Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Disappointment for a huge fan!

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

(57%) Back in the mid 80's Mr Chan didn't much care for this movie as he felt it was made not fully utilising his talent, for which I can understand. Featured here there's none of his trademark comedic fights, or insanely dangerous stunts, instead we get a gritter, more typically 1980's R-rated American action flick with plenty of shoot-outs, fist fights and explosions. The level of strong language, along with quite a lot of nudity also sets this apart from the usual Chan flick, but I cannot say I didn't enjoy this. The action is solid with plenty of it, and for a medium budgeted 80's action flick this is better than average.

Tough New York City cop Billy Wong (a solid and likable performance by Jackie Chan) and his scruffy partner Danny Garoni (amiable Danny Aiello) are sent to Hong Kong to take down nefarious drug lord Mr. Koo (a nicely slimy turn by Roy Chiao), who has kidnapped the daughter (foxy redhead Saun Ellis) of his former associate. Writer/director James Glickenhaus relates the enjoyable, if formulaic story at a brisk pace, makes good use of both grimy Big Apple and gleaming Hong Kong locations, maintains a hard gritty tone throughout, doesn't skimp on the excessive bloody violence, stages the rousing action with rip-roaring gusto, and even tosses in a handy helping of tasty gratuitous female nudity for good trashy measure. Moreover, Glickenhaus keeps the humor to a minimum and doesn't clutter the narrative with any needless sappy romantic subplots. While Glickenhaus's unapologetically rough-edged grindhouse style and sensibility didn't go over well with Chan's hardcore fans, it's nonetheless still a kick to see Jackie in such a down'n'dirty flick. Bill Wallace excels as mean henchman Benny Garucci; his big confrontation with Chan at the climax rates as a definite exciting highlight. Mark Irwin's glossy cinematography provides a glittering neon sheen. Ken Thorne's spirited syncopated score hits the stirring spot. A blithely low-grade blast.

OK not a great Jackie Chan movie but this film actually gets better with age. Everybody criticizes this as not a "Jackie Chan" movie, but if you watch Kirk Wong's CRIME STORY, Jackie's character is actually very similar! I have seen the Hong Kong version of this movie with the added scenes, but actually the US version is a lot more realistic because of the tougher (cursing) dialogue and nudity. The HK version has added scenes with Sally Yeh that actually make no sense as far as the plot goes. Plus it is strange listening to the American actors speaking perfect Cantonese! This movie was actually ahead of it's time because it seems to have influenced a lot of the gangster movies of the '90s. It also seems to have inspired Chow Yun-fat's TIGER ON THE BEAT with its chainsaw scene. I know Jackie was not happy with this film and it shows. Still it inspired him to make better films such as POLICE STORY. For that we should be thankful.

This movie suffers from the fact that for years Hollywood had no clue as to how to package Jackie Chan for the masses. His low-budget Hong Kong movies were all fast-paced kinetic thrillers that highlight his amazing gymnastic skills and talent for light comedy. His early Hollywood films stuck him in the same movies that were being packaged for Stallone or Chuck Norris. There is nothing about Chan's character in this movie that requires the character to be Asian except for his being the star. In his Hong Kong films Chan is never dull, with the movies being one rapid-fire martial arts sequence after another, but "The Protector" is lifeless throughout. Danny Aiello isn't given much to work with either and the lacking chemistry between the two probably is more a result of the script and direction than how the two actors got on together. Both have been better in worse movies. The best thing about the movie is the Hong Kong settings. The worst part is the appalling way that Jackie Chan comes off so colorless and drab. It wouldn't be until the made-in-Canada "Rumble in the Bronx" that the west would finally figure out how to make a good Jackie Chan movie.