he notorious band of pirates previously disbanded and destroyed by Sergeant “Dragon” Ma Yung (Jackie Chan) swears an oath of vengeance, spurred by the death of their leader. Meanwhile, police inspector Chun (David Lam) has been staging his arrests, paying off thugs to conduct hold-ups and arranging for the press to be nearby, which has drawn the attention of the commissioner (Bill Tung). But Chun is powerful and well-connected, which means the authorities will need ironclad proof to take him down. And so they recruit Ma away from the Hong Kong Water Police (coast guard) to pose as a deputy partner to superintendent Chun, certain that he’ll be able to uncover the necessary evidence.

“Nice people do not become cops.” The very first morning that Ma arrives to take over the West police station, he’s met with rampant corruption. Bribery is commonplace, abuse of power is nonstop, and cowardice courses through the force. And most of the officers are connected to the district’s notorious crime-lord Wolf (Yao Lin Chen). But the sergeant isn’t without a handful of allies, including some of his naval pals, a single unbribable cop, and a trio of lovely revolutionaries (Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, and Rosamund Kwan) – who may or not be on the right side of the law.

Though there are references to the previous film, it hardly matters that this is a sequel; it doesn’t take long before kung fu action gets underway, which is the whole point. And with Jackie Chan in the director’s seat as well, the choreography is not only lighting-fast and athletically impressive, but also creative and funny, making the most of sets and props. Early on, a tumble down a staircase and a fall from the second floor of a gangster’s establishment demonstrate his flair for exceptionally realistic and dangerous-looking stunts.

Curiously, there are too many subplots going on, most of which are needless considering that they’re mere setups for additional fight scenes. With Chun and his lackeys, as well as the pirate gang, there are plenty of opportunities for skirmishes with skilled martial artists; but there’s also an elaborate governor’s ball sequence, designed to discredit Ma, alongside a rebellion that has numerous agents and intricate connections – both of which eat up screentime and do little except delay the adventure that audiences crave. A subsequent scene finds five separate groups of people arriving at a home at the same time, each trying to avoid the others, generating a screwball comedy scenario of shuffling from room to room and changing hiding spots – all while multiple parties become handcuffed or are held at gunpoint (the handcuffs keep returning, too, aiding in the staging of awkward flights from armed brutes). “What are all these people doing in my house?”

The fight sequences are nicely orchestrated and mirthful, but too much time is spent attempting to flesh out all the interweaving character groups, causing tedious lags. With all the double-crosses and shifting allegiances, it’s difficult to sort out motives for the contention – and who is against whom (including a James Bond-like concept involving an over-the-top killing device), even if it ultimately doesn’t matter. At least it’s always evident that Chan is the hero. But in the end, there just isn’t enough attention paid to the action, leaving a bit to be desired, even if the film boasts some of the greatest of Chan’s falling stunts, and his spectacular homage to Buster Keaton – in which a massive facade crashes onto him.

– Mike Massie