The Protector (1985 film)
Encyclopedia
The Protector is a 1985
Hong Kong
/ USA
action film
, directed
by James Glickenhaus
and starring Jackie Chan
. It was Chan's second attempt at breaking into the American
film market, after 1980's The Big Brawl
, a film which had flopped at the box office
. Conflicts between Glickenhaus and Chan during production led to two official versions of the film: Glickenhaus' original version for American audiences and a Hong Kong version reshot by Chan. Also, this lead to Chan's decision to make Police Story as a response to this film.
is attempting to steal
computer
s from an 18-wheeler. One of the gang members remotely hacks a set of traffic light
s, turning them to red, while other members of the gang rig chain
s to the back of the truck. They turn the light green again, and as the truck pulls away, the chains tear the door open. When the trucker goes to the rear of his truck to investigate, he is knocked unconscious by a gang member, who then whistles for his cohorts to steal the load. Meanwhile, New York police officers Billy Wong (Jackie Chan
) and Michael Alexander (Patrick James Clarke) are patrolling the neighborhood. On the radio, a dispatcher
says that a truck was stripped by their premises, so the cops check it out. As the trucker comes to, he sees that his cargo has been stolen. Michael radios in the crime, while Billy passes the driver his hat, saying, "Welcome to New York!".
Later, the two cops are in a bar
. Billy goes to the bathroom while Michael orders another round. Outside, a gang plan to rob the bar, unaware of the cops inside. They charge in busting the door and start roughing up the customers and gathering them by the till
. Billy, still in the bathroom, has heard the commotion. The gang forces the customers to stand by the register, while one member tries to open the locked bathroom. Gun drawn, he breaks down the door, but Billy has overhead everything and shoots the gangster four times before he can make the shot.
Michael pulls out his own gun, killing another gangster, but is then shot by the two remaining gang members. Billy leaps and fires, killing one gangster, sending him flying through the bar window. The fourth gangster escapes. Billy approaches Michael, who asks, with his dying words, that Billy find the last gangster. Billy chases the last gang member to the marina
across town. The gangster commandeers a yacht
, so Billy gets the keys to the fastest speedboat from the boat boy. The captain orders Billy to let the harbor police catch the thief, but Billy refuses and speeds off. He calls an air unit
who arrive on the scene and hoist him a line. Billy grabs onto the line, and lets his speedboat run into the henchman's boat, destroying both.
After attending a ceremonial funeral
held for Michael, Billy gets back to crowd control. He goes to a party undercover with his new partner, Danny Garoni (Danny Aiello
), where they see Benny Garucci (Bill "Superfoot" Wallace
), one of the bodyguard
s to Martin Shapiro (Ron Dandrea). A kidnapping
has taken place, and nobody knows why. They later learn that crime boss
Harold Ko (Roy Chiao
) may have smuggled Shapiro's daughter, Laura (Saun Ellis), to Hong Kong
for ransom. The men get a lead – Garucci has made calls to a massage parlor
.
While investigating, they get massages, but Billy sees a reflection of his masseuse pulling out a knife so he jumps, kicking her in the face, and throws a lamp at the other masseurs. Billy and Garoni fight off the remaining clientele, before getting questioned by the police.
They go to Lee Hing (Kwan Yeung), to cash in a coin. A man named Stan Jones (Kim Bass) gets on the boat, asking for supplies. Stan warns Billy and Garoni they are being followed, and Billy goes to get information from the leader. The leader throws a knife at him and escapes onto another boat. Billy and Garoni head back to their hotel, finding cash in a suitcase on the bed. They are attacked by two men, but manage to kill them. They make their exit and are taken to the police station in Hong Kong.
In Hong Kong, Ko has set up an interview to acquire a new horse at a racetrack. Billy and Garoni see Garucci there. They throw the money in the air and walk off. Garoni follows Garucci to a drug laboratory, while Billy sees Hing's tortured and murdered body on his sunken boat. They go to a Buddhist priest who tells them what they are looking for. Billy, Garoni and Stan go to the drug lab, and destroy it, saving Laura Shapiro in the process. Garoni is shot by Garucci, and is held hostage
unless Billy returns Laura to Ko.
They meet at the shipyard and Laura is held hostage along with Garoni. Billy fights with Garucci and Ko's guards, and is eventually about to kill Ko, but Garucci comes after Billy with a cut-off saw. In the ensuing fight, Garucci is electrocuted by trying to slice open Billy's head, but missing and hitting an electric panel that he smashed Billy's head on. Ko escapes in a helicopter
, and Billy follows after him, but a guard blocks his way. Billy and the guard fight on a cargo lifter
half-loaded with boxes, with Billy dodging them. Garoni goes outside with the gang and kills a sniper
with a 6-shot 20mm cannon. Billy is shot at, but eventually makes it to the top of a crane and Ko's helicopter gets crushed.
With Ko dead and Laura Shapiro saved, Billy and Danny are given a departmental medal of honor.
, with a few additional action sequences. A large number of scenes were cut to improve the pace of the action and to completely remove instances of nudity. Fully dressed lab women were added for the sake of continuity. A lot of swearing and American slang has been totally replaced by more universal dialogue. Bill Wallace also has an extra scene, in which he gets to show off his talent near the ice warehouse. The final fight scene is re-edited to make it more of a Hong Kong style. Overall, the script has been cleaned up and the subplot involving the coin is resolved.
action star Robert Ginty
in a film entitled The Exterminator
, which was also his only real profitable film. The Exterminator was a violent, gritty, and crude vigilante action film, which may be seen as derivative of Charles Bronson
's Death Wish
films. The Protector would be Glickenhaus' fourth time in the directing chair.
Glickenhaus had wanted Chan's character to be a "Dirty Harry
" type, speaking softly, carrying a big gun and swearing. Chan was shocked at how bad Glickenhaus's directing was, especially since The Protector was to be ostensibly a martial arts film. Chan had gained much experience directing in his Hong Kong films and was disgusted with the way Glickenhaus would move onto each subsequent scene, even when prior ones needed to be re-shot.
Chan knew that his Asian audience would be offended by the frequent foul language, exploitative nudity and Glickenhaus's poor direction. Chan asked to direct the fight scenes himself, but Glickenhaus refused, at the time when the Hollywood film system restricts everyone from crossing roles. Example, actors are restricted to acting, directors restricted to directing and so on.
In a heated argument between Glickenhaus and Chan halfway through the shoot, Chan quit and walked off the set. Back at his hotel room, Chan phoned his manager in Hong Kong and told him what he had done, saying, "Glickenhaus is destroying my career." His agent responded that he had to return to the set and finish the film because Glickenhaus had an iron-clad contract.
When the film was finally completed and Glickenhaus left Hong Kong, Chan initially decided not to release the film in Asia, but ultimately changed his mind, though not until he had re-shot some scenes, removing the nudity and vulgar language, and re-coordinating the final fight between his character and the villain played by Bill Wallace
.
In the end, the American version was stiff and the editing was sloppy, whereas the Hong Kong version was more elaborate, dynamic and faster.
In his autobiography I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, he quotes angrily to Leonard after finishing this film. "I'm sick of the word potential. If I ever go back to America – and I'm not saying that I will – I'm not going back as Bruce Lee or Clint Eastwood or John Wayne. I'll go back as Jackie Chan or I won't go at all."
In an interview by Hong Kong film expert Bey Logan
with James Glickenhaus held before Chan achieved mainstream success with American audiences, Logan mentioned that many of his fans were disappointed with the movie. An unfazed Glickenhaus responded "Well, you know that's still the most successful Jackie Chan movie internationally and always will be because the American audience, the mainstream audience will never sit still for Jackie's style of action".
Andrew Staton who does the audio commentary for The Protector as the Ultra-Bit Edition has agreed with the perception that Chan should be allowed to shoot his action scenes and take things out that he didn't like to help improve the film. Chan's fans and followers also perceived that certain major scenes like the final helicopter scene is predictable. Also in depth why Chan doesn't want to have nudity in his films (with exception to "All in the family" which he co-starred in) because it held up the male audience, it dirtied the scenes and it adds nothing to the overall storyline.
Subsequently the American version flopped at the box office, whilst the Hong Kong version received moderate success in Asia.
Hong Kong films of 1985
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 1985:.-1985:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 1985 at...
Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
/ USA
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
action film
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
, directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by James Glickenhaus
James Glickenhaus
James Glickenhaus is an American investment professional at Glickenhaus & Co., the finance firm started by his father, Seth Glickenhaus. He was formerly a movie director before entering the finance world....
and starring Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
. It was Chan's second attempt at breaking into the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film market, after 1980's The Big Brawl
The Big Brawl
The Big Brawl, also known as Battle Creek Brawl, is a 1980 martial arts film which marked Jackie Chan's first attempt to break into the American movie market...
, a film which had flopped at the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
. Conflicts between Glickenhaus and Chan during production led to two official versions of the film: Glickenhaus' original version for American audiences and a Hong Kong version reshot by Chan. Also, this lead to Chan's decision to make Police Story as a response to this film.
US version
A gangGang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
is attempting to steal
Steal
Steal may refer to:* Theft, the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's freely-given consent* The gaining of a stolen base in baseball...
computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s from an 18-wheeler. One of the gang members remotely hacks a set of traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
s, turning them to red, while other members of the gang rig chain
Chain
A chain is a sequence of connected links.Chain may also refer to:Chain may refer to:* Necklace - a jewelry which is worn around the neck* Mail , a type of armor made of interlocking chain links...
s to the back of the truck. They turn the light green again, and as the truck pulls away, the chains tear the door open. When the trucker goes to the rear of his truck to investigate, he is knocked unconscious by a gang member, who then whistles for his cohorts to steal the load. Meanwhile, New York police officers Billy Wong (Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
) and Michael Alexander (Patrick James Clarke) are patrolling the neighborhood. On the radio, a dispatcher
Dispatcher
Dispatchers are communications personnel responsible for receiving and transmitting pure and reliable messages, tracking vehicles and equipment, and recording other important information...
says that a truck was stripped by their premises, so the cops check it out. As the trucker comes to, he sees that his cargo has been stolen. Michael radios in the crime, while Billy passes the driver his hat, saying, "Welcome to New York!".
Later, the two cops are in a bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
. Billy goes to the bathroom while Michael orders another round. Outside, a gang plan to rob the bar, unaware of the cops inside. They charge in busting the door and start roughing up the customers and gathering them by the till
Till
thumb|right|Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material , and this characteristic, known as matrix support, is diagnostic of till....
. Billy, still in the bathroom, has heard the commotion. The gang forces the customers to stand by the register, while one member tries to open the locked bathroom. Gun drawn, he breaks down the door, but Billy has overhead everything and shoots the gangster four times before he can make the shot.
Michael pulls out his own gun, killing another gangster, but is then shot by the two remaining gang members. Billy leaps and fires, killing one gangster, sending him flying through the bar window. The fourth gangster escapes. Billy approaches Michael, who asks, with his dying words, that Billy find the last gangster. Billy chases the last gang member to the marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
across town. The gangster commandeers a yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
, so Billy gets the keys to the fastest speedboat from the boat boy. The captain orders Billy to let the harbor police catch the thief, but Billy refuses and speeds off. He calls an air unit
Police aircraft
A police aircraft is an airplane, helicopter, powered paraglider, or blimpused in police operations. They are commonly used for traffic control, ground support, search and rescue, high-speed car pursuits, observation, air patrol and riot control...
who arrive on the scene and hoist him a line. Billy grabs onto the line, and lets his speedboat run into the henchman's boat, destroying both.
After attending a ceremonial funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
held for Michael, Billy gets back to crowd control. He goes to a party undercover with his new partner, Danny Garoni (Danny Aiello
Danny Aiello
Daniel Louis "Danny" Aiello, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon, Two Days in the Valley, and Dinner Rush...
), where they see Benny Garucci (Bill "Superfoot" Wallace
Bill Wallace (martial arts)
William "Bill" Louis Wallace is an American martial artist who was a Professional Karate Association world full- contact karate champion. He was the Professional Karate Association Middleweight Champion kickboxer for almost six years.- Background :Wallace was born in Portland, Indiana, and...
), one of the bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
s to Martin Shapiro (Ron Dandrea). A kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
has taken place, and nobody knows why. They later learn that crime boss
Crime boss
A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...
Harold Ko (Roy Chiao
Roy Chiao
Roy Chiao was a Chinese actor most famous for playing the minor villain Lao Che in the 1984 movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Other English speaking film appearances of his included roles in the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Bloodsport, the 1973 Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon and the...
) may have smuggled Shapiro's daughter, Laura (Saun Ellis), to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
for ransom. The men get a lead – Garucci has made calls to a massage parlor
Massage parlor
A massage parlor is a business where customers can receive a massage. Sometimes the term is synonymous with brothel as the term "massage" may be used as a euphemism for paid sexual favours....
.
While investigating, they get massages, but Billy sees a reflection of his masseuse pulling out a knife so he jumps, kicking her in the face, and throws a lamp at the other masseurs. Billy and Garoni fight off the remaining clientele, before getting questioned by the police.
They go to Lee Hing (Kwan Yeung), to cash in a coin. A man named Stan Jones (Kim Bass) gets on the boat, asking for supplies. Stan warns Billy and Garoni they are being followed, and Billy goes to get information from the leader. The leader throws a knife at him and escapes onto another boat. Billy and Garoni head back to their hotel, finding cash in a suitcase on the bed. They are attacked by two men, but manage to kill them. They make their exit and are taken to the police station in Hong Kong.
In Hong Kong, Ko has set up an interview to acquire a new horse at a racetrack. Billy and Garoni see Garucci there. They throw the money in the air and walk off. Garoni follows Garucci to a drug laboratory, while Billy sees Hing's tortured and murdered body on his sunken boat. They go to a Buddhist priest who tells them what they are looking for. Billy, Garoni and Stan go to the drug lab, and destroy it, saving Laura Shapiro in the process. Garoni is shot by Garucci, and is held hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
unless Billy returns Laura to Ko.
They meet at the shipyard and Laura is held hostage along with Garoni. Billy fights with Garucci and Ko's guards, and is eventually about to kill Ko, but Garucci comes after Billy with a cut-off saw. In the ensuing fight, Garucci is electrocuted by trying to slice open Billy's head, but missing and hitting an electric panel that he smashed Billy's head on. Ko escapes in a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
, and Billy follows after him, but a guard blocks his way. Billy and the guard fight on a cargo lifter
Gantry crane
Gantry cranes, bridge cranes, and overhead cranes, are all types of cranes which lift objects by a hoist which is fitted in a hoist trolley and can move horizontally on a rail or pair of rails fitted under a beam...
half-loaded with boxes, with Billy dodging them. Garoni goes outside with the gang and kills a sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
with a 6-shot 20mm cannon. Billy is shot at, but eventually makes it to the top of a crane and Ko's helicopter gets crushed.
With Ko dead and Laura Shapiro saved, Billy and Danny are given a departmental medal of honor.
Hong Kong version
The Chinese version has a subplot featuring Sally YehSally Yeh
Sally Yeh , sometimes written as Sally Yip or Yip Sin-Man, is a Cantopop singer in the Hong Kong music industry and an actress in the Hong Kong film industry.-Overview:...
, with a few additional action sequences. A large number of scenes were cut to improve the pace of the action and to completely remove instances of nudity. Fully dressed lab women were added for the sake of continuity. A lot of swearing and American slang has been totally replaced by more universal dialogue. Bill Wallace also has an extra scene, in which he gets to show off his talent near the ice warehouse. The final fight scene is re-edited to make it more of a Hong Kong style. Overall, the script has been cleaned up and the subplot involving the coin is resolved.
Production
Glickenhaus had previously directed B movieB movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
action star Robert Ginty
Robert Ginty
Robert Ginty was an American movie actor, producer, scenarist, and director of movies and TV series episodes.-Early life:...
in a film entitled The Exterminator
The Exterminator
The Exterminator is a 1980 action film written, produced and directed by James Glickenhaus and starring Robert Ginty as Vietnam veteran vigilante John Eastland, also known as "The Exterminator", who takes out the street punks and those involved in organized crime when the law fails to do justice.-...
, which was also his only real profitable film. The Exterminator was a violent, gritty, and crude vigilante action film, which may be seen as derivative of Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
's Death Wish
Death Wish (film)
Death Wish is a 1974 crime thriller film loosely based on the novel Death Wish by Brian Garfield. The film was directed by Michael Winner and stars Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, a man who becomes a vigilante after his wife is murdered and his daughter is sexually assaulted by muggers.The film was...
films. The Protector would be Glickenhaus' fourth time in the directing chair.
Glickenhaus had wanted Chan's character to be a "Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry is a 1971 American crime thriller produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan....
" type, speaking softly, carrying a big gun and swearing. Chan was shocked at how bad Glickenhaus's directing was, especially since The Protector was to be ostensibly a martial arts film. Chan had gained much experience directing in his Hong Kong films and was disgusted with the way Glickenhaus would move onto each subsequent scene, even when prior ones needed to be re-shot.
Chan knew that his Asian audience would be offended by the frequent foul language, exploitative nudity and Glickenhaus's poor direction. Chan asked to direct the fight scenes himself, but Glickenhaus refused, at the time when the Hollywood film system restricts everyone from crossing roles. Example, actors are restricted to acting, directors restricted to directing and so on.
In a heated argument between Glickenhaus and Chan halfway through the shoot, Chan quit and walked off the set. Back at his hotel room, Chan phoned his manager in Hong Kong and told him what he had done, saying, "Glickenhaus is destroying my career." His agent responded that he had to return to the set and finish the film because Glickenhaus had an iron-clad contract.
When the film was finally completed and Glickenhaus left Hong Kong, Chan initially decided not to release the film in Asia, but ultimately changed his mind, though not until he had re-shot some scenes, removing the nudity and vulgar language, and re-coordinating the final fight between his character and the villain played by Bill Wallace
Bill Wallace (martial arts)
William "Bill" Louis Wallace is an American martial artist who was a Professional Karate Association world full- contact karate champion. He was the Professional Karate Association Middleweight Champion kickboxer for almost six years.- Background :Wallace was born in Portland, Indiana, and...
.
In the end, the American version was stiff and the editing was sloppy, whereas the Hong Kong version was more elaborate, dynamic and faster.
In his autobiography I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, he quotes angrily to Leonard after finishing this film. "I'm sick of the word potential. If I ever go back to America – and I'm not saying that I will – I'm not going back as Bruce Lee or Clint Eastwood or John Wayne. I'll go back as Jackie Chan or I won't go at all."
Cast
- Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
– Billy Wong - Danny AielloDanny AielloDaniel Louis "Danny" Aiello, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon, Two Days in the Valley, and Dinner Rush...
– Danny Garoni - Moon LeeMoon LeeMoon Lee is a former Hong Kong actress who frequently played roles related to the action and martial arts genre in TV serials and films. She was particularly notable in the sub-genre known as girls with guns.-Biography:...
– Soo Ling - Roy ChiaoRoy ChiaoRoy Chiao was a Chinese actor most famous for playing the minor villain Lao Che in the 1984 movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Other English speaking film appearances of his included roles in the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Bloodsport, the 1973 Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon and the...
– Harold Ko - Peter YangPeter YangPeter Yang Kwan or Peter Yang was a Hong Kong martial artist film actor, film producer and director, best known for his appearances in Hong Kong action cinema of the 1970s and 1980s....
– Lee Hing (uncredited) - Sandy Alexander – Gang Leader
- Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus – Jesse Alexander
- Becky Ann BakerBecky Ann BakerBecky Ann Baker is an American actress who is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Jean Weir on NBC's Emmy Award-winning Freaks and Geeks.-Early life:Baker was born Becky Gelke in Fort Knox, Kentucky...
– Samantha Alexander (as Becky Gelke) - Kim Bass – Stan Jones
- Sally YehSally YehSally Yeh , sometimes written as Sally Yip or Yip Sin-Man, is a Cantopop singer in the Hong Kong music industry and an actress in the Hong Kong film industry.-Overview:...
– May Fung Ho / Sally (uncredited) - Paul L. SmithPaul L. SmithPaul L. Smith is an American character actor. Burly, bearded, and imposing, he has appeared in films and occasionally on TV since the 1970s, generally playing "heavies" and bad guys...
– Mr. Booar (uncredited) - Bill WallaceBill Wallace (martial arts)William "Bill" Louis Wallace is an American martial artist who was a Professional Karate Association world full- contact karate champion. He was the Professional Karate Association Middleweight Champion kickboxer for almost six years.- Background :Wallace was born in Portland, Indiana, and...
– Benny Garrucci - Victor Arnold – Police Captain
- Shum Wai – massage house manager (uncredited)
- Irene Britto – Masseuce
- Ron Dandrea – Martin Shapiro
- Saun Ellis – Laura Shapiro
- Lee Hoi San – Wing (Hong Kong version) (uncredited)
- Alan GibbsAlan GibbsAlan Gibbs is a New Zealand businessman, entrepreneur, and art patron; and one of New Zealand's wealthiest residents. National Business Review magazine estimates his wealth at $450 million.-Career:...
– Gunman - David HoDavid HoDavid Da-i Ho is a Taiwanese American AIDS researcher famous for pioneering the use of protease inhibitors in treating HIV-infected patients with his team...
– David - Joe Maruzzo – Marina Attendant (as Joseph Maruzzo)
- John SpencerJohn Spencer (actor)John Spencer was an American film and television actor. He was most widely known for playing White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry on the NBC political drama series The West Wing, which earned him an Emmy Award in 2002.-Early life:Spencer was born as John Speshock, Jr. in New York City, and...
– Ko's pilot - Mike StarrMike Starr (actor)Michael "Mike" Starr is an American actor. Starr is notable for his large size, standing 6 ft 3 1/2 in , and has typically been typecast as thugs or henchmen....
– Hood (as Michael Starr) - James GlickenhausJames GlickenhausJames Glickenhaus is an American investment professional at Glickenhaus & Co., the finance firm started by his father, Seth Glickenhaus. He was formerly a movie director before entering the finance world....
– Man walking in front of store (uncredited) - Joe WongJoe WongJoseph Hauoli L. Wong is a former American football offensive lineman of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft...
– Sergeant Chan - Kam Bo Wong – Bald Thug (as Kobe Wong)
- Fung Hak-On – Thug with Ice Pic
- Wan Faat – Thug
- Johnny Cheung – Thug
- Lam Wan Seung – Thug
- Lee Fat-Yuen – Thug
- Chung Wing – Thug
- Tai PoTai PoTai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui and the Tai Wo Town on the other side of the Lam Tsuen River, near the old Tai Po Market Station of the...
– Thug - Patrick James Clarke – Michael
- John Ladalski – Ko's Van Driver (uncredited)
- Robert MakRóbert MakRóbert Mak is a Slovak footballer who currently plays as a winger for the German Bundesliga team 1. FC Nuremberg and the Slovakia national under-21 football team.-Club career:...
- Mark Cheung
Version comparison
The following changes were made by Jackie Chan, for the Hong Kong release of the film:Scenes in the US
- Billy Wong asks a civilian where the crook has gone. (added)
- The crook climbs over the chain-linked fence. (deleted)
- Michael's funeral. (deleted)
Massage parlour
- Extra dialogue between Billy, Danny and the Chinese police chief, intro to the massage parlour. (deleted)
- A few short scenes featuring Billy in action in the massage parlour. (deleted)
- Billy catches the gun. (slowed down)
Boat and dock area
- Billy locates Sally Yeh, deals with two guys in a gym and interviews Sally Yeh. (added)
- Small scene with the African-American on the boat. (deleted)
- A few scenes when Billy chases Sally Yeh's uncle on the boat. (deleted)
- The death of Moon Lee's father on the boat. (deleted)
- Billy's scene with Moon Lee on the boat and buddhist prayer. (deleted)
- Mr. Ko talks to Bill Wallace. (deleted)
- Mr. Ko's assistant beats Sally Yeh's uncle and plots to kill Billy and Danny. (added)
- A deep male voice talking to Billy on the phone is replaced by a female voice demanding that he should leave. (replaced)
- Bill Wallace attacks Moon's father and friend, Moon Lee unhappy with Billy around. (added)
- A bomb in Sally Yeh's bedroom, her uncle warns Billy and Sally, the departure of Sally and her uncle. (added)
- Billy Wong Fucks Sally Yeh During A Shootout (Deleted)
Drug lab and warehouse
- A small scene of Bill preparing to shoot. (deleted)
- A fight scene between Billy Wong and Bill Wallace near a chain-linked fence. (re-edited)
- Bill gets hit by Billy using some dangerous equipment. (deleted)
- Bill Wallace uses a concrete saw. (re-edited)
Changes to content
- All cursing has been excised.
- All nudity with women has been excised with the drug lab re-shot showing fully dressed women.
- American slang has been changed.
- Danny's use of the phrase "T 'n' A" has been changed.
Reception
The movie had a mixed to negative reception when it was released in the United States in 1985.In an interview by Hong Kong film expert Bey Logan
Bey Logan
Bey Logan is a respected expert on East Asian cinema, particularly Hong Kong action cinema. He is also notable as a screenwriter, film producer and as a martial artist who has had roles in a number of films, including the 2003 Dante Lam film The Twins Effect.He has written two books - Hong Kong...
with James Glickenhaus held before Chan achieved mainstream success with American audiences, Logan mentioned that many of his fans were disappointed with the movie. An unfazed Glickenhaus responded "Well, you know that's still the most successful Jackie Chan movie internationally and always will be because the American audience, the mainstream audience will never sit still for Jackie's style of action".
Andrew Staton who does the audio commentary for The Protector as the Ultra-Bit Edition has agreed with the perception that Chan should be allowed to shoot his action scenes and take things out that he didn't like to help improve the film. Chan's fans and followers also perceived that certain major scenes like the final helicopter scene is predictable. Also in depth why Chan doesn't want to have nudity in his films (with exception to "All in the family" which he co-starred in) because it held up the male audience, it dirtied the scenes and it adds nothing to the overall storyline.
Subsequently the American version flopped at the box office, whilst the Hong Kong version received moderate success in Asia.