Who kicks more cinematic butt than Jackie Chan? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those instances where Jackie Chan proved he was a martial arts legend!
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00:00 "Quite a tough guy, huh? Well, we know about your special training."
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those instances where Jackie
00:09 Chan proved he was a martial arts legend. Bonus! During the list, we're joined by action designer
00:14 Young Lee and Jackie Chan's stunt team member Andy Cheng.
00:17 "The plan for the last episode was very thorough. There were some flaws during our mission."
00:22 Number 20. Bulldozer - Mr. Nice Guy
00:25 This Jackie Chan outing from 1997 may not be mentioned alongside some of his better-known work,
00:30 but perhaps it should.
00:31 "Get in, get in, get in! Quick, quick, quick, quick!"
00:34 At the very least, fans new to Chan's stunt team would be advised to check out this scene
00:39 when Jackie struggles from beneath the wheel of a bulldozer. The sight of Chan bicycling his legs
00:43 along the treads as they threaten to crush him from below is enough to give us heart palpitations.
00:48 Meanwhile, the orchestra of explosions that occur after Jackie commandeers the
00:53 bulldozer features extras who barely make it out of the blast radius without their butts being burned.
00:58 Yowza!
00:59 "Jackie... Jin Karo!"
01:01 Number 19. Superfoot Fight - The Protector
01:12 This film from director James Glickenhaus is something of an anomaly within the filmography
01:16 of Jackie Chan. It's a hard R action flick with a very American sensibility and an edgier
01:22 performance from Jackie.
01:23 "Well, it seems that this affair will come to a happy ending after all.
01:28 There only remains one last piece of entertainment."
01:35 The Protector also features a dream fight near its climax,
01:38 as Chan faces off with kickboxing legend Bill "Superfoot" Wallace. This one is admittedly
01:43 more about the fight choreography than any death-defying stunts, but the pair puts in
01:48 such a workout that the end results are astonishing. Wallace and Chan utilize everything from standard
01:53 punches and kicks to diving headbutts during their clash, adding to the gritty realism of
01:57 The Protector as a whole.
01:59 Number 18. Failed Jump - Rumble in the Bronx
02:09 "You are all garbage!"
02:19 This mid-90s entry may be a Hong Kong martial arts comedy, but it found global success
02:24 and featured an accident caught on camera. Chan was attempting to leap onto a hovercraft
02:30 from a bridge, but ended up breaking his ankle in the process. The sequence was eventually
02:35 finished, and the version audiences ended up seeing featured Jackie in a specially designed
02:40 cast that was made to look like his character's shoes. It's yet another testament to just how
02:44 far Jackie Chan and his team will go to deliver movie magic.
02:47 "Are you trying to kill me?"
02:48 "No, no one's trying to kill me. I'll show you that. I'm jumping. I'm jumping!"
02:54 Number 17. Platform Brawl - Armor of God 2 - Operation Condor
02:59 The production of Armor of God 2 - Operation Condor was marred by a stunt gone wrong,
03:04 whereby Jackie Chan actually ended up breaking his sternum.
03:07 However, that same film also features one of Chan's best successful stunts.
03:16 This dizzying platform fight feels like a video game, as Chan battles baddies in a very unstable
03:21 setting. The platforms move up and down, lifting up Chan and his antagonists as they struggle to
03:27 maintain their balance. The fact that such awesome fight choreography was able to be achieved within
03:32 this crazy setting just has to be seen to be believed.
03:35 Number 16. Tumbled Trellis - Police Story
03:45 Most fans of Jackie Chan will tell you to start with the Police Story franchise if you want to
03:50 truly discover what made the man famous. And you know what? They're right!
03:54 "Hiyah!"
04:06 This fight sequence shot within a mall is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to insane
04:10 stunts, including an early tumble by Chan over a trellis. The lack of any sort of protection just
04:15 makes the impact feel wince-inducing, as we see Chan get unceremoniously tossed through all sorts
04:21 of debris. The look on Chan's face just sorta says it all. This could not have been fun to shoot.
04:26 Number 15. A Crushing Stunt - Crime Story
04:36 The opening of 1993's Crime Story contains an excellent back and forth between scenes
04:41 of kinetic action that are juxtaposed against an internal police evaluation.
04:45 "Chen Bong Fan, the incident is only 48 hours away. Why are you so nervous? What's the problem?"
04:51 "Nervous? No."
04:54 "Then tell me about your situation."
04:57 Jackie's character, Inspector Eddie Chan, is in the middle of a hectic gun battle against several
05:01 organized crime figures. The scene features tons of vehicular action and bullets that seem to whiz
05:07 by at every turn. There's also a stunt involving Chan standing in the way of a speeding car.
05:12 He dodges at the last second possible, and the car slams into the back of a van,
05:17 pinning his legs. The actor was actually crushed during the first take,
05:21 and was forced to do it again to achieve the one we see on screen.
05:24 Number 14. Hand-to-Hand Combat - Hand of Death
05:38 Jackie Chan, like many future martial arts stars,
05:41 made his mark early with supporting roles back in the 1970s.
05:44 The actor also detailed in his book, I Am Jackie Chan, My Life in Action,
05:56 about how he was knocked completely out cold while filming Hand of Death in 1976.
06:01 That injury isn't shown in the finished film, but what we do see is early evidence of Chan's skill
06:06 on screen. There's a great scene in the film where Jackie is engaging in weapons-based action
06:10 against several opponents. Chan's fancy footwork is already clear at this early stage of his game,
06:16 and his work during this scene provides a standout moment for Hand of Death.
06:20 Number 13. Just Hanging Around - Police Story 3 - Supercop
06:34 What would you do if you were faced with the kind of stunt Jackie Chan braves
06:38 in Police Story 3 - Supercop?
06:39 Not only does this sequence involve Chan hanging from a ladder that's being carried by a helicopter,
06:53 not only does the actor bounce around while dangling from said ladder,
06:56 but the sequence also requires Jackie to leap from this copter onto a moving train.
07:01 It's the sort of stunt that likely required expert planning, split-second execution,
07:06 and a whole lot of prayers to ensure that everything went according to plan.
07:09 Number 12. High Adventure - Armor of God
07:21 The production of 1986's Armor of God was infamous for an instance where a
07:25 tree-jumping scene resulted in a serious injury for star Jackie Chan.
07:29 However, the entire film is a bevy of more successful stunt riches,
07:45 from the battles with monks and Amazon women to the outstanding opening sequence.
07:49 Chan's character of treasure hunter Asian Hawk repels with a rope,
07:53 dives over hot coals, and successfully avoids getting speared.
07:57 There's also a great tumble down a hill before we get what's perhaps Jackie Chan's greatest
08:02 stunt of all - performing with a pop group.
08:04 Number 11. Snowboard Jump - Police Story 4 - First Strike
08:09 The fourth film in Jackie Chan's Police Story franchise certainly didn't disappoint
08:13 any of the man's fans back when it was released in 1996.
08:25 The film is chock-full of exceptional stunts, such as this scene where Jackie
08:29 is snowboarding down a mountainside. The sight of Chan leaping into the air and
08:33 grabbing onto a helicopter is enough to make us catch our breath.
08:36 First Strike then ups the ante, however, by having the copter blow up,
08:41 and for Jackie to be sent on another ride, back down into the powder.
08:45 Number 10. Bungee Drop - With a Twist - Who Am I?
08:54 Hey, adrenaline junkies, bungee jumping is fun, right? Right? Well, maybe so, but we don't think
09:00 this quick but terrifying drop from Chan's second flick to be written and filmed in English is
09:04 quite how you're supposed to do it. In this action comedy, Jackie seems to be in total
09:10 control as he jumps off a ledge with a bungee cord wrapped tightly around his body.
09:15 [Sounds of Jackie falling]
09:25 It's not a long fall, but the sight of that cord unraveling at frightening speed gives us
09:29 nightmares about what could have happened to Chan had something got caught up on the way down.
09:33 [Sounds of Jackie falling]
09:46 Thankfully, it's all over in just a few seconds, with Jackie's character taking off as if nothing
09:51 happened just a couple of seconds after he hits the ground.
09:53 Number 9. Hot Air Balloon Jump - Armor of God - Talk about catching some air!
10:02 The action-adventure Armor of God is known as one of Jackie Chan's best and most popular films,
10:07 and it also contains some of his most memorable stunts.
10:09 One of these was a sequence that sees Chan take a giant leap of faith from a cave wall
10:22 into the wild blue yonder.
10:24 "That's the kind of cool thing that I, in those older Jackie videos, like movies,
10:29 like now everything that we do is always planned to perfection, whereas this is like,
10:35 it feels, you see it, it's so real, even though it's so wide, you feel the panic."
10:40 Jackie's free fall feels like an eternity as a hot air balloon approaches in the distance.
10:45 Then the balloon comes into frame, and we see Chan successfully nail his landing.
10:50 [Music]
11:02 Just watch this sequence and hold your breath.
11:05 Number 8. Parking Lot Leap - Rumble in the Bronx - This one from Rumble in the
11:18 Bronx is a bit more grounded in reality, but no less impressive, as Chan leaps from one
11:23 rooftop to another during a fight/chase scene involving a parking lot.
11:27 Rumble in the Bronx was intended to be an entry point for North American movie fans
11:43 to experience some Jackie Chan magic, and it honestly works.
11:47 There's an approachability to the action and choreography that makes the martial arts film
11:51 a breezy and fun watch, while the actual leap in question is as cool as any older Chan set piece.
11:58 The sight of Jackie taking a deep breath and launching across still makes us cheer today.
12:17 Number 7. Glass Sign - Police Story 2 - The Police Story franchise is a great place to start
12:24 if you really want to dig into the meat and potatoes of Jackie Chan's best work.
12:28 We've already touched upon the classic first film in the series, and that won't be the last time,
12:32 but don't sleep on the first sequel, as this glass window stunt is one of Jackie's wildest.
12:38 It starts out with a couple of awesome jumps onto a moving bus, before Chan has to quickly
12:42 lie down to avoid a sign. Then, Jackie jumps off the bus through a pane of prop glass.
12:48 [Chan]
13:05 "There's a camera guy who like ducks down and the thing goes right over him, like, that's brave."
13:11 [Jackie]
13:13 "There's a lot of great cameramen in Hong Kong."
13:17 At least, that's what we see in the finished film. The end credit bloopers seem to suggest
13:21 that Chan either leapt through the wrong pane, or that the stunt didn't work out correctly
13:26 for at least one take, resulting in some concerning injuries.
13:30 [Chan]
13:30 "He don't, we don't, we don't have rehearsal, we just shoot it. That's how much
13:36 guts he have. I mean like, working with him, you know, when he knowing something he think he can do,
13:44 he do it."
13:46 Number 6. Backwards on Hot Coals - Drunken Master 2
13:50 We've covered a lot of Jackie's police-themed work thus far in our list,
13:54 but it's important to remember that Chan originally made his name making some legit
13:58 kung fu classics. 1978's Drunken Master was unequivocally one of those movies,
14:04 while the 1994 sequel also featured some worthwhile craziness for Chan's fans to enjoy.
14:09 Don't believe us? How does Jackie falling backwards on actual hot coals grab you?
14:16 [Chan]
14:16 "Ahh!" [Chase]
14:17 "Ahh!" [Chase]
14:18 "Ahh!" [Chase]
14:20 "Ahh!" [Chase]
14:22 "Ahh!" [Chase]
14:24 "Ahh!" [Chase]
14:26 "Ahh!" [Chase]
14:28 "Ahh!" [Chase]
14:28 Yep, not only is this fight sequence impeccably choreographed from the jump,
14:33 it also features a slow motion sequence where we see Chan make his way backwards
14:37 through a fiery hot coal pit. [Chase]
14:39 "No, they fired Joe, he's just wet down himself." [Chase]
14:42 "That's cr- they didn't use any gel?" [Chase]
14:46 "No, he put that, you see he have a grubs on the hand."
14:48 It's the sort of scene that makes us rub our eyes in disbelief,
14:52 despite knowing full well that Jackie Chan is this level of fearless.
14:56 [Chase]
14:56 "That's just gotta be super hot." [Chase]
14:59 "We wouldn't do that today either."
15:00 Number 5. Hanging off a bus - Police Story
15:04 We're back to the Police Story franchise, this time with that aforementioned first movie,
15:09 a full-fledged Jackie Chan banger.
15:11 [Chase] "That's a hill I slide with the carver every day after school.
15:16 It's the moment I think, I can do that.
15:19 And that's what make me say, I want to do movie. I can do what he doing."
15:23 Jackie himself remembers this action comedy as one of his best in his autobiography,
15:28 so who are we to argue?
15:29 The bus chase sequence alone is worth the price of admission.
15:39 Opening up with Chan hanging on for dear life to the back of the speeding vehicle,
15:43 he then climbs his way up the side, fighting goons all the way.
15:47 [Chase] "It's a combination of balls and physical ability."
15:51 "Yeah."
15:51 But wait, there's more.
15:52 After falling off, he catches up to the bus and decides to play chicken,
15:56 standing in front of it, only for two men to figuratively crash and burn
16:01 and take a nasty and reportedly unplanned fall to the concrete.
16:05 [Screaming]
16:07 [Splashing]
16:10 Ouch.
16:10 1983's Winners and Sinners may not be one of Jackie Chan's most well-known movies,
16:20 but die-hard action fans are well advised to seek the action comedy out,
16:25 if just for this crazy stunt sequence.
16:27 It starts off with Chan, on roller skates mind you, leaping and missing a car.
16:34 He eventually catches up and gets on the chase,
16:37 weaving in and out of traffic, holding on to any and every car on the road.
16:41 [Car engine]
16:50 "Oh my god."
16:51 "That's a car. That's like a fast and furious."
16:54 [Chuckles]
16:55 Chan skates under a semi, lies flat in the street and allows a car to drive over him,
17:00 leapfrogs motorcycles and basically does every wackadoo thing you can possibly imagine.
17:06 [Car engine]
17:18 Check this one out for yourself and see what we mean.
17:21 "That was crazy."
17:23 Number 3. Sliding down a skyscraper. Who am I?
17:27 Jackie Chan was already an established star by the time Who Am I hit in 1998,
17:32 but that didn't mean he was through wowing us with hand-over-mouth,
17:35 capital-S shocking stunt work.
17:38 Case in point, this absolutely ridiculous building slide that may end safely enough,
17:43 but generates enough tension to make us hold our breath the whole time.
17:48 "He's dead."
17:48 In this action comedy that he co-directed with Benny Chan,
17:56 Jackie slides down this incredibly steep and incredibly smooth building
18:00 at a height that's vertigo-inducing to say the least.
18:03 "When you slide the first few feet, it's okay.
18:06 But when you go over 10, 20 feet, then you start, that speed is like, it's gonna kill you."
18:12 Add in how Jackie switches from walking vertically to going head-first
18:16 before finally making his landing, two words, holy crap.
18:20 [Music]
18:32 Who is he indeed?
18:33 Number 2. Clock Tower Slip - Project A
18:37 Much has been made about the comparisons between Jackie Chan's style of physical comedy
18:42 and the groundbreaking silent movie work of legends like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.
18:46 Chan actually hadn't seen those films prior to shooting Project A,
18:50 despite this clock tower fall looking remarkably similar to Lloyd's safety last.
18:54 Trivia aside, the movement and choreography both outside and inside the tower is a sight to behold,
19:01 while the final fall through the two awnings is difficult to watch.
19:04 [Music]
19:12 The impact when Chan lands is wince-inducing,
19:15 and it's even worse watching it in slow motion.
19:18 "Sammo shooting something, and then Sammo meet the set. So he say,
19:23 'Are you still not jumping?' And then he said, 'Go up there.'
19:26 And then he roll camera and call action, and he let go."
19:29 "Oh, man."
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19:46 [Music]
19:48 Number 1. Glass Story - Police Story
19:51 "Then I go up, then I go down. It's scary, really scary. I'm not,
19:57 I just ordinary people. I'm not a superman."
19:59 Because what other Jackie Chan stunt could possibly take our number one spot?
20:03 Forget the fact that the shopping mall fight scene starts off with a badass jump onto an escalator,
20:08 because it gets even crazier after that shot. Police Story's final set piece makes the best
20:13 of Chan's penchant for multiple angles and replays, as the man slides down a pole covered
20:18 in hot lights before crashing through sugar glass to the ground below.
20:21 "We have to be focused. It takes some time. It's not like you walk in and you'll be,
20:40 'Oh, I'm in there.' You have to stand there, like, feel everything."
20:45 Chan suffered second-degree burns during the fall,
20:48 while the impact of the landing dislocated his pelvis and hurt his back.
20:52 There's certainly no denying that the stunt looks freaking awesome,
21:04 but we're glad he has since recovered.
21:06 What was the first Jackie Chan flick you ever saw? Let us know in the comments.
21:11 "Law! Lawyers punish people who don't have the money to hire lawyers! You can't punish him!"
21:13 "You'll suffer losses if you do this in public!"
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21:23 Thanks for watching!