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The Protector

The Protector

Action · Crime · 1985

Billy Wong is a New York City cop whose partner is gunned down during a robbery. Billy and his new partner, Danny Garoni, are working security at a fashion show when a wealthy man's daughter, Laura Shapiro, is kidnapped. The Federal authorities suspect that Laura's father is involved with Mr. Ko, a Hong Kong drug kingpin, so the NYC police commissioner sends the two cops to Hong Kong to investigate.

Movie details

The Protector

“Now, New York has a new weapon - A cop with his own way of fighting crime.”

1985 Action · Crime 1h 34m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

5.7 / 10

5.7K votes

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

Billy Wong is a New York City cop whose partner is gunned down during a robbery. Billy and his new partner, Danny Garoni, are working security at a fashion show when a wealthy man's daughter, Laura Shapiro, is kidnapped. The Federal authorities suspect that Laura's father is involved with Mr. Ko, a Hong Kong drug kingpin, so the NYC police commissioner sends the two cops to Hong Kong to investigate.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Protector?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

James Glickenhaus

Written by

James Glickenhaus · Edward Tang

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan

Billy Wong

Danny Aiello

Danny Aiello

Danny Garoni

Roy Chiao

Roy Chiao

Mr. Ko

S

Sandy Alexander

Gang Leader

Victor Arnold

Victor Arnold

Police Captain

Kim Bass

Kim Bass

Stan Jones

I

Irene Brito

Masseuse #1

Court is in session

Put The Protector on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.