Jackie Chan is one of the most iconic and beloved action stars of all time, but those who only know him from his American hits Rush Hour or The Karate Kid might not know that he did his best work in his home city of Hong Kong during the late-70s and 80s. Here are five barnstorming Jackie movies that you may not have seen.
Drunken Master (1978) dir. Yuen Woo-ping
The obnoxious Freddie Wong (Jackie Chan) beats up another hooligan, not knowing it’s the son of an influential man. As a result, his father sends him off to train martial arts further with Beggar So (Yuen Siu-Tin), once the most renowned martial arts teacher around, now an utter drunk. When a hitman is sent after his father, Wong has to use his new drunken martial arts skills to defeat him.
One of the defining martial arts comedies of its time, the mixture of slapstick humour and intense fighting makes this an incredibly compelling watch. Chan bounces off Yuen very effectively, creating a hilarious back-and-forth during their training. Watching Wong grow from a mischievous adolescent to a focused fighter is a fantastic arc. If you’ve never watched an authentic kung-fu movie before, Drunken Master is a great place to start.
Project A (1983) dir. Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Jackie Chan
Set during the late 19th century, Hong Kong is being frequently raided by pirates. Police Officer Dragon Ma (Jackie Chan) goes rogue to take down corruption from the top—and tackle the pirate issue—with the help of local thief Fats (Sammo Hung) and, eventually, the police department.
If you’re experiencing withdrawal from crazy Mission: Impossible stunts, look no further than Project A. The film not only features some of the most innovative bicycle stunt sequences of all time, as well as a wonderful homage to the iconic Safety Last (1923) clocktower scene, but at one point Chan actually falls from a height of 70 feet. The film plays fast and loose with its period setting, but there’s no denying the delight of a well-choreographed fight scene from Chan—no one does it better.
Police Story (1985) dir. Jackie Chan
Kevin Chan (Jackie Chan) is part of a police operation to take down crime lord Chu Tao (Chor Yuen) and his gang. When the sting goes wrong, Chan has to chase the group down single-handedly. With the crime lord in court, Chan is tasked with protecting key witness Selina Fong (Brigette Lin) whilst the gang tries to eliminate her.
This is Chan’s magnum opus, a film filled to the brim with the most unbelievably insane stunts you’ve ever seen. All you can really do is sit back with a massive grin on your face and enjoy. The mix of comedy and action is perfect here, the interactions between Jackie and his girlfriend May (Maggie Cheung) are hilarious, and a stunt sequence down a pole will leave you speechless.
Armour of God (1986) dir. Jackie Chan, Eric Tsang
Jackie Chan plays Jackie, a.k.a. Asian Hawk, is a treasure hunter and adventurer. When an evil religious cult kidnaps his friend Alan’s fiancée, the two of them have to find the titular ‘Armour of God’ to set her free.
This is the most globe-trotting Chan film to date, travelling all over Europe as Jackie gets into increasingly crazy situations. It is an Indiana Jones-inspired adventure film featuring even more Cruise-like stunts, such as a preposterous base jump from a cliff that lands on top of a hot-air balloon. There’s also a car chase with a custom futuristic Mitsubishi that rivals anything the Bond series ever did with an Aston Martin.
Dragons Forever (1988) dir. Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Fishery owner Yip (Deanne Yip) is seeking court action for a chemical plant polluting its waters. The plant hires lawyer Jackie (Jackie Chan) to try to discredit the business. Jackie hires his arms dealer friend Wong (Sammo Hung) to woo the fishery’s owner and Tung (Yuen Biao) to bug the apartment. Wong falls for the fishery’s owner whilst Jackie falls for her cousin Wen, an environmental scientist willing to testify against the plant. When the three men accidentally uncover that the plant is a cover for a drug empire, Jackie and his crew have to take down and destroy the plant for good.
A mix between a courtroom drama, martial arts comedy, and thrilling action thriller, Dragons Forever effortlessly showcases how well Chan can bounce off his co-stars to create a very funny but also incredibly engaging flick, concluding with an outstanding martial arts sequence between Chan and kickboxer Benny Urquidez. Dragons Forever encapsulates everything that works in Jackie Chan movies: humour, bromance, and authenticity.
Appealing to kids and adults alike, Jackie Chan has an endless number of great movies for you to enjoy. Once you do a deep dive into his filmography, you will see one of the most talented stunt actors since Buster Keaton, a man willing to put his body on the line in servitude to cinema. Without Chan, modern action films wouldn’t be the same; each and every one of his Hong Kong movies deserves to be as beloved as his American ones.
Words by Jordon Searle
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