Jackie Chan’s 5 top films: how Hong Kong hits Police Story and Rumble in the Bronx led to the martial arts legend’s Hollywood payday, Rush Hour with Chris Tucker

Apr 7 , 2021

Jackie Chan in a still from his most recent movie, Vanguard (2020), that stayed true to his trademark formula of light-hearted, all-action films. Photo: GSC Movies

Jackie Chan has been a martial arts icon for decades. With his beloved brand of family-friendly action comedy, paired with death-defying stunts that he famously does himself, the Hong Kong-born star even punched through the bamboo ceiling to make a name for himself in Hollywood.

While Chan has slowed down with age and stepped back from the spotlight, taking voice over roles in the popular Kung Fu Panda franchise, we celebrate his 67th birthday on April 7 by revisiting the best work of his 80s and 90s glory days.

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Project A (1983)

Taking place in turn-of-the-20th-century Hong Kong, Project A is an action-packed feature about pirates threatening the shores of the Fragrant Harbour and the city’s navy failing to keep these tyrants under control. Chan plays grassroot hero Sergeant Lung, who is the city’s only hope of peace. A box office hit in Hong Kong, this film took some years to become a cult favourite among martial arts fans, but eventually helped the Shanghai Noon actor to make a name for himself in the West thanks to all those self-performed stunts.

Police Story (1985)

Following the incredible success of Project A, Chan partnered with a fresh-faced Maggie Cheung and Taiwanese diva Brigitte Lin to star in this action-packed feature. Known for its incredible demolitions, daredevil stunts and breakneck leaps – all done by Chan himself – Police Story further reinforced The Tuxedo star’s reputation on the world stage.

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City Hunter (1993)

This film is based on Hōjō Tsukasa’s wildly popular Japanese comic and anime of the same name. Protagonist and titular character Ryo Saeba is a mercenary fixer with a womanising streak, and his exposure to action and a revolving repertoire of female companions fit Chan’s on-screen skills and persona like a glove. Starring the era’s A-list divas Joey Wang and Chingmy Yau this Hong Kong adaptation proved extremely successful.

Rumble in the Bronx (1995)

In the golden era of Hong Kong cinema production companies had the budget to take Chan, Cantopop diva Anita Mui and a crew over to New York to film this global smash. With action sequences taking place in and around the Hudson River, the film helped build Chan’s cult following overseas. The story, about a young man visiting his uncle in the Big Apple and being forced to fight off mobsters, is nothing new, but the change in scenery worked wonders.

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Rush Hour (1998)

In Chan’s first and most successful foray into Hollywood, he plays a Hong Kong police inspector who teams up with Chris Tucker’s loudmouth LAPD detective to form a classic odd-couple combination that worked its magic on the silver screen. This feature led to a successful franchise with two sequels as well as a short-lived TV series on CBS.

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Jackie Chan

Chan’s on-screen love interests included the most-celebrated Hong Kong film divas of the day: Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, Joey Wang and Chingmy Yau
He made his name doing his own stunts in these cult action-comedy hits, but in later years Chan lent his voice to the Kung Fu Panda franchise