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The Best Jackie Chan Movies

Published

3 weeks ago

November 4, 2024

Christoph Rediske

Key Takeaways

Table of Contents

Jackie Chan’s career is marked by iconic movies blending comedy, epic fights, and heartfelt storytelling.
Chan shines in remakes like “The Karate Kid” and classic action films like “Supercop” with engaging performances.
From early hits like “Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow” to voice acting in “Kung Fu Panda,” Chan’s influence in cinema is undeniable.

There is no denying that Jackie Chan continues to be one of the most iconic martial arts actors ever, still managing to hold up his reputation after decades since his start. His slapstick fighting skill and incredible choreography have established him as one of the most prominent figures in action cinema. With over 100 acting credits, his extensive career has allowed him to perfect martial arts related tropes and influence cinema like no other actor.

Mixing comedy and action in a completely unique way, Jackie Chan’s career has been marked by incredible movies, cementing an impeccable legacy. Be it because of his incredible performance, epic fights, hilarious slapstick humor, set-piece scenes, or heartwarming martial arts storytelling, Jackie Chan has fought his way through unforgettable movies with stunts that have become a mark in cinema. These are some of his best works.

10 Best Hollywood Martial Arts Movies, Ranked

Hollywood grew infatuated with Martial Arts movies in the 70s with Bruce Lee’s rise to fame, but since then, the West has produced lots of genre hits.

10 The Karate Kid

A Popular Remake Marked By Jackie Chan’s Role

Released: June 7, 2010
Director: Harald Zwart
Runtime: 140 minutes

While this remake was not as well received as the original The Karate Kid movie, Jackie Chan managed to bring a great action movie alongside Jaden Smith. With the same idea as the classic 80s film, a recluse handyman teaches a new kid how to fight.

The Karate Kid Street Rumble Key Art Daniel LaRusso Mr. Miyagi Ali Mills Kumiko

The Karate Kid is Getting a New Retro Video Game

The Karate Kid is getting a brand-new retro video game later this Fall, with a 1980s styled side-scrolling beat-em-up from Odaclick Game Studio.

With Chan shining as the mentor, this remake still managed to gather its share of fans. Jackie Chan is also set to return as his character in a new Karate Kid movie that will include the cast of both films, as Chan’s character works together with Ralph Machhio’s character to train a new kid.

9 Supercop

Incredible Action Sequences Featuring Jackie Chan And Michelle Yeoh

supercop film showing jackie chan and michelle yeoh

Released: July 4, 1992
Director: Stanley Tong
Runtime: 91 minutes

Returning to the world of the Police Story franchise, Jackie Chan reprises his role of Chan Ka-Kui as he partners with Interpol to take down a cartel in a third installment. Having Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh side by side is more than reason enough to watch it, even if it doesn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessors.

Jackie Chan was not only the lead actor, but he was also the stunt coordinator and the producer of the film. With some action-packed chase scenes, this movie even received praise from Quentin Tarantino for having unbelievable stunts.

8 Rush Hour

A Great 90s Buddy Cop Action-Packed Comedy

Released: September 18, 1998
Director: Brett Ratner
Runtime: 98 minutes

Jackie Chan may have started out as a Chinese movie star, but he became just as iconic in the rest of the world through his western movies. And while he has quite the western repertoire, Rush Hour might be one of his most recognizable roles as Chief Inspector Lee alongside Chis Tucker as detective James Carter.

This classic 90s buddy cop film is known for its perfect balance of action and comedy that Chan is known for. It is true that the rest of the franchise never reached the heights of the original, but Rush Hour managed to not only succeed when it was released, but withstood the test of time as well.

7 Project A

A Pirate Adventure In 19th Century Hong Kong

Released: December 22, 1983
Director: Jackie Chan and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Runtime: 95 minutes

As Sargeant Dragon Ma, Jackie Chan fought a bunch of pirates with the help of Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, who played a thief and a captain, respectively. As one of the first collaborations between the three actors in a trio known as the Three Dragons, Project A still holds up with its memorable stunts, including the clock tower scene.

An early film for Chan, this action-packed 80s movie became a turning point in Jackie Chan’s career. Set in 19th century Hong Kong, Project A focuses on both the choreography as well as the comic aspects that Chan is now known for.

6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

A Masterful Animated Adaptation With A Fresh Perspective

Splinter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem

Released: July 31, 2023
Director: Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears
Runtime: 99 minutes

The newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie created quite a stir with its incredible visual animation, hilarious jokes, and a story that captures the essence of the turtle brothers. While it may stray away from Chan’s most famous movies, this animated feature marks the greatness of his voice acting career.

As Master Splinter, Jackie Chan brings wisdom and comedy in a way that only he can. He may not be playing one of the protagonist’s brothers, yet he manages to still give voice to some great quotes in the movie that make his role extra striking.

5 Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow

The Beginning Of Chan’s Career & A Classic Martial Arts Movie Trope

Released: March 1, 1978
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen
Runtime: 90 minutes

There is a reason Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow launched Jackie Chan’s career, being responsible for heightening the action and comedy that kung fu movies were known for. Starring as an orphan who gets bullied at his Kung Fu classes, Chan brings this underdog to life onscreen.

Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow is worth watching to see Chan using the freedom to develop his own slapstick stunts that make up his career. It also helps that it pretty much kick-started the trope of the Kung Fu mentor who takes on a bullied student martial arts, which went on to be super popular.

4 Drunken Master

A Successful, Influential Chinese Martial Arts Movie

Released: October 5, 1978
Director: Woo-Ping Yuen
Runtime: 111 minutes

After the success of Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, Jackie Chan starred in another genre-defining movie that follows a mischievous man, Wong Fei-hung, who is taught by a master of drunken martial arts. With a similar structure, the movie focused on the relationship between Wong Fei-hung and his master while delivering a style of fighting that influenced so many other movies.

Drunken Master became such a phenomenon that it popularized the drunken boxing style, Zui Quan, in movies, making this one of the best Chinese martial arts movies of its time.

3 Kung Fu Panda

Chan Brings Humor & Kung Fu To An Iconic Animated Franchise

a-new-kung-fu-panda-game-could-be-in-the-works-game-rant

Released: June 1, 2008
Director: Mark Osborne and John Stevenson
Runtime: 92 minutes

More recently, Jackie Chan’s roles have mostly involved voice acting, which has been cemented by his character in the Kung Fu Panda series. The first movie shines in the use of colorful animation to blend humor with martial arts action, which are staples of Chan’s career.

Every Kung Fu Panda Movie, Ranked

DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda has produced four enjoyable movies, but they are not all equal.

Jackie Chan gives voice to Master Monkey, who helps train Po in the beautiful art of Kung Fu. While he is not the protagonist, he is definitely one of the strongest characters in the franchise and an indispensable part of the series.

2 Police Story

A Story With Heart And Intense Action

Released: December 14, 1985
Director: Jackie Chan and Chi-Hwa Chen
Runtime: 100 minutes

Police Story is a lot of people’s favorites, and for good reason. It stars Jackie Chan in one of his most unforgettable roles, the police officer “Kevin” Chan Ka-kui. Jackie Chan not only stars in it, but was also one of the writers and directors of the film, telling the story of a police officer accused of murder after a sting operation goes wrong.

Besides the enticing story, what makes the movie stand out is that it was structured around set pieces, resulting in jaw-dropping stunts and incredible action. Featuring some of the best set pieces in the actor’s career, Police Story left an exceptional legacy that went on to spark two other great sequels.

1 The Legend of Drunken Master (Drunken Master II)

Surpassed The Original’s Success

Jackie Chan fighting in Drunken Master II

Released: February 3, 1994
Director: Jackie Chan and Chia-Liang Liu
Runtime: 102 minutes

After the success of the first Drunken Master, it is hard to imagine that the next movie was able to not only achieve the heights of the predecessor, but also surpass it. While not necessarily a sequel, The Legend of Drunken Master has Jackie Chun reprising his role as Wong Fe-hung in a story that takes place in the early 20th century.

Released 16 years after the original movie, Drunken Master II had quite the legacy to uphold. It did not disappoint, delivering a solid story that has Chan’s character facing a group of foreigners who seek to export Chinese artifacts. The movie stands out for highlighting Jackie Chan’s greatness in peak comedy, martial arts, charisma, stunts and action sequences.