Project A II Ａ計劃續集 (1987): The Sequel Where Jackie Chan Fought What Felt Like 80 People, Handcuffed Himself to a Rickshaw, and Proved That One Brother Is Still a One-Man Army

 

Sequels are hard.

Especially when your first film was a masterpiece. Especially when your first film featured a clock tower fall that nearly killed its star. Especially when your first film had Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao as co-leads, and the sequel barely has them at all.

So what do you do?

If you're Jackie Chan, you don't try to repeat the past. You try to evolve.

Project A II (1987) is not a repeat of the first film. The pirates are gone. The Marine Police are gone. The clock tower is still there, but Jackie doesn't fall off it this time. Instead, he gets into a completely different kind of trouble.

The result is a film that is darker, more political, and more ambitious than its predecessor — and one that contains some of the most jaw-dropping action sequences ever put on film.

Is it better than the original? No. But it is a worthy sequel. And in a world where most sequels are cash grabs, that is a rare achievement.

Today, I'm going to tell you why Project A II deserves a place on your watchlist — and why Jackie Chan, even without his two brothers, is a one-man army.

Part One: The Plot — Revolution, Betrayal, and One Very Confused Cop

Let's start with the story. It's 1910s Hong Kong, during the last days of the Qing Dynasty.

Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan) has been promoted. He's now in charge of the Kowloon Peninsula police station. His new boss is a man named Captain Chun (Lam Wai). His new partner is a bumbling translator named Soda (Mang Hoi). His new problem: a revolutionary group called the "Revolutionary Party" is plotting to overthrow the government, and the local authorities want Ma to stop them.

But here's the twist: Ma sympathizes with the revolutionaries. He's seen the corruption. He's seen the poverty. He knows the current system is broken. And his boss, Captain Chun, is a collaborator — a man who plays both sides for personal gain.

To make matters worse, Ma's best friend from the first film, Inspector Hong (Yuen Biao), is now working for the corrupt authorities. They're not enemies — not yet — but they're not allies either.

Ma is trapped. If he helps the revolutionaries, he's a traitor. If he helps Captain Chun, he's a hypocrite. If he does nothing, people die.

This is not the simple "pirates vs. police" plot of the first film. This is dark. This is political. And it forces Jackie Chan to do something he rarely does: act with his face, not his fists.

(Don't worry — the fists come later.)

Part Two: The Missing Brothers — Where Are Sammo and Yuen Biao?

Let's address the elephant in the room.

Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao are barely in this film. Sammo makes a brief cameo as a commissioner (with a fake mustache, no less), and Yuen Biao appears in a few scenes — but they're not the co-leads they were in the first film.

Why?

By 1987, the "Three Brothers" were pursuing their own careers. Sammo was directing Eastern Condors, a military action film that would become a classic in its own right. Yuen Biao was starring in Eastern Condors as well. Jackie was becoming an international star.

Project A II is very much a Jackie Chan solo vehicle. And in many ways, that's a good thing — because it forced Jackie to evolve.

Without Sammo's comedic presence and Yuen Biao's acrobatic precision, Jackie had to carry the film himself. He had to be funnier. He had to fight harder. He had to create action sequences that didn't rely on the chemistry of three brothers — but on the sheer force of his own body.

The result is a film that feels different from the first. Less warm. Less goofy. More desperate. But also more impressive in its ambition.

Part Three: The Bamboo Scaffolding Fight — A Love Letter to Vertical Space

If the first film had the clock tower, the second film has the bamboo scaffolding.

Ma is being chased by corrupt cops through a construction site. The scaffolding is everywhere — bamboo poles, loose planks, gaps that could drop you three stories. What follows is a fight scene that uses vertical space like no other film before it.

Ma climbs. He swings. He slides down poles. He jumps from one level to another, using the bamboo as a jungle gym. At one point, he wraps a rope around a pole and swings across a gap, kicking three policemen in the face on the way down.

This scene is a love letter to Jackie's acrobatic training. Unlike the clock tower — which was about courage — this scene is about grace. He moves like a cat. A very angry, very acrobatic cat.

But here's what makes it special: Jackie didn't use wires. Every jump, every swing, every slide was done for real. If he missed a pole, he would have fallen three stories onto concrete.

He didn't miss.

This scene took weeks to film. Jackie reportedly did over 50 takes for a single jump. And every time he landed, he got up, walked back up the scaffolding, and did it again.

That's not stunt work. That's obsession. And the result is breathtaking.

Part Four: The Rickshaw Chase — Handcuffed to Chaos

The second film's answer to the bicycle chase is the rickshaw chase.

Ma is handcuffed to a rickshaw — yes, handcuffed again — and forced to run while pulling his own vehicle. Corrupt cops are chasing him. He can't let go because of the handcuffs. So he improvises.

He uses the rickshaw as a shield. He uses it as a battering ram. He uses it as a tripwire. At one point, he crashes it into a vegetable cart, sending cabbages flying everywhere — and then throws the cabbages at his pursuers.

This is peak Jackie Chan. It's not about realism. It's about problem-solving. He looks at a situation — handcuffed to a rickshaw, being chased by 20 guys — and finds a way to turn the rickshaw from a liability into a weapon.

The scene ends with Ma crashing the rickshaw into a wall, breaking the handcuffs, and running off. But by then, he's exhausted. His face is covered in sweat. He's limping. And you realize: Jackie Chan didn't just act this scene. He lived it.

Part Five: The Final Fight — 80 People and No Stunt Doubles

The climax of Project A II is a fight scene that lasts nearly 15 minutes. It takes place in a burning dockyard warehouse. Ma is surrounded by an army of enemies — at least 80 of them by my count — and he has to fight them all.

Here's the kicker: there are no stunt doubles. Every one of those 80 extras is a real person. And Jackie fights them all, one by one, using kung fu, furniture, fire, and sheer force of will.

The scene is chaotic. Men fall off balconies. Furniture explodes. Fire spreads across the floor. By the end, Ma's uniform is torn. His face is covered in sweat and blood. He's limping. But he's still standing.

This scene is exhausting to watch — in the best way. It's a testament to Jackie's physical endurance and his commitment to spectacle. No CGI. No wires. Just a man and 80 guys who are about to regret their career choices.

One reviewer described it as "the most exhausting 15 minutes in action cinema history." I can't disagree.

Part Six: The Tone — Darker, Political, and More Ambitious

Here's where Project A II differs most from the first film.

The first Project A was about pirates. Simple. Fun. You knew who the bad guys were.

Project A II is about revolution. About corruption. About the gray areas between right and wrong. Ma doesn't just fight bad guys — he fights a system. And at the end of the film, nothing is resolved. The revolutionaries succeed, but at a terrible cost. Captain Chun escapes. Ma is left standing in the ashes, wondering if any of it was worth it.

This is not a happy ending. It's a realistic ending. And it makes the film feel more mature — but also less purely fun.

Some critics didn't like this tonal shift. They wanted the goofy, pirate-fighting Jackie Chan of the first film. Others appreciated the ambition.

Where do I stand? I love both films for different reasons. The first is a joyride. The second is a meditation. And sometimes, you need both.

Part Seven: The Legacy — Why This Sequel Deserves More Respect

Project A II has always lived in the shadow of its predecessor. The clock tower fall is legendary. The bicycle chase is iconic. The bar fight is a classic.

But the bamboo scaffolding fight? The rickshaw chase? The 80-man finale? These scenes are just as impressive — and, in some ways, even more technically accomplished.

The film's darker tone may have alienated some audiences in 1987. But watching it today, it feels ahead of its time. It's a Jackie Chan film that asks real questions about loyalty, justice, and the cost of revolution.

How many action films can say that?

Final Thoughts

Project A II is not a perfect film. It's darker than its predecessor. It's missing the chemistry of Sammo and Yuen Biao. The tonal shifts can be jarring — one moment, Ma is making a silly face; the next, a revolutionary is being executed off-screen.

But when the action starts, the film soars. The bamboo scaffolding fight is a masterpiece of vertical choreography. The rickshaw chase is a lesson in creative problem-solving. And the 80-man finale is a testament to Jackie Chan's insane work ethic.

Is it better than the first film? No. But it doesn't need to be. It stands on its own — as a darker, more ambitious, and more politically complex entry in Jackie Chan's filmography.

Watch it for the action. Stay for the fight where a man handcuffed to a rickshaw throws cabbages at his pursuers.

You won't regret it.

Have you seen Project A II? How does it compare to the first film for you? And how many times did you wince during the 80-man fight? Let me know in the comments.

Tom De · The Movie Prince 🎬