A legendary star in the world of action movies, Jackie Chan has graced theaters and televisions around the world since the 1960s. Jackie Chan ‘s works are enjoyed by all walks of life, from adults to teenagers. Of the many Jackie Chan movies, these recommendations are probably the best.
A widely respected personality around the world, in both Western and Eastern countries, Jackie Chan built his career on his Kung Fu skills, his expertise in directing action films, and his diverse acting talents in comedy and drama.
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Best Jackie Chan Movie Recommendations
10. Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978)
Jackie Chan began his career journey as an extra, background actor, and stuntman in martial arts movies, especially movies that Bruce Lee starred in.
Directed by martial arts film maestro Yuen Woo-ping, Jackie plays Chien Fu, an orphan who is abused at a Kung Fu school. He then meets a beggar named Pai Cheng-tien (Yuen Siu-tien), who teaches him the martial arts technique of Kung Fu Snake.
The movie had a significant influence on the movie industry in the 1980s. First, Jackie was given freedom by Yuen Woo-ping to express his action moves, which allowed him to develop a unique Kung Fu style, different from the Jeet Kune Do style in Bruce Lee’s movies.
Secondly, the movie’s storyline formed the basis for future martial arts movies, including The Karate Kid franchise and similar films.
9. Drunken Master (1978)
The next best Jackie Chan movie recommendation is Drunken Master. Drunken Master was released after Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and involved the same production team, and has a similar storyline.
The film tells the story of Wong Fei-hung (Jackie Chan), who after some unfortunate events, is forced to learn martial arts from a beggar named So (Siu-tien), who is an expert in drunken-inspired fighting techniques.
Although their relationship was not harmonious at first, Wong eventually grew to respect and love So. Under So’s direction, Chan demonstrated various martial arts techniques such as Head-fu, Snake, Crane, Tiger, Monkey, and Choi Lei Fut.
Drunken Master set the benchmark for future martial arts films and became an influential phenomenon. Jackie Chan’s shoulder-length hairstyle became popular in Asia and was even referenced in works such as Naruto and Mortal Kombat.
The movie was also a source of inspiration for artists such as Edgar Wright and Akira Toriyama for their works, namely The World’s End and Dragon Ball. Most importantly, Drunken Master skyrocketed Jackie’s popularity, making him a household name in Hong Kong.
8. Wheels on Meals (1980)
Next up is Wheels on Meals. In the 1980s, Jackie Chan teamed up with his schoolmates, actors Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung, who became famous as the Three Brothers.
In Wheels on Meals, Jackie plays Thomas, a Chinese expatriate living in Barcelona who runs a fast food van with his cousin David (Yuen Biao), while practicing his kung fu skills in his spare time.
When their detective partner Moby (Sammo Hung) is assigned to protect a pickpocket named Sylvia (Lola Forner), they utilize their martial arts skills to take on a motorcycle gang in a series of chases.
“Wheels on Meals” is the first of two collaborations between Jackie and legendary kickboxer Benny Urquidez. The final fight scene in the movie is perhaps one of the best in history, featuring Jackie climbing the castle to save Sylvia and an energetic unarmed fight between Jackie and Benny.
7. The Tuxedo (2002)
The next best Jackie Chan movie recommendation is The Tuxedo released in 2002. This movie tells the story of a driver named Jimmy who works for a billionaire and secret agent named Devlin. Unfortunately, Devlin has an accident and is in a coma, so he must receive treatment in the hospital for a long time.
One day, Jimmy intends to deliver Devlin’s goods and idly tries on one of his tuxedos, which turns out to be complete with special gadgets. As a result, Jimmy gains extraordinary powers after wearing the tuxedo and plays a role in preventing international espionage with secret agent Del.
6. The Foreigner (2017)
Next is a movie that is full of suspense and action, without any comedic elements. This Jackie Chan movie is based on a novel called The Chinaman by Stephen Leather which was published in 1992.
In 2018, The Foreigner was among the top 10 most-watched Netflix movies in the UK. For the record, Jackie Chan was already in his 60s when he was cast in this movie, but he was still able to act with the energy of his youth.
The movie tells the story of a former special forces member from the Vietnam War named Quan, who now owns a Chinese restaurant in London. He is determined to take revenge against the IRA terrorist group that took the life of his daughter, Fan.
Quan asked the Irish deputy minister, Liam Hennessy, to provide the data containing the names of the terrorists. However, Liam continued to evade and claimed that he did not have any information.
In the end, Quan detonates a warning bomb and threatens Liam to reveal information about IRA terrorists. This Jackie Chan movie can be said to be very different because it is far from the comedic elements that are usually present in his other films.
5. The Karate Kid (2010)
The Karate Kid is actually a new version of the movie of the same name that was released in 1984. One of the main differences in this movie is the transition of martial arts shown, from karate to kung fu. This is why many people refer to this movie as The Kung Fu Kid.
The movie focuses on a boy named Dre who moves to China to follow his mother who works there. At first, Dre feels uncomfortable in his new environment because he doesn’t speak Mandarin.
Also, at school, Dre was often the victim of bullying from his peers due to his different appearance. However, Dre had a keen interest in kung fu and eventually got lessons from his neighbor who was a former kung fu teacher.
As time went on, Dre was determined to learn kung fu so that he could compete against his friends who often bullied him at school.
4. Rush Hour (1998)
Rush Hour is one of the greatest action-comedy movies ever and marked the beginning of Jackie Chan’s success in the United States. The story follows a famous cop from Hong Kong named Lee who goes to Los Angeles to help his friend search for his kidnapped daughter. In this endeavor, Lee collaborates with James Carter, an FBI detective.
Rush Hour is a movie that perfectly captures the atmosphere of the 90s with the concept of police action comedy, which combines movie stars with stand-up comedians who were popular at that time, and won awards at the MTV Movie Awards.
However, the chemistry between Jackie and Chris is what keeps it relevant. Jackie’s softer comedic style contrasts with Chris’s wilder character. Rush Hour solidified Jackie’s position as a Hollywood star for over ten years, and interestingly, it also sparked the rise of movie review site Rotten Tomatoes.
3. Who Am I? (1998)
The next best Jackie Chan movie recommendation is Who Am I? Jackie Chan took on the role of director in “Who Am I?” which was released in January 1998. This was the second film by Jackie Chan to use an English script after “Mr. Nice Guy.”
The movie follows a group of CIA agents who are betrayed by one of their members, Morgan, resulting in the crash of their helicopter in South Africa.
There was only one CIA agent who survived and suffered severe amnesia, so he did not remember his name. As a result, the agent was cared for by indigenous tribes in South Africa until he recovered, and they gave him the name “Whoami” which means ‘Who I am’. The name comes from the first sentence the agent uttered upon regaining consciousness.
With the help of an unfamiliar reporter, Whoami is finally able to unravel the memories of her past and discover the whereabouts of the Morgan who betrayed her.
2. Project A (1983)
This Jackie Chan movie was also released in the Philippines under the title Superfly 2, which was also directed by Jackie Chan himself. Through this movie, Jackie Chan managed to get two awards from the 4th Hong Kong Film Awards. The awards included nominations for ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Action Choreography’.
The movie is set in Hong Kong in the 19th century. Jackie Chan plays Sergeant Ma who must fight a group of pirates. At the time, the Hong Kong government was involved in corrupt practices by selling weapons to pirates.
Sergeant Ma then joined the marine police force to try to stop the pirates from attacking the city.
1. Police Story (1985)
Police Story is the culmination of Jackie Chan’s career, both as a stuntman and as an actor, writer, and director. The movie has a simple plot, where Detective Ka-Kui (Jackie Chan) tries to clear his name after a botched arrest operation gets him charged with murder.
The car chase scene in the opening, the moment of suspense when Chan hangs from a double-decker bus, and the 20-minute climax in a shopping mall called “Glass Story” because of the amount of shattered glass, are all impressive.
In his final act, Chan suffered second-degree burns after sliding off a hot lamppost from an upper floor. Not only that, Jackie also suffered injuries to his back and a dislocated pelvis.
The production team also had to clean up all the logistics in the shopping center so that business could resume the next day. Nonetheless, all the sacrifices paid off, as Police Story is recognized as one of the most popular action movies of all time.
