Make the Case: 5 Essential Jackie Chan Films

Make the Case lists choices chronologically, rather than in any order of quality. Picks reflect film acting roles only. If the actor in question also directed the movie, that’s purely a coincidence, and it plays no part in the film’s inclusion.

Despite the faint memory of watching a bad VHS copy of Drunken Master when I was 7 or so years old, my exposure to Jackie Chan movies began where it started for a lot of other people in the western part of the world. I heard about Rumble in the Bronx because it just happened to be the film that finally gave Chan the wider audience he had been striving towards for the past few decades. I also heard about it because the movie was shot in and around Vancouver. Even in small towns like Lake Cowichan, British Columbia, trivia like that could make its way over to us.

The only thing I really knew about Rumble in the Bronx was that I needed to get ready for one of the best martial arts films of all time. Renting the movie from one of our tiny video stores was challenging. There was only one copy. Eventually, I saw it. For a time, I really did believe it was the greatest martial arts movie of all time.

Certainly, it was the best martial arts movie I had seen up to that point.

That opinion has changed over the years. The love for Jackie Chan’s inhuman ability to absorb punishment, choreograph astonishing fight scenes, and remain an incredibly likable, rounded leading man has endured nicely. At 63 years of age, no one is going to pretend that Jackie Chan has the same speed and durability he had in his youth. What he does continue to possess is a singular charisma, a nearly-inhuman amount of energy, and those sometimes underrated acting chops. Recent efforts like Skiptrace are hardly on the level of films like Supercop or Police Story. Most of the films, particularly the American ones, Chan has made since finding mainstream success in the mid-90s are watchable, even endearing. Some of them are modern genre classics.

In the end, virtually all of them depict a movie star with numerous gifts. All of those gifts are anchored by his seemingly relentless enthusiasm. A millionaire many times over, Chan continues to experiment as an actor, producer, and director. Audiences tend to focus on the martial arts and dizzying, dangerous stunts. That is obviously fair enough. Still, a deeper look into Chan’s filmography can add fascinating depth to his range and choices. His best work emphasizes his standing as one of the best action heroes of all time, one of the best martial arts film stars of all time, and as one of the most gifted physical comedians of all time. All of that makes for an impressive depiction of Jackie Chan as an actor and leading man.

However, if you’re willing to get into Chan’s 150+ film/5 decade deep career, you can find an even greater range of qualities that might explain his status as a vibrant icon. No one should accuse Jackie Chan of coasting on a reputation. The man seems to be working harder than ever.

 

1. Drunken Master (1978)

Simply in terms of energy and comedic stylings, it’s hard to believe Drunken Master is nearly forty years old. Equally impressive is that by the time Chan played the title role in the film, he had already been working as an actor and stuntman for some sixteen years. Drunken Master is one of the earliest examples of the comedic martial arts film genre that Chan would eventually help to popularize—to the point of being considered one of the founders of that specific type of martial arts film. Chan would prove he was capable of doing other movie types later on. On its own, Drunken Master is a wonderful example of its type. It also gives us the kind of winning Jackie Chan performance, particularly in terms of his astonishing (even then) comic timing, that would be a consistency throughout the 80s and beyond.

 

2. Police Story (1985)

Between 1978 and 1985, Chan made several more films, including at least a few that are now regarded as classic examples of their respective genres (Project A would be a good example). There were also failed attempts at breaking through with American audiences (The Big Brawl in 1980, followed by The Protector in 1985). In that regard, Chan would have to wait a few more years. In the meantime, he continued to cement his reputation as a writer, director, and actor, and perhaps most importantly, as a stuntman. Police Story gave him perhaps the best outlet up to that point for many of those gifts. It also started a franchise that continues to the present.

Police Story offers breathtaking action scenes, considerable, steady tension, and one of the best performances of Chan’s career. This is still a martial arts film that inspires, and you’ll understand why that’s the case within the first fifteen minutes.

 

3. Police Story 3: Supercop (1991)

Sequels are generally not welcome on this list, if I already went with an earlier entry. Chan’s most popular Chinese film series gets a pass, simply because all of the Police Story movies are pretty close to the mark of flawless. Each film is a unique entity worthy of praise. For many, Police Story 3 is the best of the series to date. It does feature some of Chan’s most remarkable stunt work, as well an ability to blend action with comedy that was truly coming into its own by this point. With touches of tangible, useful drama, Supercop may well be the best movie to show someone, if you want to introduce them to the best Jackie Chan films thus far.

 

4. Drunken Master II (1994)

Look: I generally hate including sequels, particularly with only five slots to fill on this list. It may also strike some as unfair that we’re going to the same well twice. If it helps, Drunken Master II isn’t really a sequel to Chan’s 1978. At least, it’s not a sequel in the sense that you have to watch the first one to appreciate this one. Chan has been likened to Buster Keaton on more than one occasion. Drunken Master II features the most astonishing blend of stunt work and physical comedy since Keaton let someone drop a piece of a fucking house on what wound up almost being his skull. There are dozens of examples of Chan’s work, even in absolute dreck, where the Buster Keaton comparison makes absolute sense. This is one of the best arguments for that comparison, and it is the main reason why I couldn’t keep this film from the list.

 

5. Shanghai Noon (2000)

By the start of the 21st century, Jackie Chan had become a global superstar. His work ethic didn’t seem to change in response to this. While the overall quality of his films from this point forward took something of a downturn, particularly in the increasingly pathetic American films he leant his presence to, there are still gems to be found right up to the present. It helps that he continues to be extremely prolific.

Including Shanghai Noon was a tough decision for me. I would venture to say that it’s his best Western comedy to date. I don’t think everyone is going to agree with that (particularly since Rush Hour is probably more popular), but I think Owen Wilson is a slightly less obnoxious sidekick than Chris Tucker. I would also make the argument that Shanghai Noon is probably the best of Chan’s stranger-in-a-strange-land trope, which tends to be the basis for most of his American-made projects.

Finally, just in terms of an American film giving Chan the space to work to the level of his Hong Kong classics, I would say Shanghai Noon is notable. Wilson is exemplary comic foil for Chan, and the stunt work is, for my personal money, better than anything he did in Rush Hour, the dreadful Shanghai Knights sequel, and others.

In the present, Jackie Chan is busier than ever. Despite the fact that the truly great films are becoming fewer and farther between, his performances remain worth watching for the most part.