Entertainment
10 Best Jackie Chan Martial Arts Movies
Jackie Chan could well be the ultimate martial arts actor of all time, since he’s had roles in such movies for decades now, has had crossover appeal in terms of appearing in Hong Kong and American films, and he’s also well known for his dedication to action scenes and stunt work. There does exist a video that suggests he hasn’t done literally 100% of all his stunts, which is a thing that gets repeated about Chan in a similar way to Tom Cruise, but still, Chan has plainly done plenty of his own stunts and been right in the middle of various high-intensity action scenes.
Anyway, Jackie Chan’s very best starring roles from his greatest martial arts movies are outlined below. He had uncredited roles in some classics, like appearing as nameless fighters in movies like Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury, and (apparently) A Touch of Zen. These are all technically some of the best movies Chan has appeared in, but he barely appears in them… and with A Touch of Zen, you can’t even really find him. (Then again, if you can, or if you know where to find photo or video evidence of which part of the movie Jackie Chan’s in, genuinely let me know; I am interested).
10
‘Police Story 3: Super Cop’ (1992)
The sentiment that sometimes gets echoed when it comes to Police Story 3: Supercop is that Michelle Yeoh outshines Jackie Chan in a series that had, up until that point, kind of been a starring vehicle for him. That’s not unreasonable to say, because Yeoh definitely makes a strong impression and has a lot by way of fighting and impressive stunts to do here, but it could be defined as a good showcase for both of them, since their dynamic drives the movie, what with it being a buddy film of sorts.
They both play cops who come from different backgrounds, and have some similarities and differences, though they do both want to take down the same drug lord. It’s typical buddy cop movie stuff, but with perhaps a little less comedy than you might expect, and also maybe just a little less broad humor than what could be found in the earlier two Police Story movies Jackie Chan starred in (more on both of those in a bit).
9
‘Armour of God’ (1986)
Armour of God has some problems, so it’s not quite a perfect action/adventure movie or anything, but the parts that work do make it worthy of a watch, if you’re into martial arts cinema. And it’s fun seeing Jackie Chan a little out of his comfort zone, since Armour of God gets globe-trotting in nature and scope, with its premise involving him clashing with a cult that wants the sword – and other pieces of armor – that he came into possession of during his treasure-hunting.
Like with a good many martial arts movies, the best action is saved for the final act, so the slower parts (or the scenes focusing on inconsistent comedy) are worth getting through, for the whole climax. Otherwise, Armour of God often gets talked about because Jackie Chan endured his most serious injury, as an actor/stunt performer, while filming this one (more details can be found here, though the year of release is mistakenly mentioned as 1989).
8
‘Crime Story’ (1993)
Even if the title sounds similar, and Jackie Chan plays a member of law enforcement, Crime Story is not officially part of the Police Story series. It’s a good bit darker than those films tend to be, and one of the rare Jackie Chan starring roles that doesn’t really require him to do anything comedic. For Jackie Chan, this is about as heavy-going as his movies get, albeit it’s still not one of the grimmest or grittiest martial arts films of all time or anything.
Once you adjust to the tone, Crime Story delivers quite a lot of compelling action, with a bit of hand-to-hand fighting alongside some shootouts, with this being about as close as you’re probably ever going to get to seeing Chan in either a neo-noir or heroic bloodshed sort of film. When there’s not action playing out, Crime Story can feel a bit meandering, or at least not consistent, but much can be forgiven when the action is so reliably strong.
7
‘Operation Condor’ (1991)
A sequel to Armour of God, Operation Condor marks a slight improvement on that film, since there’s a bit more by way of impressive action here, it’s paced a little better, and it feels a bit more at ease being an action/adventure movie than its predecessor. As for the plot, though, things are still simple, because Chan is still playing a treasure hunter, and he’s sent after, you know, some other treasure.
Various other people want the gold he’s searching for, and so it plays out as a whole chaotic race to find it. Armour of God gets compared quite often to Indiana Jones, and you can also, unsurprisingly, make that comparison when it comes to Operation Condor. It’s a fun and quite ambitious/large-scale romp, at least by Jackie Chan standards, and does indeed feel sufficiently adventurous throughout.
6
‘Police Story 2’ (1988)
You sort of have to go through the Police Story movies backwards, if you’re talking about the best ones and ranking them, since Police Story 2 is a little better than Police Story 3: Supercop, and yet it’s not quite on the same level as the first Police Story. Still, being in roughly the same ballpark as the original is well and truly something, considering how good that one is, and so Police Story 2 certainly satisfies in many ways, as an action/crime/comedy movie.
The important thing is that there are ample excuses for wild action, and Police Story 2 undeniably contains some all-time great Jackie Chan stunts.
Narratively, it’s a bit whatever, and doesn’t have to be much more. There’s some degree of revenge wanted by the villains of the first movie, and Jackie Chan’s character also has to deal with some other consequences of what happened near the end of that movie. The important thing is that there are ample excuses for wild action, and Police Story 2 undeniably contains some all-time great Jackie Chan stunts, including one brief sequence that involves jumping around on top of a truck and then a bus, dodging signs and then eventually flying through a window.
5
‘Project A’ (1983)
It might be a little sacrilegious to only put one movie in this ranking that features both Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, but Project A is their best collaboration. Also, a good many movies they’re both featured in have Chan in a minor role, not being much more than a cameo, in some instances. And also, some of them are hard to watch, outside the action scenes, with some really awkward (not just mildly unfunny) comedy found in quite a few of the Lucky Stars films.
Project A, though… to focus on Project A, it’s really good. Most of it holds up, it has some great stunts, and it allows Chan and Hung to play characters who fight pirates, so there is plenty to like. It also features a third legendary Hong Kong martial arts actor, Yuen Biao, so seeing them all in the one movie – and having that overall movie be as good as this – proves to be quite a treat, if you’re a fan of old-school martial arts flicks.
4
‘Miracles: The Canton Godfather’ (1989)
Possibly the most underrated of all the classic Jackie Chan action movies, Miracles: The Canton Godfather sees him starring in and directing a gangster movie, albeit one with a bit more comedy and action than most gangster films. It is a tonal oddity, sure, since much of it’s very farcical, and then there are other moments that are played more for drama, but that’s also a way it stays unpredictable and, overall, rarely boring.
Perhaps it’s a little too all over the place for some, and the runtime being over two hours doesn’t necessarily help, as the sweet spot for Jackie Chan’s best films is more in the 90 to 100-ish minute-long range. You take the good with the not-so-good here, to some extent, yet the good stuff in Miracles: The Canton Godfather is closer to excellent than good, truth be told, and there is also more than enough here to make it worth digging out (more people need to do some digging, when it comes to this one).
3
‘Who Am I?’ (1998)
Another Jackie Chan movie that’s kind of underrated, and one he co-directed, Who Am I? sees Chan doing a spy movie, basically. There’s a bit of comedy, and the comedy isn’t really consistent, but that can be said about most of his action comedies. You’re probably more here for the action, and the action can dependably be relied upon, though at least the premise here – with Chan playing a man with amnesia – has some novelty value.
Who am I? also feels valuable for being one of the final gonzo movies Jackie Chan starred in, since he was in his mid-40s at this point, and while he didn’t slow down entirely by the time the 21st century started, he wasn’t doing quite as many wildly dangerous stunts. So, you can view this as a bit of a last hurrah for that kind of Jackie Chan movie, even if he didn’t bid it farewell entirely… it’s more just that this feels noteworthy as a late-era Jackie Chan film where very little was seen as off-limits.
2
‘Police Story’ (1985)
If Police Story (1985) isn’t the gold standard for martial arts cinema, then it is the gold standard for this kind of martial arts movie: one that takes place in contemporary times, or at least times that were modern when the movie came out, if that makes sense. It’s contemporary in feel because firearms and 20th-century vehicles factor into the action scenes, as opposed to something set long ago, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (not a Jackie Chan film, but a good example of that sort of martial arts film).
There is a real focus on hand-to-hand combat for the finale of Police Story, which is easily one of the best action sequences ever, and it concludes with a remarkable stunt (even by Chan’s standards), where he slides down a long pole, through all sorts of obstacles, risking electrocution and who even knows how many other forms of harm. And then the destruction at the start of the movie is also remarkable, and between the great opening and closing, you’ve got some other solid action scenes, too. It’s just fun, fast-paced, and extremely impressive on a technical/choreography front.
1
‘Drunken Master II’ (1994)
An honorable mention should go out to the first Drunken Master, which was an early starring role for Jackie Chan, and one of his better 1970s films… but he did kind of come into his own in the 1980s, and kept the momentum going into the 1990s. So, it’s Drunken Master II that’s ultimately even better, and one of the very best action movies of its decade, too. Narratively, it’s about artifacts and different people who want them, including some who want to steal them.
They’re MacGuffins. They exist so people can fight. And fight they do. The fights here are incredible, and it stands in contrast to something like Police Story, because just about all the action here is hand-to-hand, whether the people are using their literal hands, or weapons that are handheld. The best action sequences in Drunken Master II are about as good as such action sequences have ever gotten, or will ever get, and they ensure the film is, overall, quite the classic within its genre.
Drunken Master II
- Release Date
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February 3, 1994
- Runtime
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102 Minutes
- Director
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Chia-Liang Liu, Jackie Chan
- Writers
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Edward Tang, Man-Ming Tong, Kai-Chi Yuen, Rod Dean
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Jackie Chan
Wong Fei-hung
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