Jackie Chan on Project A, the martial arts film that set a creative template for his decades of show business success
- Chan had tried to win over US audiences but realised they wanted another Bruce Lee, so he returned to Asia to establish his image again with audiences, he says
- His 1983 film Project A, co-starring Sammo Hung, had a mix of elaborate fight scenes, humour, action, and daring stunts that became his trademark
The phenomenal success martial arts actor Jackie Chan enjoyed in the 1980s and 1990s began in earnest with 1983’s cheerful hit Project A, which established him as a superstar in Hong Kong – and across Asia – and set the creative template he was to follow for much of his career.
Yuen’s two films brought comedy into Chan’s repertoire, and he continued to mix comedy and kung fu in self-directed films like The Young Master and Dragon Lord.
In Project A, which he also directed, Chan perfected his comic timing and brought some dangerous and ambitious stunts into the mix. The potent combination of screwball comedy, nerve-racking stunts, and kung fu quickly became Chan’s signature style.
The story, co-written by Chan, is scatterbrained but coherent. Set in colonial times. Chan plays Dragon, a sergeant in the marine police who must work with a regular cop, played by Yuen Biao, to bring a shipload of pirates to justice.