Interested in checking out Jackie Chan movies, where to start?

Stitch said:
If you want some without slapstick

Crime Story
New Police Story
Police Story 2013
Protector (HK Version has better fights, US Version has a bit more Blood and Titties lol)
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Ugh, that was quite possibly one of the worst movies he's ever done. I couldn't even finish it.
 
Start at the top and work your way through. His later movies are bad besides a few. Shinjuku is pretty good.


You'll get over 40 movies easily and they all have things worth seeing.

Then start on shaw brothers if you haven't, they are even better
 
The Illiterati said:
Start with Project A, Police Story, or Armor of God. The others who have listed out the bulk of his 80's films are correct that they are fabulous, but save Drunken Master 2 for a bit because it is certainly the best. I am also partial to Project A 2.
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Do this.

Also watch City Hunter!
Jackie+chan+as+chun+li+chan+li_c07937_4601909.gif
 
LiK said:
Ugh, that was quite possibly one of the worst movies he's ever done.
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Meh I liked it. Was better than 1911 and Shinjuku Incident.
I mean he was also involved in stuff like Fearless Hyena 2 and some other weird Lo Wei productions like Spiritual Kung Fu
GzVMaL1.png

Yeah...

But hey, I also enjoyed Kung Fu Yoga, so whatever.
 
The only jackie Chan flims I've seen are Project A, Police Story, Wheels on Meals, and Armour of God. I enjoyed 'em, but I have no idea if they're considered his best work.
 
jetpacks was yes said:
Please check out, in no particular order but as soon as possible:

Drunken Master 2 (aka Legend of the Drunken Master in the US, albeit edited dubbed and rescored)
Police Story 1 & 2
Project A
Wheels on Meals
Drunken Master 1

Edit: Oh and the Armour of God movies.
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^^ yep.

The rest are really very below par compared to the above.
 
More_Badass said:
I never have really had any interest in Chan's work. It's an odd contradiction; martial arts and hand to hand are my favorite kinds of action scenes in movies and yet I was never into Jackie Chan?

I prefer my martial arts fight in the vein of The Raid/Kill Zone 2/Ip Man, and the clips I had seen of Jackie Chan's stuff always seemed too slapstick-y and comedy. Which was the main turn-off for me

But now I'm curious in giving his movies a chance, so was wondering what were the best films to check out
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Honestly, if you want super serious Jackie Chan, he does that more now. Check out New Police Story and Police Story 2013 (I think it's called lockdown here), and I dunno 1911 is super serious but not many martial arts scenes. Crime Story?

But just watch
Police Story 1-4
Drunken Master, Legend of Drunken Master/Drunken Master 2
Project A, A2 especially
Miracles/Mr Canton Lady Rose/Black Dragon
Armor of God, Operation Condor
Meals on Wheels
Dragons Forever

I don't know man, watch them all.

Edit: my choice is Miracles, it's stealthily a dope movie to watch from start to finish, not just to watch the action design.
 
LiK said:
His 70's and 80's movies were his greatest works. He had a few good ones in the 90's and 00's.

These are my faves:

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Drunken Master 1 and 2
Project A Part 1 and Part 2
Police Story 1-3
Armor of God 1 and 2
Young Master
Dragon Lord
Wheels on Meals
Dragons Forever
Who Am I?

Please let me know what you think of them.
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FF Seraphim said:
Do this.

Also watch City Hunter!
Jackie+chan+as+chun+li+chan+li_c07937_4601909.gif
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These post won't lead you wrong.
 
LiK said:
His 70's and 80's movies were his greatest works. He had a few good ones in the 90's and 00's.

These are my faves:

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Drunken Master 1 and 2
Project A Part 1 and Part 2
Police Story 1-3
Armor of God 1 and 2
Young Master
Dragon Lord
Wheels on Meals
Dragons Forever
Who Am I?

Please let me know what you think of them.
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That's a solid list.
 
I just like that film where he was fighting some guy who kept saying "papa" after every strike.

Seeing Jesus get nut-shotted was funny. You guys know that scene.
 
I love the internet just for the fact i get to see more people who have ever even heard of Wheels on Meals let alone it's one of their favourites

I went on a Martial Arts-Asian Action kick in the early to late 90's renting as many Jet Li and Jackie chan, Bruce Lee etc films as i could (not many though i may add, because hardly anywhere stocked these types of films)

Though i remember channel 4 played quite a few in the 90's and rented some

I bought Twin Dragons on a whim, whilst not the best, i still like it for nostalgic reasons being the second movie i saw of his after Wheels on Meals

I am not overly fond of Rumble in the Bronx even, or anything he did after that, though i did try them again the last 2yrs and enjoyed them a bit more than before if just for the stunts alone, but i would never reccomend starting with Jackies 1995 onwards films when he started to make American Films, leave them until last.


Sorry anyway OP, back on track

Watch Wheels on Meals, Drunken Master (1st One), City Hunter (didnt like it much personally but i still always recommend it, because of his Stunt Work in it) Police Story 1-3 (not new police story, police story 2013 nor 4 - First strike don't bother)
 
LiK said:
His 70's and 80's movies were his greatest works. He had a few good ones in the 90's and 00's.

These are my faves:

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Drunken Master 1 and 2
Project A Part 1 and Part 2
Police Story 1-3
Armor of God 1 and 2
Young Master
Dragon Lord
Wheels on Meals
Dragons Forever
Who Am I?

Please let me know what you think of them.
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Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Drunken Master 1 and 2

Yyeewssssss
 
Police Story 1,2,3
Project A
Project A-2
Armor of God / Operation Condor
City Hunter
Wheels on Meals (fantastique!)
Island of Fire (more serious, pretty good)

All of the above are fun.
 
Drunken Master
The Young Master (Shi di chu ma) These two films are Chan's best. To be clear (as there's often confusion, Drunken Master is this one, and not the later Drunken Master 2 which I am not a fan of. Drunken Master had a recent Bluray release that was very good. Someone said it's region free, but I don't know as I'm in the correct region anyway. Sadly there's no western blu ray release of Young Master afaik. I think only Japan has a good release of that.
Project A
Project A2
Police Story
Wheels on Meals
My Lucky Stars
Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star
Jackie Chan's First Strike
Who Am I? (not that great but has an ace fight at the end)

Everything has comedy. The old Hong Kong comedy martial arts films were something I love and very much miss.
 
Wheels on meals
Gorgeous - crappy movie but it has Jackie chan's best post 80s fight scenes

ITPLbiE.gif


Drunken Master
Armor of God 1,2
 
Most of Jackie's success centers around working clever slapstick into his movies. There's not a lot of great Jackie Chan stuff that has no slapstick. Almost all of his action movies, minus his very early career where they made him a shitty Bruce Lee knock off, have at least some element of slapstick.

Although it's the most impressive slapstick on the planet, hanging off double decker buses, dangling from helicopters, falling off clock towers, running down the side of a skyscraper, defying death and physics in general. All done with no harnesses or other life saving aides.

There are his Chinese drama movies that I've never personally seen. So I wouldn't know what to recommend.


My personal all time favorite Jackie Chan movies:
Wheels on Meals
Project A
Police Story 1 & 2
The Legend of Drunken Master
 
These are what I'd recommend to anyone, just going down his filmography. Almost all of the list is what everyone recommends though, but that just goes to show that I don't think they are wrong:
-Drunken Master
-Project A
-Wheels on Meals
-Police Story
-Armour of God
-Police Story 2
-Dragons Forever
-Armour of God 2/Operation Condor
-Drunken Master 2/Legend of Drunken Master
-Rumble in the Bronx
-Police Story 4/Supercop
-Mr. Nice Guy
-Who Am I?
-New Police Story

I know Snake in Eagle's Shadow is also supposed to be great but I've never seen it.

Top films for me are Police Story, Dragons Forever, Drunken Master 2, and then Rumble in the Bronx up to Who Am I?
EDIT: Police Story is one of the best action films of all time. Dragons Forever has my favorite of his fights with Benny the Jet and also has a cool/cheesy villain (I wish I could get to my gif of his slide down the stair case railing but imgur isn't loading it for me right now). Drunken Master 2 is legendary. Rumble was one of my first Jackie Chan films and will always be special because of that. It also has some great stunts for it being his older 90's work, has a story that I enjoyed back then, and is so cheesy at times that it's good. Supercop is maybe the weakest of that era but I like the aquarium scenes a lot still. I outlined a lot of great stuff about Who Am I? below. And then Mr Nice Guy I only caught a few years ago after having seen all of the others from that era multiple times, so it is the freshest for me (and Miki was insanely cute). I also liked the character he was playing in that more than some of the others.

Kuroknight27 said:
I can't remember if it was good, but we had Jackie Chan's Who Am I recorded on VHS and watched it a lot as a kid.
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Who Am I? is great. It's got some really cool settings and scenery (Rotterdam, the rally race through South Africa), some great stunts (the slide down the Willemswerf building), a decent car chase in a Lancer Evo, great fights (the rooftop fight especially), Michelle Ferre was cute when she was pouty, and then there is one of my favorite moments in any Chan flick: "WHO AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII??????!!!!!!!!!!"
 
EYEL1NER said:
These are what I'd recommend to anyone, just going down his filmography. All most all of it is what everyone recommends though, but that just goes to show that I don't think they are wrong:
-Drunken Master
-Project A
-Wheels on Meals
-Police Story
-Armour of God
-Police Story 2
-Dragons Forever
-Armour of God 2/Operation Condor
-Drunken Master 2/Legend of Drunken Master
-Rumble in the Bronx
-Police Story 4/Supercop
-Mr. Nice Guy
-Who Am I?
-New Police Story

I know Snake in Eagle's Shadow is also supposed to be great but I've never seen it.
Top films for me are Police Story, Dragons Forever, Drunken Master 2, and then Rumble in the Bronx up to Who Am I?
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You never saw Young Master or didn't like it?
 
EYEL1NER said:
I know Snake in Eagle's Shadow is also supposed to be great but I've never seen it.
Top films for me are Police Story, Dragons Forever, Drunken Master 2, and then Rumble in the Bronx up to Who Am I?
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Snake in Eagle's Shadow is basically an introduction to Jackie's comedic and creative fight choreography that carried him through the rest of his career. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in Jackie Chan. Holds up extremely well IMO, considering it's from 1978. Great movie.
Sir_Crocodile said:
Not enough slapstick for me. Perfectly good martial arts film though, and Hwang Jang Lee is amazing as he always is.

Happy they cut that disgusting snake fight in the uk edition though, Urgh
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What? There's a lot of slapstick in it.

EDIT: Am I confusing Drunken Master 1 with Snake in Eagle's Shadow? They merge together in my head.
 
Mahonay said:
Snake in Eagle's Shadow is basically an introduction to Jackie's comedic and creative fight choreography that carried him through the rest of his career. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in Jackie Chan. Holds up extremely well IMO, considering it's from 1978. Great movie.

What? There's a lot of slapstick in it.
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Felt far more serious then DM or YM. Maybe I'll rewatch it, has been a while.
 
Mahonay said:
Like I said in my edit just now, I may be combining the movies in my head.
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Could be (or could just be me having cloudy memories of snake).

Hwang Jang Lee is in both, but Drunken Master is the one where Jackie (as Wong Fei-hung/Freddy Wong) learns the eight drunken gods from Beggar So.
 
LiK said:
His 70's and 80's movies were his greatest works. He had a few good ones in the 90's and 00's.

These are my faves:

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Drunken Master 1 and 2
Project A Part 1 and Part 2
Police Story 1-3
Armor of God 1 and 2
Young Master
Dragon Lord
Wheels on Meals
Dragons Forever
Who Am I?

Please let me know what you think of them.
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Pretty much agree with this. I'd suggest starting with Drunken Master 2 then working through his earlier catalog as far as you can. Snake in Eagle's Shadow is actually a very watchable "old timey" kung fu movie. If you're really into the comedy aspect of Jackie's movies then go with the Lucky Stars series after Drunken Master 2. The Project A and Police Story films have a bunch of great early stunt work (general action movie stunts).

And now that I think of it, the documentary(ies?) Jackie Chan: My Story will showcase a bunch of stuff from his career up to 1998. You could watch that and see what looks interesting to you.

But watch Drunken Master 2 first. It's a great bridge to all of his work.
 
Wheels on Meals has the best fight scene in history. Simply incredible. But I also remember the movie is otherwise pretty light on Chan at his best.
 
Sir_Crocodile said:
It's the only film Jackie did with the same kind of feel as Drunken Master, and is almost as good.

Has this incredible fight between Jackie and Yuen Biao too.
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God, Yuen Biao was so awesome.

It's why Wheels on Meals is the best. You get all three of them together, Jackie, Yuen, and Sammo.

You get them all in Project A as well, but it's not as good IMO.
 
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