First, to clear the confusion, Crime Story is in no way related to the Police Story series, in spite of the fact that occasionally it is found under the titles New Police Story and Police Story IV.

In Crime Story, Jackie Chan does play a cop, but unlike the escapist martial arts action cop films of the Police Story series, Crime Story is a realistic, gritty drama that may not be quite what Chan's fans would expect.

As long as you're not hopeful for Chan's usual stunning athleticism and comic personality, Crime Story is a greatly rewarding film. It is best described as a crime thriller that doesn't forget, like many American crime thrillers do, that it's still a story about people. It's still escapism at heart, but it's a good one.