For most of my life, I have been a huge Jackie Chan fan. What can I say? His action scenes are an utter pleasure and a feast for the eyes that no amount of CGI can duplicate. It’s a real testament to creativity and the abilities of the human body. We probably wouldn’t have Parkour or Freerunning today if it wasn’t for Jackie. After Bruce Lee died, producers tried to pigeon hole Jackie as the new Bruce Lee in a series of films that flopped when it tried to imitate him. After a while, Jackie was finally given creative freedom, and as a lover of American silent films, he created his own brand of martial arts. This is my top 10 Jackie Chan fights. These are my opinion, yours may differ, and that's ok. This is purely for entertainment. Honorable Mention: Fighting Jet Li in “Forbidden Kingdom” When this movie hit, all martial arts fans were geeking out at the match up that finally transpired. It was the perfect trifecta. Jackie vs Jet and choreographed by arguably the best choreographer, Yuen Woo Ping. It’s a great fight and it goes on for a while, but I feel both have had better and it’s more of the novelty of it being Jackie vs Jet that really elevates it from being average. 10: Warehouse fight from “Rumble in the Bronx” Like most American audiences, I didn’t see this until it hit US theatres. Watching this with a group of people exposed to Jackie for the first time was simply awesome. People were going crazy at the insanity. Jackie plays a tourist in New York who becomes the target of gang violence and he takes them all on in their own lair littered with items that Jackie uses against them! 9: Chemical Plant fight from “Dragons Forever” Jackie plays an attorney who unwittingly defends an environmental criminal. After the trial, his two best friends expose his client and in the finale, they all brawl with the very people he kept out of jail. Here, Jackie has a great one-on-one with Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, who he’d actually fought in another fight that will show up on this countdown. The use of environment and all the falls are painful and make you cringe. It’s all great! 8: Construction site fight from “Heart of Dragon” Jackie plays a cop with a mentally challenged brother who he takes care of by himself. Kind of like a Kung Fu-“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.” It’s one of Jackie’s rare dramas. His brother accidentally becomes a person of interest for the mob and when he’s kidnapped, Jackie goes into insane protective mode. This is a rare time when Jackie is pissed and gets violent. Not much physical comedy. 7: One on One with Benny “The Jet” from “Wheels on Meals” Jackie and brothers butt heads with bad guys in a castle. This is the first of his fights with Benny “The Jet” and it’s regarded as the best martial arts fight ever in movies. As you can see by its placement, I disagree, but I understand what makes it so great! It’s like watching a boxing match! Jackie is getting countered in every maneuver he makes, so he relies on his training to get him through it. It’s a scientific fight, full of fake outs and diversions. 6: Restaurant fight from “Miracles” This is a close number 6 because it’s just incredible. Jackie pulls out so many incredible maneuvers, it’s just amazing to watch what a man like that can accomplish. He uses doorways, railings, and booths to his advantage in an incredible display complete with painful falls from the bad guys! 5: Playground fight from “Police Story 2” A playground is the most natural place for a Jackie Chan fight. The way he uses normal environments as a playground, it’s only inevitable that he actually fights on a playground. Here, the fight exceeds just using the equipment to his advantage, although it’s quite a sight and the falls look so painful. The fight turns up a notch when metal pipes are introduced into the fight and Jackie UNLEASHES on all of them! 4: Factory fight from “Drunken Master 2” This has an American release under the title “Legend of Drunken Master.” Its finale is a 15 minute spectacle of pure martial arts and stunts! It features the actor who plays Liu Kang in the first two ‘Mortal Kombat’ video games and the mad kicker at the end is Jackie’s former bodyguard. It’s no wonder he hired him. This finale took four months to film and every effort shows. Simply amazing! 3: One on One with Brad Allen in “Gorgeous” This is an interesting movie, because it’s a Jackie Chan romantic comedy, but not a good one. I would be very receptive to a Jackie Chan romcom. However, in this movie, he plays a millionaire businessman whose rival sends a talented, young fighter to fight him for sport. There are two fights they have in this movie, but the end fight is the best. It’s simple, no props. Just martial arts. 2: Rooftop two on one in “Who Am I?” Silly title, fun movie. Jackie plays an undisclosed military agent who loses his memory and has to piece together a conspiracy not knowing who to trust. It’s like a simpler Bourne movie. Jackie has a fight on a rooftop with two henchmen that goes on for a while. And that’s why it’s number 2. It’s a long fight! It goes through so much amazing choreography! It changes from comedy to fighting to stunts then back to fighting. They go everywhere in the fight! 1: Mall Brawl from “Police Story” This was the very first movie I saw Jackie in at the tender age of 6 when my cousins showed it to me when I visited them in the Philippines. Jackie plays a rookie cop who makes a big bust at the beginning of the movie with a Hong Kong crime lord. All throughout the movie, his men put Jackie through the ringer. He protects a witness who works for the bad guy and won’t cooperate. He’s framed for murder. He’s forced to hold his station hostage so he could clear his name. It all culminates in an all out brawl between Jackie and the population of goons working under this Hong Kong crime lord. It takes place at a mall and EVERYTHING breaks apart! Glass shatters everywhere. Men are kicked down escalators. And brutal, quick choreography with a pissed off Jackie Chan! It’s probably the angriest he’s ever been! Top it all off with a three story slide down a pole to get to the ground floor to catch the bad guy. Jackie’s injuries were alarming when he did this stunt! It’s the first I’ve seen of his and he hasn’t done anything to top it! *Scene starts at 8:52
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AuthorE.J. is just a simple man who loves movies. Don't judge. Archives
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