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
Jackie Chan returns to his adventuring Indiana Jones-esque Asian Hawk character with this rollicking action-adventure yarn. In this go-around, Jackie (aka the Asian Hawk) is looking for 240 tons of gold stolen by the Nazis and buried beneath the Sahara. Along the way, he teams up with a stuck-up archeologist named Ada (Carol Cheng), a Japanese tourist named Momoko (Shoko Ikeda), and Elsa (Eva Cobo De Garcia), the granddaughter of the Nazi captain who originally hid the booty. Opposing them is various groups of blackguards and mercenaries along with Adolf (Aldo Sanbrell) -- the last surviving soldier from the original company -- who is hell-bent on getting the gold himself. Soon, two of Jackie's companions find themselves sold into slavery while Jackie battles the baddies in a massive WWII-era wind tunnel. This film ran 100 percent over Chan's already lavish -- by Hong Kong standards -- budget, making it one of the most expensive films that industry has ever produced. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Carol Cheng, (more)
- 1990
Piecing together exciting film footage of martial arts performances, Deadliest Art demonstrates the reasons for the popularity of martial arts combat in visual entertainment. The history of the art, including basics of the Eastern philosophies that govern it, provides insight along with the demonstration of various types of martial arts fighting. Touching on the skills and frame of mind necessary to perform feats of this kind, this film showcases the beauty of defense without weapons, as well as special techniques required to incorporate the use of weapons, and the ways in which the martial arts have been showcased in the film industry. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
This Hong Kong film is inspired by two of Frank Capra's films: the 1933 classic Lady for a Day, and Capra's own 1961 remake, Pocketful of Miracles. Directed by Jackie Chan, Chan also stars as Dragon, an up-and-coming gangster in 1930s Hong Kong who rises through the mob ranks by a series of lucky coincidences. Chan attributes his good luck to an old woman, a street vendor who he believes sells lucky roses. When the woman's wealthy daughter comes to visit, Dragon is determined to help the woman impress her daughter. This film was a labor of love for Chan, and his regular collaborators, Bill Tung, Sammo Hung, Anita Mui, and Yuen Biao also make appearances. Although there are bits of action throughout, this sentimental film emphasizes its warm-hearted characters. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, (more)
- 1988
Hong Kong's answer to Hollywood's hoary Police Academy series, this film -- directed by Wellson Chin -- concerns the local police force's attempts at creating a crack all-female special unit force. Under the strict and watchful eye of Madam Hu (Sibelle Hu) and Madam Lo (Cynthia Rothrock), prospective candidates suffer through grueling training regimes and brutal physical conditioning. Meanwhile, the women has piqued the interest in their male counterparts, Tiger Squad, who train in an adjacent camp. Soon, the women are spending almost as much time getting romanced by the men as they are doing deep-knee bends. When the two squads are assigned to guard a fashion show where valuable jewelry is to be displayed. When the show is crashed by some kung-fu wielding thieves, the squad shows off what it learned. This film was a huge hit in Hong Kong, launch at least three sequels. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Hong Kong filmmaker Stanley Kwan directs this stunning supernatural melodrama about a passion, romance, and lost history. Fleur (Anita Mui) is a 1930s high-class courtesan who finds herself sucked into a doomed relationship with Twelfth Master Chan Chen-Pang (Leslie Cheung), the rakish scion of a prosperous business family that disapproves of their union. After a brief but intense courtship, the two resolve to be together in the afterworld by swallowing opium. Yet once there, Fleur discovers that she is alone. After waiting 50 years for her dearly beloved, she re-emerges in 1987 to place a personal ad. In the process, she enlists the aid of a pair of journalists: Yuen (Alex Man) and his feisty, occasionally jealous girlfriend Ah Chor (Emily Chu). Fleur learns that the Hong Kong she knew has by and large disappeared: the brothel where she worked was now a kindergarten. As she tells them of her love for Twelfth Master, the two journalists begin to find their relationship intensifying. As Fleur's spirit grows weaker, their search continues until it yields results that are both sad and ironic. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, (more)
- 1988
Hefty martial arts star Sammo Hung directs this wacky kung-fu-comedy featuring Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. Jackie Lung (Chan) is a philandering attorney who has been hired by ruthless gangster Hua Hsien-wu (Yuen Wah), who thwarts a lawsuit brought about by the wealthy and angry Miss Yip (Deanie Yip Tak-han). Her complains center around Hua's chemical factory, which she claims is polluting the local drinking water. Hua -- who is making illegal drugs in the factory -- isn't about to give up this lucrative franchise and resorts to all manners of less-than-legal means to defend it. Jackie gets his buddies Wong Fei-hung (Hung) and Tung Tak-biao (Yuen) to convince Miss Yip to sell her fish farm. When Fei-hung moves in next to Miss Yip, he starts to seduce her while Jackie tries to attract Yip's comely lawyer (Pauline Yueng Po-ling). Of course, the scheme falls flat when Jackie and Fei-hung realize that they have actually fallen for their marks while realizing that Hua is a very evil man. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1988
This drama focuses on life at the Peking Opera School and is a loose biography of Hong Kong film stars Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao. Sammo Hung portrays Master Yu, the academy's brutal schoolmaster, who takes the youths through the rigorous acrobatic training. The film offers an introspective view of Master Yu, as a man who must face the fact that the institution to which he has devoted his life is fading with the passage of time. Although many of the film collaborations of Hung, Chan, and Baio have hinted at their youth together, this film attempts to depict the harsh reality. Nevertheless, Chan has criticized the film, stating that his longtime friend Hung's portrayal was actually too sympathetic an interpretation of Master Yu. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sammo Hung, Ham-bo, (more)
This slapstick martial arts film is often regarded as superior to the original Project A. Dragon (Jackie Chan) runs against the pirates he defeated in the first film and also gets in trouble with corrupt cops, and a revolutionary group that includes popular Hong Kong actress Michelle Cheung. Many of the acrobatic fight sequences in this installment are legendary, including a scene where Dragon runs down the wall of a collapsing building in the style of Buster Keaton. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, (more)
- 1987
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Jackie Chan takes a break from police thrillers featuring kung-fu and wild stunts to star and direct this action-adventure yarn featuring kung-fu and wild stunts. Chan plays Jackie, aka the Asian Hawk, an Indiana Jones-style adventurer looking to make a fortune finding exotic antiquities. After discovering a mysterious sword in Africa, a band of Satan-worshipping monks kidnap Jackie's ex-girlfriend Lorelei (Rosamund Kwan), demanding as ransom the sword and other pieces of the legendary Armour of God -- a reportedly magical outfit dating back to the Crusades. He manages to get the objects in question from wealthy collector Bannon (Bozidar Smiljanic), and together with Bannon's daughter May (Lola Forner) and, of course, Hong Kong rock star Alan (Alan Tam), the three head out to rescue Lorelei. When they do, they discover too late that she has been brainwashed. She drugs Alan, taking him and the armor back to the monastery. Jackie is forced to take on an army of satanic monks single-handedly. This film is perhaps best remembered as the shoot that almost killed Jackie Chan. While jumping from one tree to another, he slipped and plunged almost 40 feet landing on his head. True to hallowed Hong Kong tradition, that outtake along with dozens of others is included at the end of the film. This film was released in the States under the misleading title Operation Condor 2: The Armour of the Gods, even though the supposed original Operation Condor was made four years afterwards. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Alan Tam, (more)
In this crime drama, set in Hong Kong, police officers begin a city-wide search for a psychotic killer. Along the way, they must also deal with their own personal and professional issues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, (more)
Although this American action film, which has little of Jackie Chan's comedic martial arts, was less successful in the U.S. than hoped, it is still a worthy effort. Chan plays Billy Wong, a New York cop whose partner is murdered by Hong Kong gangsters. His new partner is Danny Gorani (Danny Aiello). They are sent to rescue an American woman who was kidnapped and taken to Hong Kong. There, they must also stop a shipment of narcotics before it reaches the U.S. The mismatching of Chan and Aiello is reminiscent of the chemistry between Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy in the original buddy-cop film, 48 HRS. The lack of success of this enjoyable thriller was unfortunate; Chan would not make another attempt to break into the American market until 1996 with the hit Rumble in the Bronx. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Danny Aiello, (more)
This third installment in the popular "Lucky Stars" series -- directed by Sammo Hung -- finds Muscles (Jackie Chan), Kidstuff (Hung), Fung (Yuen Biao), and the gang taking a well-needed vacation in Thailand courtesy of the Hong Kong police department. Also on the trip is police inspector Woo (Sibelle Hu Hui-chang) on orders to track down a list of drug dealers from informant Ma (Melvin Wong Kam-sun). Unfortunately, Ma gets whacked by a Thai crime lord, but he tells Woo as he draws his last breath that he mailed the list to his friend in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Muscles and the gang are shaking down Lau (James Tien Chun), a drug dealer who, it turns out, is being targeted by the same baddies that killed Ma. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
This is an early onscreen collaboration of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao. Muscles (Chan) and Ricky (Biao) are two cops who go after a corrupt cop with ties to the Japanese underworld. When Ricky is kidnapped, Fastbuck (Hung), a childhood friend of Muscles, recruits some of their old orphanage friends, now small-time criminals, and this unlikely group goes to the aid of the cops to fight the mob. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
This was internationally famous Jackie Chan's breakthrough action film, the work that got him past the ethnic boundaries of Hong Kong and into competition at the New York Film Festival in 1986. It also got him into the hospital after performing a stunt in which he fell through a glass canopy -- and stopped breathing. The story itself is not particularly profound. Kevin (Ga-kui) (Chan) is an honest, self-effacing cop who manages to capture drug lord Cho (Cho Leung) almost single-handedly. A reluctant Kevin is then assigned the job of protecting Cho's secretary Selena (Brigitte Lin) who is going to testify against him. Sure enough, the trial date comes, and Selena disappears, while Cho has to be set free for lack of evidence. The next thing he knows, Kevin is framed by Cho for the murder of a fellow (dirty) cop and is running like heck from the bad guys as well as the police. Some incredible stunts in this film include Chan being dragged behind a double-decker bus. One of Jackie Chan's trademarks are hilarious outtakes shown during the end credits, and they are among the best here. This feature is repeated to great advantage at the end of his 1998 hit Rush Hour as well. Police Story picked up "Best Picture" and "Best Action Choreography" at the 1986 Hong Kong Film Festival and was nominated for several other awards that year. Sequel after sequel followed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, (more)
This Jackie Chan martial arts actioner is a bit different than most of his films (although it does have the requisite spectacular stunts and kung fu fights). In it, he plays a police officer who is a member of a SWAT team but leaves it to join the C.I.D. division. His reason for leaving isn't to get more "action," though; it's to keep a closer eye on his feebly-minded brother Danny (director Hung). ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, (more)
- 1985
(Burt Reynolds) as J.J. McClure takes off across the country again in this rickety sequel to Cannonball Run. A sheik has offered $1,000,000 to the first driver to reach a destination in Connecticut from Redondo Beach, California, inspiring J.J. and others to go for the gold. With cameos from more name performers than any dozen films together, (Frank Sinatra and the rat pack, Telly Savalas, Susan Anton, Shirley MacLaine, Jackie Chan, Sid Caesar, Marilu Henner, Catherine Bach, etc., etc., etc.), the movie becomes a pastiche and is executed as though no rehearsals were required, or ever happened. A disparate group of people racing to get a lot of money was first successfully exploited in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, a much better film, and with just as many cameos, in fact. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, (more)
- 1984
Following up from their success with Project A, martial arts-comedy trio Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao head out to Spain for this screwball kung-fu flick. Thomas and David (Chan and Yuen) run a Chinese lunch wagon in the streets of Barcelona. One day, David encounters a beautiful pickpocket named Sylvia (Lola Forner, who also appeared in Armor of God) and he is immediately smitten. Meanwhile, inept private dick Moby (Hung) is tracking down the illegitimate daughter of a dead count. If the woman can be found within two weeks after his death, his vast riches go to her. If not, then her evil stepbrother gets the goods. Of course, Sylvia turns out to be the missing heiress. And naturally her evil step-brother has sent out a bevy of goons to insure his inheritance while David, Moby, and Thomas vow to protect the lass. The film was originally going to be called "Meals on Wheels" until studio head Raymond Chow, after the utter failure of his 1982 opus Megaforce, vowed never to have a film that began with an "M." ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, (more)
Four years after his rift with actor/director Jackie Chan, triad-linked Hong Kong producer Lo Wei hired Chan Chuen to direct this paste-up sequel to The Fearless Hyena, consisting primarily of outtakes, found footage, and hastily conceived linking material. James Tien, the grandfather in the first film, plays Old Chan, who must run from his home along with his reprobate son Lung (Chan) when the Heaven and Earth Society declares war on the Yin Yang Clan. The pair looks for Lung's uncle, another member of the clan, and enters rigorous training to prepare themselves for their impending battle with the Heaven and Earth forces, led by the original film's General Yen, Yam Sai-kun. Chan Hui-lau co-stars with Austin Wai and Dean Shek. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan
- 1983
- NR
Taiwanese filmmaker Chu Yen-ping directed this typically peculiar (and not too far from insane) action-comedy. It is nominally set during World War II, although it really exists in a world all its own, as references run the gamut from the '40s to the '80s. Hard-bitten Lieutenant Duan Wen (Jimmy Wang Yu) puts together a crack team of commandos in order to rescue a group of Allied generals who are captives of the Japanese military. There's an escape artist, a leather-clad tough girl with a bazooka (Brigitte Lin), a couple of wisecracking guys in kilts, and Sun Yueh in an extremely bizarre costume which brings to mind a homeless person called into military service. Pearl Cheung and international superstar Jackie Chan play some petty crooks looking for some money, and Adam Cheng shows up as the apparently gay leader of a tribe of hooded Amazons. As if that wasn't enough to completely baffle most viewers, there are also some Asian Nazis running around in futuristic jeeps, some sorcerers who drink human blood, and heaping helpings of gunplay, martial arts, singing, and dancing -- all in 88 breathless minutes. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Jackie Chan directs himself and fellow martial arts superstar Sammo Hung in the action film Jackie Chan's Project A. Chan plays a 19th century Coast Guard office who must defend Hong Kong's borders from a variety of smugglers and undesirables. As is usually the case, Chan performs all of his own stunts during the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
In this entertaining Hong Kong comedy-action-drama, five creatively-named criminals (Teapot, Vaseline, Exhaust Pipe, Curly Jerk, and Ranks) get out of prison and decide to "go straight" by starting a cleaning business. One of their customers is the underworld counterfeiter "Boss Chau," also released from prison but still committed to his chosen vocation. An ace detective (Jackie Chan) is about to grab Chau's counterfeiting plates when the cleaning crew accidentally make off with the plates while doing Chau's house. Their troubles only increase when they learn that the younger sister of one of them (and love interest of three) has been kidnapped by the rival gang leader "Boss Man" and is being held in exchange for the printing plates. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, (more)
International martial arts superstar Jackie Chan directed and choreographed (along with veterans Corey Yuen and Fung Hark-on) this action-packed follow-up to The Young Master. Chan also stars as Dragon, a rebellious young man who is always getting into trouble along with his best friend, Cowboy (Feng Sing). The friends soon meet Tiger (Michael Chan), a desperate man in hiding from the Chinese Imperial Guardsmen who conspired with him to steal a number of priceless artifacts from the Forbidden City. Tiger's fellow guardsmen were intending to sell the treasures to foreign interests and divide the money, but Tiger left before the transaction could be completed. What neither Tiger nor Cowboy knows is that the Captain of the Guards (Whang Ing-sik) is working in collaboration with the latter's corrupt father to pull off the illicit deal. Tiger goes back and purloins some of the artifacts, escaping with the guards in hot pursuit, as they need a complete collection to maintain their agreement with the buyers. Dragon and Cowboy remain blissfully unaware of the situation and give Tiger a place to seek shelter, only to face the wrath of the Captain and his men when their hiding place is discovered. Stand-out sequences include the final battle between Dragon and the Captain inside a large barn and a scene in which the precariously perched Dragon tries to keep from falling off a steep roof as the guards stick sharp spears through it from below. Dragon Lord also inaugurated Chan's practice of including clips of misfired stunts and injuries at the end of his films. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Chan, Chen Hui-Min, (more)
Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham team up for the fourth time, this time bringing an all-star cast of characters on a cross-country car race in the vein of 1976 release The Gumball Rally. The police are the least of the Cannonballers' worries as they push the pedal to the metal in a race from Connecticut to California. Reynolds stars as J.J. McClure, a speed-loving racer disguised as an ambulance driver to outsmart the police. He is paired up with Dom Deluise, who plays his dimwitted sidekick Victor and who, on occasion, dons the suit of Captain Chaos. Rat Packers Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. join the lineup as Ferrari-driving priests, while martial arts expert Jackie Chan takes on one of his first U.S. film roles driving a souped-up Subaru. Among the many other stars are Roger Moore doing a parody of his 007 character, complete with secret devices and weapons, Farrah Fawcett as Pamela, a woman McClure and Chaos pick up, and Jamie Farr as a deranged Islamic sheik. Jack Elam joins the cast as a crazed proctologist along for McClure's ambulance ride, and Needham makes a cameo as a patient. ~ Rachel Koetje, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, (more)
- 1980
- NR
Sammo Hung directs himself and Jackie Chan in the Hong Kong action film Dragon Forever. Chan plays a lawyer who discovers that his client is a drug king. Chan teams up with a hapless friend (Hung) and a mentally unstable associate (Yuen Biao) to stop the kingpin. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
