance is both dramatic and action-packed, as he fights his way through the hostage crisis while also trying to protect his daughter.

Ye Liu, who plays the villain, Wu Jiang, delivers a chilling performance as a man who has nothing to lose and is willing to do whatever it takes to clear his name. His character's motivations and backstory are slowly revealed as the film progresses, adding depth to the story and making Wu Jiang more than just a one-dimensional bad guy.

Tian Jing plays Miao Miao, the hostage who becomes the emotional center of the film. Her character is strong and assertive, pushing back against her father's attempts to protect her and even becomes a key player in the hostage situation.

The action sequences in Police Story: Lockdown are well-crafted and intense. The fighting style is more realistic and brutal, with less emphasis on the acrobatics that are traditionally associated with Jackie Chan's movies. The fights are also more grounded in reality, taking cues from mixed martial arts and street fighting.

The film's cinematography is superb, using different angles and lighting techniques to create tension and allure. The director Ding Sheng employs the use of close-ups and medium shots to emphasize the characters' emotional states, especially when he wants to demonstrate their inner conflicts, and long shots when he wants to project the large environment of the bar and its surroundings.

In terms of storyline, Police Story: Lockdown deviates from the traditional Police Story formula which usually involves a cat-and-mouse chase between the protagonist and the antagonist. The film instead focuses on a hostage crisis, portraying the characters not only as victims or perpetrators but also captors, which brings a new level of complexity to the storyline.

In conclusion, Police Story: Lockdown is an excellent addition to the Police Story franchise. The movie delivers on both the dramatic and action-packed aspects of the story. Jackie Chan, Ye Liu and Tian Jing deliver brilliant performances, and the movie has some of the best fight scenes of the series. It is definitely worth watching for anyone who is a fan of Hong Kong action films, or anyone who loves a good hostage thriller.

Police Story: Lockdown is a 2015 action movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.9 and a MetaScore of 44.