First Strike (1996 film)

Police Story 4: First Strike (Chinese: 警察故事4之簡單任務), also known as First Strike or Jackie Chan's First Strike, is a 1996 Hong Kong action film directed and co-written by Stanley Tong, and starring Jackie Chan, Jackson Lou, Annie Wu, Bill Tung, Yuri Petrov, and Nonna Grishayeva. It is the fourth main installment of the Police Story series, and the final film in the series' original timeline before its reboot with 2004's New Police Story.

Chan reprises his role of Hong Kong police officer "Kevin" Chan Ka-Kui; "Jackie", which had been used as the character's nickname in international releases of previous Police Story films, is used for the first time in the original canon as the nickname used for him by non-Chinese language characters. Tung also reprises his supporting role as "Uncle" Bill Wong from previous films, while Tong returns as director after Police Story 3: Supercop and the spin-off Supercop 2. It is the first entry in the series not to be fully set in Hong Kong or mainland China, instead taking Ka-Kui on a journey to Ukraine, Russia, and eventually Australia, in scenes which were shot on location in Crimea, Moscow and Australia (including Brisbane's Underwater World and Chinatown, and the snow scenes of Falls Creek, Victoria). In First Strike, Ka-Kui works with the CIA to track down and arrest an illegal weapons dealer, but starts to suspect that things are not as they appear and that he might be used as a pawn in a greater scheme.

The film includes snow action scenes featuring skiing and snowmobiles, and an underwater fight scene involving sharks. To advertise First Strike, Chan recorded the song "怎麼會 Zenme Hui" and also made a music video for it, although it is not featured in the American release. The film's original version includes dialogue in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Ukrainian and Russian; the latter three are all dubbed in English in the North American version.

Whilst working for the CIA, Jackie is assigned to follow leads of a nuclear smuggling case. One of the tasks the CIA gives him is simple enough: watch a woman named Natasha while on a plane from Hong Kong to Crimea and record her movements. Jackie arrives in Simferopol and the CIA, partnered with local Ukrainian Security Service, take over the task of following Natasha. However, the CIA operation almost falls apart when the Ukrainian Strike Force arrest Natasha. Luckily for the CIA, Jackie spots Natasha being driven away and he discreetly follows her.

During the chase in Yalta, Jackie discovers that Natasha is working with an unknown male partner, who actually called in the Strike Force to prevent Natasha from being followed. Natasha and the unknown male are also romantically involved. Jackie decides to follow the unknown male to a remote lodge in the Crimean Mountains, and informs the CIA of his location. The unknown male is apparently meeting with Russian mafia members who are interested in a nuclear bomb that is in his possession. The criminals are on high alert when they spot Jackie and agents of both the Ukrainian Militsiya and the CIA arriving. A gunfight ensues. During the battle, the unknown male is identified as Jackson Tsui, a Chinese-American nuclear scientist with CIA links, suspected of stealing a nuclear warhead.

Jackie finds a briefcase which contained evidence from Tsui, but as he is chased by mafia forces, Jackie loses the briefcase as he falls into frozen waters, and the mafia takes the briefcase. When he recovers in Russian military hospital, he meets Colonel Gregor Yegorov of the Russian FSB, who explains the situation. Jackie goes with him to Moscow where he discovers he has been assigned to work with Gregor to solve a similar case involving nuclear weapons being smuggled out of Ukraine. His task is to track Tsui, who disappeared after their last encounter. He is smuggled into Brisbane, Australia by a Russian submarine.

In order to find out where Jackson is, Jackie befriends his younger sister Annie, who works at an aquarium doing shark shows. Jackie pretends to be Jackson's "sworn brother". Chan's deception is successful, and he eventually meets Uncle 7, the Tsuis' father and the local Triad boss. Uncle 7 is seriously ill and will be getting surgery soon. While meeting Uncle 7, Jackie reveals the true nature of his visit to both Uncle 7 and Annie and informs them of Jackson's criminal activities. Jackie then meets with Gregor to report his findings. He tells Gregor that if Uncle 7 dies, Jackson will surely show up. Unknown to Jackie, Jackson is hiding at the hospital and has given a nuclear warhead (disguised as a small oxygen tank) to Annie, who hides it at the aquarium.

While following Annie, Jackie gets held up by Jackson, who claims to have a deal with Gregor. He also reveals to Jackie that Gregor has secretly put audio bugs in several of the objects the FSB gave him. After realizing he has been used by Gregor for nefarious purposes, Jackie decides to return home and write a full report to both of their superiors. Two men are sent to kill him, and he is framed for the murder of Uncle 7. He attempts to clear his name by going to see Annie at the memorial hall, but he is (unsurprisingly) unwelcome, having to fight Allen and the family's bodyguards until Jackson arrives to clear Jackie's name. Jackson explains that Gregor caught him on a CIA assignment three years before, and forced him to turn into a triple agent: a CIA agent ostensibly turned by the FSB, but in reality serving Gregor's private criminal schemes.