History Film / ProjectA

Multiple scenes pay homage to Creator/BusterKeaton and Creator/HaroldLloyd, with one notable scene paying homage to [[SignatureScene the most iconic image]] of Lloyd's ''Film/SafetyLast'', in which Ma drops from the face of a clock tower 60 feet above the ground, going through awnings through three floors all the way down. Apparently, even with Chan needing a week to build up the courage to do the stunt, he wasn't satisfied with how it turned out, so [[EnforcedMethodActing he demanded for the scene to be redone]] '''three''' [[EnforcedMethodActing times]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mv5bngyyztkzyzctownlzc00ndc0lwi5zdatogm1ndrhyjc4ztrmxkeyxkfqcgdeqxvyntcxntizntu_v1_uy1200_cr8306301200_al.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao ready to whoop some ass.]]

Dragon Ma (Jackie) is a hotshot officer of the Hong Kong navy in the early 19th century, patrolling the high seas and securing its safety with his buddy Fei "Fatty" (Sammo) and their superior, Inspector Hong (Yuen). The plot is straightforward, simply showcasing Dragon Ma stumbling into one set-piece after another, which all ends in him fighting, performing stunts, or kicking ass in general.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: During the clock tower scene in part one, Hong manages to save Ma's life by delivering a BoomHeadshot to a henchman about to shoot Ma… despite the henchman being on top of a clock tower, Hong being a few streets apart, and Hong's firearm being a simple pistol (Not to mention the story being set in the early 19th Century – pistols in that time period does not have that kind of range).

Multiple scenes pays homage to Creator/BusterKeaton and Creator/HaroldLloyd, with one notable scene paying homage to [[SignatureScene the most iconic image]] of Lloyd's ''Film/SafetyLast'', in which Ma drops from the face of a clock tower 60 feet above the ground, going through awnings through three floors all the way down. Apparently, even with Chan needing a week to build up the courage to do the stunt, he wasn't satisfied with how it turned out, so [[EnforcedMethodActing he demanded for the scene to be redone]] '''three''' [[EnforcedMethodActing times]].

* AvengingTheVillain: In the beginning of part 2, several pirates whom are TheRemnant of Lord Sam Po from the first movie have fallen on hard times, now that the pirates have disbanded, where they vow vengeance for their boss by killing Ma. [[spoiler:Subverted that by the end of the second film, they didn’t "actually" kill Ma while having the chance since they end up working with Ma in an EnemyMine moment.]]
* BackToBackBadasses: Ma, Fatty and Hong in the climax of the first movie against the Pirate Lord’s mooks. Averted in the second movie when Ma is the sole returning main character.

* CarpetRolledCorpse: A variation, but in the climatic finale of the first movie ends with the Pirate Lord Sam Po being trapped by Ma, Fatty and Hong in a carpet, and Fatty finishing him off by shoving a lit dynamite into the carpet turning Sam Po into LudicrousGibs.
* ChainedHeat: Part of a lengthy chase scene in the second movie happens with Ma and Chun being handcuffed to each other. HilarityEnsues, Looney-Tunes style, when they inevitably runs in different directions.

* CoolSword: Pirate Lord Sam Po’s preferred weapon is a curved sabre.
* CoverIdentityAnomaly: Ma uses this method to convince the pirates he’s their arms supplier during the infiltration. It works, until the [[YouAreAlreadyCheckedIn "real" arms dealer suddenly shows up]] begin escorted in by a whole different group of pirate guards…

* TheDoorSlamsYou: During the first movie’s bicycle chase, Ma is in a narrow alleyway with a thug pursuing him, both cycling at full speed. Someone opens a door behind Ma and unintentionally knocks out the thug.
* EliteMook: Sometimes during the many fight scenes have henchmen who puts up a deadlier fight than most of the low-tier thugs.
** Part 1 have a Pirate Lieutenant in a red shirt and matching red headband and another in a brown tunic (portrayed by Yuen Wah) who gives Jaws and Hong a rather hard time. They also outlast most of their colleagues and are among the last pirates to die besides Sam Po.
** Part 2 notably ends with Ma fighting a pair of MookLieutenant who takes him more than 10 minutes to beat down. And even though Ma eventually wins, both his enemies likely survives the movie.
* EngineeredHeroics: Inspector Chun in the second movie, who bribes minions to stage a hold-up for him so that he can arrest them and claim credit. When he starts firing on them for real, one of his minions tries spilling the beans only to end up being KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade.

* ExcusePlot: Lets just admit it here, nobody is really watching these movies for the plot, but to watch Jackie Chan, still young and spry at the prime of his age, kick ass and hurt himself to create the most entertaining hour-and-a-half for audiences.

* HighClassGlass: Part of Ma’s getup to infiltrate the Pirate Lord’s hideout while disguised as their arms dealer, is a monocle over his right eye.
* ImpersonationGambit: Ma infiltrating the Pirate Lord’s hideout by assuming himself to be the arms dealer working for the pirates. It surprisingly works, for a short while anyway. Fatty on the other hand uses a more direct DressingAsTheEnemy by putting on a knocked-out pirate’s attire, but didn’t even cover his face (considering he’s chubbier than most of the pirates).
* ImprobableAimingSkills: During the clock tower scene in part one, Hong manage to save Ma’s life by delivering a BoomHeadshot to a henchman about to shoot Ma… despite the henchman being on top of a clock tower, Hong being a few streets apart, and Hong’s firearm being a simple pistol (Not to mention the story being set in the early 19th Century – pistols in that time period does not have that kind of range).

* NecktieLeash: Ma ends up in a pit where above him, a grinder machine with a heavy smashing device is being dropped on him, and as he tries to escape by jumping to grab the sides of the pit a henchman gleefully spills oil to make Ma slip back down the pit. In a moment of carelessness, Ma manage to grab the henchman’s necktie, pulling said henchman down while climbing his way up and causing said henchman to be minced alive. (Cue GoryDiscretionShot)
* {{Nepotism}}: In the first movie, most of the Marine Police recruits suspects that Inspector Hong gets promoted to his position because of him being Captain Chi's nephew. Hong proves otherwise by kicking plenty of ass in the final battle.
* OutfitDecoy: A chase scene in the first movie had a bunch of thugs trying to abduct Winnie chasing after Ma who is carrying Winnie on his back. They made a lunge and managed to rip off the head of the mannequin Ma is carrying, disguised in Winnie’s dress and in a wig.
* RockBeatsLaser: Pirate Lord Sam Po’s minions manage to hijack and capture a foreign ship, whose guards are armed with rifles, despite the pirates using swords and crossbow. Of course, they have the element of surprise and the advantage of knowing the seas better.

* SatelliteCharacter: Jaws, Inspector Hong’s partner, whose [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname real name isn't even mentioned in the film]] and his scenes consists of interacting with the other main characters.
* ShowerScene: One happens in the first movie, where Ma, Hong, and several semi-naked Marines takes their showers together. Hong ends up hogging the showers to himself first while the Marines stood in a row at the sidelines, completely butt naked save for their buckets covering their privates, in a scene that overlaps with NakedPeopleAreFunny.
* ShutUpGunshot: How the Superintendent puts a stop to the bar fight in the start of part 1.

* TooDumbToLive: One scene in the first movie’s finale had Hong throwing a dynamite bundle at a group of pirates. The lead pirate responds by using his sword to chop the explosives in mid-air. One '''kaboom''' later the area is clear of pirates (live ones, at least).
* ZergRush: The pirates in the end of the first movie tries taking on Ma, Fatty and Hong using this method. But considering they have the advantage of rifles and explosives; the showdown quickly goes in favour for the good guys.

* HeroismAddict: Inspector Chun in the second movie, who bribes minions to stage a hold-up for him so that he can arrest them and claim credit. When he starts firing on them for real, one of his minions tries spilling the beans only to end up being KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade.

* AnAxToGrind: Axes are the preferred weapons of several pirate mooks, some in Part 1 and mostly in Part 2.
* AvengingTheVillain: In the beginning of part 2, several pirates whom are TheRemnant of Lord Sam Po from the first movie have fallen on hard times, now that the pirates have disbanded, where they vow vengeance for their boss by killing Ma. [[spoiler: Subverted that by the end of the second film, they didn’t "actually" kill Ma while having the chance since they end up working with Ma in an EnemyMine moment]].
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Dragon Ma.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: For some inexplicable reason, Ma’s buddies from part 1, Jaws, Hong and Fatty, doesn’t show up in Part 2 at all.

Multiple scenes pays homage to Creator/BusterKeaton and Creator/HaroldLloyd, with one notable scene paying homage to [[SignatureScene the most iconic image]] of Lloyd's ''Film/SafetyLast'', in which Ma drops from the face of a clock tower 60 feet above the ground, going through awnings through three floors all the way down. Apparently, even with Chan needing a week to build up the courage to do the stunt, he wasn't satisfied with how it turned out, so [[EnforcedMethodActing he demanded for the scene to be redone]] '''[[UpToEleven three]]''' [[EnforcedMethodActing times]].

In the sequel, Ma is back and so are the pirates, but now he must deal with a conspiracy of a possible mole in the ranks of the navy. The sequel notably made it into Steven Schneider's ''Literature/OneThousandAndOneMoviesYouMustSeeBeforeYouDie'', although fans largely prefer the first movie.

Multiple scenes pays homage to Creator/BusterKeaton and Creator/HaroldLloyd, with one notable scene paying homage to [[SignatureScene the most iconic image]] of Lloyd's ''Film/SafetyLast'', in which Ma drops from the face of a clock tower 60 feet above the ground, going through awnings through three floors all the way down. Apparently, Chan wasn't satisfied with how the scene turns out, so [[EnforcedMethodActing he demanded for the scene to be redone]] '''[[UpToEleven three]]''' [[EnforcedMethodActing times]].

Multiple scenes pays homage to Creator/BusterKeaton and Creator/HaroldLloyd, with one notable scene paying homage to [[SignatureScene the most iconic image]] of Lloyd's ''Film/SafetyLast'', in which Ma drops from the face of a clock tower 60 feet above the ground, going through awnings through three floors all the way down. Apparently, Chan wasn't satisfied with how the scene turns out, so [[EnforcedMethodActing he demanded for the scene to be redone]] '''[[UpToEleven three]]'' [[EnforcedMethodActing times]], with him falling from the same building again and again and again until he gets a satisfying shot.

Dragon Ma (Jackie) is a hotshot officer of the Hong Kong navy in the early 19th Century, patrolling the high seas and securing its safety with his buddy Fei "Fatty" (Sammo) and their superior, Inspector Hong (Yuen). The plot is straightforward, simply Dragon Ma stumbling into one set-piece after another, which all ends in him fighting, performing stunts, or kicking ass in general. Multiple scenes pays homage to ''Creator/BusterKeaton'' and ''Creator/HaroldLloyd'', notably a free-falling scene where Ma drops from the face of a clock tower 60 feet above the ground, going through awnings through three floors all the way down. Apparently, Chan isn't satisfied with how the scene turns out, so [[EnforcedMethodActing he demands for the scene to be redone, '''three''' times]], with him falling from the same building again and again and again until he gets a satisfying shot.

In the sequel, Ma is back and so are the pirates, but now he must deal with a conspiracy of a possible mole in the ranks of the navy. Once again Chan returns to entertain audiences with one action setpiece after another, each of them more insane than the next. The sequel notably made it into Steven Schneider's ''Literature/OneThousandAndOneMoviesYouMustSeeBeforeYouDie'', although fans largely prefers the first movie. Its ''super'' fun.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Dragon Ma. Because InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons, obviously!

* DoorSlamsYou: During the first movie’s bicycle chase, Ma is in a narrow alleyway with a thug pursuing him, both cycling at full speed. Someone opens a door behind Ma and unintentionally knocks out the thug.

''Project A'' is a 1983 MartialArtsMovie starring Creator/JackieChan, Creator/SammoHung and Yuen Biao, and is often cited as Jackie Chan's finest works, due to the amounts of death-defying stunts and insane martial art scenes depicted throughout the film.

* ChainedHeat: Part of a lengthy chase scene in the second movie happens with Ma and Chun being handcuffed to each other.

* SatellieCharacter: Jaws, Inspector Hong’s partner, who is OnlyKnownByTheirNickname and his scenes consists of interacting with the other main characters.

* CoverIdentityAnomaly: Ma uses this method to convince the pirates he’s their arms supplier during the infiltration. It works, until the [[YouAreAlreadyCheckedIn "real" arms dealer suddenly shows up]] beignescorted in by a whole different group of pirate guards…

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Dragon Ma. Because EverythingIsBetterWithDragons, obviously!