Jackie Chan Movies
One of the most popular film personalities in the world, Jackie Chan came from a poverty-stricken Hong Kong family -- so poor, claims Chan, that he was almost sold in infancy to a wealthy British couple. As it turned out, Chan became his family's sole support. Enrolled in the Chinese Opera Research Institute at the age of seven, he spent the next decade in rigorous training for a career with the Peking Opera, excelling in martial arts and acrobatics.Billed as Cheng Lung, Chan entered films in his mid-teens, appearing in 25 productions before his 20th birthday. Starting out as a stunt man, Chan was promoted to stardom as the potential successor to the late Bruce Lee. In his earliest starring films, he was cast as a stone-cold serious type, determined to avenge Lee's death. Only when he began playing for laughs did Chan truly attain full celebrity status. Frequently referred to as the Buster Keaton of kung-fu, Chan's outlook on life is a lot more optimistic than Keaton's, but in his tireless devotion to the most elaborate of sight gags and the most awe-inspiring of stunts (many of which have nearly cost him his life), Chan is Keaton incarnate.
From 1978's The Young Master onward, Chan has usually been his own director and screenwriter. His best Hong Kong-produced films include the nonstop action-fests Project A (1983), Police Story (1985), Armour of God (1986), and the Golden Horse Award-winning Crime Story (1993) -- not to mention the multiple sequels of each of the aforementioned titles. Despite his popularity in Europe and Asia, Chan was for many years unable to make a dent in the American market. He tried hard in such films as The Big Brawl (1980) and the first two Cannonball Run flicks, but American filmgoers just weren't buying.
At long last, Chan mined U.S. box-office gold with 1996's Rumble in the Bronx, a film so exhilarating that audiences never noticed those distinctly Canadian mountain ranges looming behind the "Bronx" skyline. Chan remained the most popular Asian actor with the greatest potential to cross over into the profitable English-speaking markets, something he again demonstrated when he co-starred with Chris Tucker in the 1998 box-office hit Rush Hour. In 2000 Chan had another success on his hands with Shanghai Noon, a comedy Western in which he starred as an Imperial Guard dispatched to the American West to rescue the kidnapped daughter (Lucy Liu) of the Chinese Emperor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
This 2000 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Jackie Chan and features musical guest Kid Rock. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Kid Rock, (more)
Jackie Chan has often played a fish out of water, but he's rarely found himself so far upstream as in this comic adventure, in which he puts his fighting skills to the test in the Old West of the 1850s. Lo Fong (Roger Yuan), onetime captain of the Chinese Imperial Guard, has traded upholding the law for smuggling opium. Needing some operating capital, Lo Fong kidnaps the Emperor's daughter, Princess Pei Pei (Lucy Liu), and takes her to America. When the Emperor sends his best men to find her, Chon Wang (Chan), one of the Emperor's less distinguished guards, insists on joining them; he feels at fault for Lo Fong's capturing the Princess, and he wants to make amends. However, while the rescue party scours the West, Chon Wang gets separated from the group and soon becomes lost. When he crosses paths with Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson), a bright but arrogant train robber, the two become unlikely allies. While Shanghai Noon was billed as Jackie Chan's follow-up to Rush Hour, his first successful American-made feature, it was actually filmed in Canada, as was Chan's breakthrough film in America, the Hong Kong-backed Rumble in the Bronx. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, (more)
- 1999
- NR
Renowned actor/director Sylvia Chang created this richly layered film about memory, regret, and lost love. The film opens as successful filmmaker Cheryl (Chang) discusses a script idea about young love with a young screenwriter. She pitches a story about Shao-rou (Gigi Leung) a beautiful though clumsy schoolgirl who falls for a quiet, guitar-playing young man named Ho-chuen (Takeshi Kaneshiro). They develop a deep and enduring passion in spite of meddling parents, jealous friends, and their own naïveté. Yet when they are caught stealing away for a night at far-off Lantau Island, they face the wrath of Shao-rou's mother. The strain proves too much and they tearfully break up. Shao-rou's best friend Li (Karen Mok) responds to the news by offering both emotional sympathy and a bungled attempt at physical affection. The already distraught teen flees, ending their long friendship. Later, when Hou-chuen and Shao-rou meet by happenstance in Tokyo, they quickly realize that time has not altered their feelings for each other. She has become a successful fashion designer while he has become a less-than-successful tour guide. The twist comes when we learn not just that Hou-chuen is married but also who his wife turned out to be. As Cheryl describes the affair, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell if she is outlining a storyline or reminiscing about an old flame. Leung and Kaneshiro, one of Asia's biggest heartthrobs, give sensitive and charismatic performances as both awkward teenagers and world-weary adults. Chang employs a complex narrative structure of flashbacks and flashforwards to tell this beautifully wrought, quietly touching story. This film was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Takeshi Kaneshiro, Gigi Leung, (more)
Jackie Chan has become known for doing the dangerous stunts his characters perform in the films. This documentary, hosted by the actor, shows how some of those stunts were rehearsed and what happens when some of the stunts go wrong. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
A pair of martial arts legends do battle through the magic of 21st century technology in this documentary that dares pose the question "Who would win in a battle between Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan?" From Lee's unparalleled ferocity to Chan's cunning acrobatic comedy, this question leaves no stone unturned in the quest to find out who truly is the world's greatest martial artist. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Young upstart cops are thrown into a maelstrom of danger in this Hong Kong-lensed action thriller. Ten tons of powerful explosives, recently recovered from smugglers, have been stolen by a Japanese terrorist group, led by criminal mastermind Akatura, and the Hong Kong police have to act quickly before the explosives fall into the wrong hands or are used against the wrong people. Chan (Eric Tsang), a effective but non-conformist police detective, decides to use cops that no one will suspect are cops; he pulls three promising but unlikely-looking students from the Police Academy and gives them a crash course on tracking terrorists. Jack (Nicholas Tse), Alien (Sam Lee), and Match (Stephen Fung) are soon sent out to infiltrate the operations of Akatura's right-hand man Daniel (Daniel Wu); along the way, they join forces with Y2K (Grace Yip), a female crime fighter with a talent for electronics. But the young cops soon discover that busting an international terrorist network is no piece of cake; their initial plan goes haywire, and they learn that Akatura plans to use his new-found firepower against the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. Boasting a high level of visual polish, Gen-X Cops features visual effects from Joe Viskocil and Sam Nicholson, who have worked on such blockbusters as Independence Day, Apollo 13, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Jackie Chan also makes a brief cameo appearance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Toru Nakamura, Eric Tsang, (more)
International action star Jackie Chan shifts gears in Bolei Cheun, in which martial arts are put on the back burner and romantic comedy is in the forefront. Bu (Shu Qi), the daughter of a pair of Taiwanese restaurant owners, one day finds a bottle floating near the docks with a message inside. The note reads, "Do you know I'm waiting for you?" and is signed "Albert," with an address in Hong Kong attached. Bu, convinced this is her destiny, flies to Hong Kong to meet the mysterious Albert, only to find he's a gay cosmetologist (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) who intended for the note to be found by his ex-boyfriend. But Albert is understanding and lets Bu stay at his apartment. Albert lets Bu tag along for a photo shoot he's working and she meets multi-millionaire C.N. Chan (Jackie Chan) when she helps him ward off a gang of toughs hired by L. W. Lo (Emil Chow), who became Chan's enemy in their schooldays and is still out to make his life miserable. Chan is single and a bit lonely, and quickly finds himself attracted to Bu. Bu discovers she likes Chan as well, but things become sticky when her boyfriend flies in from Taiwan to find out what she's done -- and Lo sends an American martial arts champion out to kidnap Chan's new love. While Bolei Cheun does feature a few sequences displaying Jackie Chan's unique fighting style and acrobatic dexterity, the emphasis is on the story and characters rather than the action, with Chan in a rare romantic lead, Leung cast against type and Shu Qi dominating most of the film's first act. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Shu Qi, (more)
Brett Ratner directed this action-comedy that found box-office success by teaming Chris Tucker with Jackie Chan -- performing his own stunts as per his earlier films. As the story begins, Hong-Kong supercop Lee's (Chan), detective savvy leads to the confiscation of $500 million in weapons, drugs, and Chinese art. When Hong Kong Chinese Consul Han (Tzi Ma), is sent on a diplomatic mission to Los Angeles, his 11-year-old daughter, Soo Young (Julia Hsu), is abducted by an international criminal mastermind. The FBI assures Han they will find the kidnappers and return her safely, yet Han only trusts his longtime friend and ally (also his daughter's beloved martial arts teacher) Inspector Lee, who immediately flies in to help. Unwilling to have an outsider interfere in their investigation, the FBI assigns rogue LAPD detective (and buffoon) James Carter (Chris Tucker) to the case. Hoping to impress the FBI, Carter enthusiastically reports for work but is dismayed to discover his real mission is only to keep Lee away from the case (read b-a-b-y-s-i-t-t-e-r). The arrogant Carter reacts by embarking on a one-man crusade to solve the case, but he must first distract Lee. It doesn't take Carter long before he realizes he has greatly underestimated his Hong Kong counterpart, who sees what's going on and slips away. Impatient FBI agents try to cast off these unwanted misfit cops, but with an assist from LAPD bomb expert Tania Johnson (Elizabeth Pena), Carter and Lee eventually confront the bad guys in a full-tilt action sequence. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, (more)
Jackie Chan wrote, directed and stars in this English-language action-comedy tale of about a commando group that travels to South Africa to kidnap scientists working on new energy sources. However, a Washington-based cover-up requires a downed plane after completion of the mission, and Jackie is the only survivor of the plane crash. When the crash trauma leaves him with amnesia, his question, "Who am I?" becomes his name -- Whoami. Recognized by CIA agent Morgan (Ron Smerczak), Whoami learns covert operatives have sent assassins to eliminate him, and the martial arts footwork gets fancy with Whoami heading to Rotterdam in hopes of recovering his memory. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Michelle Ferre, (more)
Mr. Nice Guy opens on a darkened Australian warehouse full of seedy criminal types who have gathered to make a large-scale drug transaction. When it goes horribly wrong and bullets start flying, the hoods flee in different directions -- until one realizes an investigative reporter (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick) has caught the whole episode on video. If she gets the chance to air it on her top-rated news show, it could bring down a powerful crime family. As thugs begin chasing her, the reporter runs into a mild-mannered TV show chef named Jackie (Jackie Chan), whom her pursuers mistake for a cohort. After several thrilling escapes, the tape has accidentally changed hands, unknowingly swapped with a children's video Jackie was bringing to a family friend. As the criminals, dispatched by mob boss Giancarlo (Richard Norton), seek out both Jackie and the reporter for the tape, Jackie's visiting girlfriend (Miki Lee) and his assistant (Karen McLymont) get mixed up in the chase. Meanwhile, the bad guys will stop at nothing, including confronting Jackie on the set of a live cooking show and trying to blow up his apartment. An English-language Hong Kong import, Mr. Nice Guy was filmed after Chan finally earned stateside success with Rumble in the Bronx, but before he was recruited to Hollywood and the Rush Hour movies. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Richard Norton, (more)
First, a little background: in 1955, the Director's Guild of America created the pseudonym Alan Smithee, which film directors are allowed to use if they feel their work has been tampered with to such a degree that they no longer want the credit. (For example, if you look at the credits of the expanded and heavily narrated TV version of Dune, you'll notice the director is not listed as David Lynch, but as Alan Smithee.) An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn is a comedy about a film editor (played by Eric Idle) who finally gets his big break -- he's given the opportunity to direct a big-budget action film starring Sylvester Stallone, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jackie Chan. But filming does not go well (the budget eventually balloons to 200 million dollars) and the producer, James Edmunds (Ryan O'Neal), tampers with the final cut of the film. As a result, the hapless neophyte director doesn't want his name to appear on the credits. But his real name is Alan Smithee, so what's he supposed to do? In a stunning example of art imitating life, director Arthur Hiller was supposedly unhappy with the interference of screenwriter and producer Joe Eszterhas on this project and chose to remove his name from the credits -- so An Alan Smithee Film carries the directorial credit of none other than Alan Smithee. Rappers Coolio and Chuck D appear as the filmmaking Brothers Brothers; Chuck D also contributed to the film's score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan O'Neal, Coolio, (more)
- 1996
- Add The Invincible Fighter: The Jackie Chan Story to QueueAdd The Invincible Fighter: The Jackie Chan Story to top of Queue
The setting is Hong Kong and the hero of the film is Jackie Chan. This documentary chronicles the life and entertainment career of the star of Hong Kong action films. Archival photographs and the personal recollections of family and friends paint a portrait of the private life of the film star. Clips from movies, such as Top Fighter and Rush Hour, as well as the television series Jackie Chan's Adventures show the martial artist's prowess and skill. Interviews with Chanand his colleagues give viewers an inside look at how some of the stunts are set up and carried out, as they put the action in action films. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
Jackie Chan dons a helmet and jumpsuit to stars in this critically panned action flick about crime and hotrods. Jackie is an ace car mechanic and an even better driver who gets himself involved with notorious bandit racer Cougar (Thoresten Nickel) during a casual street race. The Hong Kong cops have long been looking for Cougar for not only illegally modifying racing vehicles, but also for a string of less obscure crimes like murder and extortion. When Jackie beats the guy in the race, Cougar is furious. As a result of the race, Cougar gets dragged to the clink and vows revenge. Soon after, Cougar busts out of prison kills Jackie's parents, kidnaps his sister (Anita Yuen Wing-yee), and demands that he race him in the Sendai Grand Prix in northern Japan. Wild high-speed chases and a rollicking kung-fu fight in a pachinko parlor ensue. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Ever wondered what a James Bond movie might be like if (a) Bond was from Hong Kong, (b) he was too busy to chase women or drink martinis, and (c) he spent a lot more time kicking people? Well, Jackie Chan gives us an idea of what the results might be as he plays a superspy in this funny and fast-moving action saga. Jackie (Jackie Chan) is a top cop from Hong Kong whose services are enlisted by the American CIA to follow a woman named Natasha (Grishajeva Nonna) who is travelling to the Ukraine. Natasha is smuggling U.S. currency into the former Soviet Union -- enough of it that a terrorist named Tsui (Jackson Lou) has been able to purchase a nuclear warhead from the Russian Mafia on the black market. Joining forces with Russian intelligence, Jackie and Ukrainian agent Gregor (Yuri Petrov) follow Tsui's trail to Australia, where Annie (Chen Chun Wu), the terrorist's sister, works at an oceanic theme park and uses deadly sea creatures to protect the illegally-obtained warhead. As usual, narrative takes a back seat to Chan's peerless action sequences and stunt work, including a chase of snowboards, a battle with sharks, and a memorable fight in which Chan proves that a ladder can be a splendid strategic weapon. As with many of Chan's films, Police Story 4: First Strike has been released under a multitude of titles in different territories, including Jackie Chan's First Strike, Police Story 4: Piece of Cake, and Police Story 4: Story of the CIA. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Jackson Lou, (more)
After years as a major star in most of the rest of the world, Jackie Chan finally broke through to stardom in the United States with Rumble in the Bronx, a dubbed and re-edited version of Hung Fan Kui. Here Chan plays Keung, a police officer from Hong Kong who travels to New York to attend the wedding of his uncle, Bill (Bill Tung). Bill has just sold his grocery store to Elaine (Anita Mui), and Keung finds Elaine to be a pretty good reason to extend his visit to New York. However, a mean-spirited and fashion-challenged street gang has moved into the neighborhood and is demanding protection money from the local storekeepers. Elaine is ready to sell the store and move on, but Keung is determined to show the toughs that he's not about to be pushed around. Things get even more sticky when the hoods are on the trail of a lost cache of stolen jewels. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, (more)
Jackie Chan returns in one of his greatest roles in this action-comedy sequel to his 1978 Hong Kong blockbuster Drunken Master. Wong Fei Hong (Chan) is a young master of the martial art of "drunken boxing," in which fighters use alcohol to blind themselves to pain and release the angry brawler within; with the right amount of drinks under his belt, Hong can become a furious one-man army. Hong accompanies his father (Ti Lung) on a voyage to China, where they purchase a precious supply of ginseng. When Hong discovers thugs stealing from their luggage, he leaps into action to get their belongings back. Instead, he winds up with a box of valuable Chinese artifacts, which criminals are hoping to smuggle to England at a tremendous profit. Hong sets out to fight the gangsters and give the artifacts back to their rightful owners, but while his stepmother (Anita Mui) encourages him to use his drunken boxing skills, his father feels his boozy antics bring shame to the family. Jackie Chan brought some of his most elaborate stunt work to Drunken Master 2, including a remarkable fight on a bed of hot coals; Chan also directed part of the film, after Lau Kar Leung was fired after a number of disagreements with his star. Six years after it became a box office hit in Asia, Drunken Master 2 earned a theatrical release in the United States; the film was re-titled Legend Of The Drunken Master (in part because the original Drunken Master never had a proper theatrical release in America), re-edited, and dubbed into English, with a new score by Michael Wandmacher. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Ti Lung, (more)
Follow the remarkable life of martial arts icon Bruce Lee, from his birth in San Francisco to his mysterious death in Hong Kong, in an absorbing, highly informative documentary featuring interviews with those who were closest to the legendary actor and athlete. Few screen stars have experienced such a rapid rise to stardom as the star of Enter the Dragon and Game of Death, and now, as such friends and colleagues as Jackie Chan, James Coburn, and Bolo Yeung share their fondest memories of the agile martial arts icon, fans can finally find out just why he continues to inspire such stars as Ong-Bak's Tony Jaa even decades after his untimely death. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Internationally famed action star Jackie Chan tones down his usual martial arts pyrotechnics for a more traditionally dramatic role in this police drama. Crime Story finds Chan portraying a Hong Kong police detective, an honest cop guilt-ridden over his participation in a recent shoot-out. He is absolved of wrong-doing by the force, however, and assigned to protect a major real estate developer. Despite Chan's best efforts, though, the man under his care is soon kidnapped. The criminals demand millions in payment from the developer's wife, and Chan takes it upon himself to try and foil their plot and rescue the developer. His job is made more difficult by the fact that his new partner on the case, an esteemed detective, is secretly in cahoots with the criminals. Though there are a number of martial arts sequences near the film's climax, much of the action is more typical of Hollywood than Hong Kong, consisting of shoot-outs, explosions, and extended car chases. The ample amount of blood and the overall gritty tone combines with Chan's restrained performance to create a darker experience than most other Chan films familiar to American audiences. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Kent Cheng, (more)
Even for viewers who can take or leave martial-arts films, the work of Jackie Chan bears special attention. Chan is quite simply the hardest-working movie star in the world, regularly participating in the sort of death-defying stuntwork which would make most American action heroes cringe in fear. Combining his daredevil heroics with an almost goofy brand of self-effacing humor, Chan is one of the genre's most entertaining and engaging personalities. In this film, third in the Police Story series, Chan plays a Hong Kong detective working undercover with the Chinese police to nab a Malaysian druglord. The usual hair-raising gamut of stunts follow, and numerous shootouts, fights and explosions surround the plucky cop as he combats bad guys atop a moving train, a bus, a motorcycle, a speedboat, cars, and trucks, eventually being swung through the city at high speed on a rope-ladder suspended from a helicopter. For the kind of fast-paced exotic thrills that make James Bond look like a wimp, this film is the place to go. There are some amusing comedy bits too, as when Chan's superiors all go undercover as his long-lost family, and the story zips along at a feverish clip. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Michelle Khan, (more)
International action star Jackie Chan stars opposite knockabout comedy sensation Jackie Chan in this story about identical twins separated in childhood who are unexpectedly reunited years later. While on the run from a Hong Kong hospital, an escaped convict takes an infant hostage, leaving the baby's identical twin brother behind. While the criminal is soon back behind bars, the police can't find the baby, who was hidden in the woods. The child is found by a well-meaning but hard-drinking woman who raises him on her own, while his brother moves to the United States with his parents. Years later, the brother raised in America, John (Jackie Chan), is a world-renowned classical musician, while the other, Boomer (Chan again), is a rough-and-tumble auto mechanic who likes to race cars and start fights. When Boomer's best friend hatches a dubious scheme to win the freedom of a nightclub singer (Maggie Cheung) in dutch with gangsters, he finds himself involved and in danger, just in time for John to arrive in Hong Kong for a concert appearance. The two brothers soon meet by accident, and suddenly finds themselves mistaken for each other. On one hand, both are pleased with the romantic possibilities, as John takes a shine to the nightclub chanteuse and Boomer discovers John's girlfriend is turned on by his more physical personality. On the other hand, John finds people are shooting at him, while Boomer is now expected to conduct an orchestra. Two of Hong Kong's leading directors, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, teamed for this action comedy, which was a major hit in Hong Kong in 1992, but didn't receive a wide theatrical release in the United States until seven years later. The 1999 American release was dubbed into English (with Chan doing his own voice) and trimmed to 89 minutes from the original running time of 100 minutes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, (more)
This 1992 film is a live-action version of a popular Japanese comic book and animated series, transformed into a vehicle for international action hero Jackie Chan. Ryu Saeba (Chan), a womanizing private detective, is hired to find the runaway daughter of a wealthy businessman. Ryu's pursuit of the girl leads him to a cruise ship. Through coincidence, and a plot device borrowed from Die Hard, the ocean liner is hijacked, leaving Ryu to contend with the hostage takers as well as the elusive daughter. The action is satisfying, but standard fare for Chan, highlighted by a scene in which an onscreen battle between Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabar from the film Game of Death plays on a movie screen in the background, while Chan and his opponents mimic the fight in the foreground. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
Chu Yen-ping directs this all-star cast prison flick about cop Huang Wei (Tony Leung Kar-fai) who goes into the clink undercover to figure out how the fingerprints of a long deceased death-row inmate ended up at the scene of a recent murder. There he quickly runs afoul of gangland powers, making his life a living hell. His fellow inmates include Lung (Jackie Chan) who killed a card sharp to pay for an operation for his girlfriend; Triad (Andy Lau Tak-wah) who looking for the guy who killed his brother in jail; and Lui (Sammo Hung Kam-po) a sadsack con who regularly breaks out to visit his son. Later, Huang kills a prison guard and is sentenced to death. He soon learns that the jail's crazed warden is using supposedly executed criminals to kill crime bosses who are beyond the law. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Tony Leung Kar-Fai, (more)
