Jackie Chan's last good movie?

Submitted by Ebbemonster t3_11ditek in movies

Jackie Chan has been around forever, and he is now approaching 70. He has been in an insane 138 movies over the years! Unfortunately it has been a while since he has been in any good movies, probably because he cannot do the stunts he used to. So...

Which is the last Jackie Chan movie your really enjoyed? And, which is his best movie of all time?

Let me start... While The Foreigner was OK the last "real" Jackie Chan movie I had fun with was Skiptrace.
My favorite Jackie Chan movie has to be Rush Hour 2, with Mr Nice Guy, Armour of God and The Legend of Drunken Master as close seconds ❤️

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MrTattyBojangles t1_ja8uou5 wrote

The Foreigner is probably his last good movie, or Kung Fu Panda 3 if that counts.

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nivem94 t1_jaahi5t wrote

The Foreigner was underrated in my opinion. Really loved Jackie Chan performance

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Ebbemonster OP t1_ja8vn2v wrote

The animated movies don't really count when it comes to Jackie Chan 😊 He is mainly know for his physicality and inventive stunts/cinematography.

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Outlog t1_ja92mte wrote

Jackie Chan Adventures would like a quick word...... *Roundhouse kick!

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Conflict_NZ t1_jab03kn wrote

Uh Jackie Chan did not Voice Jackie Chan in Jackie Chan Adventures. I guess you can count those 30 second interview clips with him in each episode though.

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CardinalCreepia t1_ja99zjg wrote

You are putting on a silly restriction for no reason.

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Ebbemonster OP t1_jaasptp wrote

Come on, Jackie Chan is known for his insane stunts and martial arts, not for his voice work. Then we should also include his appearances in commercials, talk shows and so on.

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CardinalCreepia t1_jabpovu wrote

If you asked someone what Jackie Chan is famous for they would say 'actor'. Sure he has made a name with all the physical stuff, but that isn't everything he does.

You are putting him into a lane and are effectively typecasting the guy. Shame on you.

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nivem94 t1_jaaheuz wrote

Anything that Jackie Chan does counts

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LoveEffective1349 t1_ja8vd3z wrote

I didn’t mind that Forbiden Kingdom movie. It was fun.

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JohnnyJayce t1_ja9gtec wrote

Love that movie. Wouldn't say it's a good movie, but it's fun to watch. Mostly because of Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

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Worthyness t1_jaa6wfc wrote

still pissed that the one movie that we get Jackie Chan to fight Jet li in a Hollywood film and it's in a movie about a fucking white kid who has a dream about becoming a kung fu master and hooking up with a hot asian chick.

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Caiur t1_jab0jx7 wrote

Well... don't get mad at the people who made The Forbidden Kingdom, get mad at the Hong Kong film industry executives who had a good 10 - 15 year period prior to 2008 where they could have put Jet Li and Jackie Chan into a film together, but no one actually bothered to capitalise on the opportunity

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BenjaminRCaineIII t1_jaakmbp wrote

Yeah, it's kinda a shitty deal, but I'll take what I can get. Apparently they're not especially fond of each other, and I know Jackie doesn't really think highly of Hollywood in general. I've wondered if Jackie agreed to do Forbidden Kingdom, because it didn't really "count" as a real movie in his eyes.

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Zepp_head97 t1_jaau8q3 wrote

You don’t think Forbidden kingdom is a good movie?? How come ? I love that film

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rahmelemory t1_ja9m5bj wrote

It was love letter to Chinese Kung Fu movies and the soundtrack was Goat

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Blue--Cat t1_ja94r4y wrote

The Foreigner was not only his last good movie but arguably one of his best performances in terms of acting.

Otherwise I'd go with Little Big Soldier.

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rikashiku t1_jabqwmy wrote

Happy to see Little Big Soldier get a mention. Fantastic movie and performances.

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AmusingMusing7 t1_ja8y97r wrote

The last time he was truly relevant for me was probably Shanghai Knights, which I enjoyed, but wouldn’t say is a great movie.

The best I’ve personally seen of him since then was his part in The Karate Kid, where I thought he gave a really good performance.

I haven’t seen The Foreigner, so can’t speak to that one.

I’d say his best movie of all time is Legend of Drunken Master… OR Rush Hour 2.

Honorable mention to Rush Hour 1, Rumble in the Bronx and the Operation Condors. And Police Stories.

Mr. Nice Guy is really good too.

And Shanghai Noon is actually one of my favourites.

OH, and Twin Dragons!

Fuck it, he’s got a LOT of great movies. I can’t pick a best.

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YouandWhoseArmy t1_ja9m77y wrote

A fellow Shanghai noon fan eh? It’s the movie I always watch when I’m sick.

In the modern MCU era it really reminds me of those films quite a bit.

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Miposian t1_jaan4ni wrote

The Shanghai flicks are pretty good. I’d never rank ‘em over Drunken Master II but they’re better than the Rush Hours IMO.

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HoraceKirkman t1_jab8pc0 wrote

The tagline for Twin Dragons is great: "Jackie Chan - together again!"

Also, he made it to raise money for an organization that was fighting the influence of organized crime in HK Cinema, I think.

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Ebbemonster OP t1_jaawdkt wrote

We have very similar taste! I love all the movies you have mentioned. Then you will have to watch Super cop and the Armour of God movies too 😍

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AmusingMusing7 t1_jaaydfk wrote

I’ve seen both of those. Armour of God is “Operation Condor 2” in the west, and Supercop is the third Police Story. So those are included in my honourable mentions.

The release of the Operation Condors in particular can be quite confusing. In China, Armour of God is the first one and Armour of God II: Operation Condor is the second one. In the US, they were switched, with the second one being released first as “Operation Condor”, and then Armour of God being released second as “Operation Condor 2: Armour of the Gods”. I tend to refer to them as “the Operation Condors” because they’re kind of interchangeable in my mind and I never remember which one is which. It doesn’t help that it’s been a while since I watched them. I feel like “Operation Condor” (US first release) is the one with the wind tunnel, and then “Operation Condor 2: Armour of the Gods” is the one with the monks and crazy savage women and balloon ball.

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Ebbemonster OP t1_jab1be2 wrote

Ah true, I missed the Operator Condor mention in my eagerness to comment 🤣 The dumbest naming convention ever, but I guess they didn't want to launch a sequel in the US after Jackie had just had his breakthrough. I love the fight with the amazon women 😂 And the main monk is so over the top!

Many years ago I actually did a Top 10 on YouTube that got way more attention than it deserved 😂 But it had Armour of God as number one. I even enjoyed The Protector and City Hunter back then 😂 https://youtu.be/SU-wW19uJ7I

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DiskO272 t1_ja8zu7a wrote

The Lego Ninjago Movie was better than people say it was, it’s a fun Lego movie with a Ninjago theme. Not saying it’s the best but I enjoyed it.

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[deleted] t1_ja93nwf wrote

I feel like after the early 2000's, his attitude really became "I'm making an American film because it be high paying" as a means of funding his projects in Hong Kong. While I have no issue with that tactic, it became apparent that what he was putting out was likely going to be terrible and seemed to desperately try to draw on his 1995-2002/3 fame after he really exploded in the us with Rumble in the Bronx (yes, I know there was a ton of english dubbed films, but Rumble is when he really broke through).

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mrmechsale t1_jad47o9 wrote

watch any behind the scenes and Jackie was super frustrated working with western directors cutting up the action/hits, and various other bits of staging action (like why Jackie might want to handle the guy with a gun first)

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Ebbemonster OP t1_jaatb7j wrote

I think that this statement didn't really become true until Jackie became political in his old age. He use to love Hong Kong and be against the communist party, until he suddenly wanted to become part of it. Strange.

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HoraceKirkman t1_ja9k9nm wrote

Drunken Master II was the last GREAT Jackie movie - Rumble in the Bronx was the beginning of the end. Best Jackies:

Project A, parts I and II
Police Story I-III
Dragon Lord
Dragons Forever (a personal fave because it's got the 3 brothers in it)
Drunken Master I & II

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BoatsnGoals1 t1_ja9vic2 wrote

> Rumble in the Bronx was the beginning of the end.

:|

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StreetMysticCosmic t1_jaax7zy wrote

Yeah this is slander. Rumble in the Bronx is fucking stupid but in the same way that Road House, Point Break, Bloodsport, Over the Top, and Lethal Weapon are stupid. By which I mean, in the fucking awesome way.

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HoraceKirkman t1_jab5xov wrote

Hey, I did say "beginning". It's fun, just not as good as his best 80s stuff. Also, if you want "awesomely dumb" then you want the Asian Hawk Indiana Jones ripoff movies (Armor of God) or maybe Twin Dragons.

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No_Song_Orpheus t1_jabjtvk wrote

Ppint Break and Lethal Weapon do not belong on any list of things that are stupid. Both are legitimately good.

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boyd_duzshesuck t1_jaane8y wrote

This man speaks the truth - I really wonder how many people here actually watched JC's pre-Hollywood output.

I would even go farther even Drunken Master II was a bit iffy. I mean, the Andy Lau story went nowhere, Jackie Chan being clearly too old for the role he was playing, and the strange thing with Anita Mui being his...stepmom.

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HoraceKirkman t1_jab96pd wrote

If (a) Jackie is singing the credits song, and (b) Jackie is nearly dying in the outtakes at the end of the movie then you know you just had a good JC experience.

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Ebbemonster OP t1_jaavuqp wrote

I think that in pre-Hollywood Jackie had many of his best single moments because of his insane physicality, but he for sure didn't have his best overall movies. I have watched most of his movies with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, and thought they were too silly, and took away from Jackie's stunts to leave room for the less interesting guys. I have watched most of his historical movies, and just don't care much about all that, I want insane stunts. In some of his first solo movies he used to have awesome training montages, like in "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow", "Drunken Master" and "The Young Master. But much of those movies were just Jackie goofing around acting overly silly on bad fake-looking sets. The early stuff isn't always automatically the best.

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HoraceKirkman t1_jab6fem wrote

Snake in Eagle's Shadow is the weakest of the three you mentioned. I have a soft spot for the "you killed my master so now I must grow up fast" movies like Young Master, Drunken Master, Dragon Lord et al, but he really put it together in the Project A and Police Story movies. Plus - young Maggie Cheung and Michelle Yeoh!

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HoraceKirkman t1_jab6t21 wrote

How can you say Yuen Biao and Sammo are "less interesting"? Now, if we're talking "Winners and Sinners" or "Lucky Stars" movies, I agree - too little Jackie, too much lame humor.

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Ebbemonster OP t1_jaauh26 wrote

It was the end of his Hong Kong era, and the beginning of his Hollywood era. I love a bunch of his Hollywood movies:

Rush Hour 1 + 2
Shanghai Noon + Knights
Mr Nice Guy
Who Am I?
Rumble in the Bronx.

But before he also nailed it
The Legend of Drunken Master
SuperCop
Twin Dragons
Armour of God 1 + 2
Police Story 1 + 2

I wasn't the biggest fan of his earliest stuff with the trio and Project A, but I did love "Wheels on Meals".

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HoraceKirkman t1_jab5oxx wrote

It's always great when he's working with both Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung, so Wheels on Meals, Dragons Forever, Project A.

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Mintyxxx t1_ja8wbh6 wrote

Hard to choose, I'd say Drunken Master 2, Wheels on Meals, Armour of God and Project A are his best films. When he teams up with Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung are when we see Jackie at his best.

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PeterIanStaker t1_ja95fi6 wrote

I always have to rewatch the fight from the end of Wheels on Meals every once in a while, it's one of the best fight scenes I've ever seen.

link for anyone feeling nostalgic

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HoraceKirkman t1_jab8u8i wrote

He also fights Benny in Dragons Forever - it may be even better.

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FloridaFlamingoGirl t1_ja8z8do wrote

One of the best Reddit comments I've ever seen was that there should be another Shanghai Noon sequel, called Shanghai Seas. Yes please. The world needs pirate Jackie Chan.

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Ebbemonster OP t1_jaawn8n wrote

Then just watch the Project A movies, they are quite piraty 😊 I would have liked a Shanghai Sea, but unfortunately he was starting to get old at this point. We wouldn't have wanted another Rush Hour 3, where everyone just looks old.

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Ankylowright t1_jaa1231 wrote

Jackie - “Roy… why are you wearing that eyepatch?” Owen - “I thought it looked cool! At least I didn’t get a parrot or chop off my foot like that other guy over there.”

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UnrelatedTree t1_ja8v97b wrote

The stand out film for me was Wheels on Meals. I quite enjoyed Police Story as well.

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hombregato t1_ja9g1wu wrote

Rush Hour

It was the first movie he wasn't allowed to do all his own stunts, even though the stunts were 100x easier than what he usually did. Before that, the rule was "If you see Jackie do it, Jackie did that".

But Rush Hour was still a fun movie for people who like real Jackie Chan movies. We were able to enjoy it because we thought it was a side bit of Hollywood fun before Jackie would return to the real work.

By the time Rush Hour 2 came out, it was clear that one little bit of compromise for the Hollywood producers and lawyers had transformed Jackie into something else. His golden rule was broken, and thus so was his career as an action star.

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Ok-Structure-1494 t1_ja9n4ht wrote

It's The Foreigner. Which surprises me because that movie didn't take super long to film.

Wish Dragon was pretty good.

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DonnerMcgregor t1_ja9jv9y wrote

Skiptrace was such an amazing surprise, even at his old age he’s still got it

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BenjaminRCaineIII t1_jaala1b wrote

Yeah, it's crazy how nimble old man Jackie still is. I recently watched Kung-fu Yoga. It was overall an unfocused mess of a movie, and the fight scenes were quite toned-down in comparison to his early-to-mid Hong Kong days, but damn if they still weren't some fun, engaging fights.

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rahmelemory t1_ja9mhf5 wrote

Still Police Story is for me the ultimate Jackie movie. Comedy Romance revenge and obviously the stunts. I still shudder at the poor Stuntmen during the bus sudden break scene

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BranWafr t1_ja91s3a wrote

> He has been in an insane 138 movies over the years!

While impressive, it is amateur hour compared to James Hong who has 456 acting roles listed on IMDB. No shade on Jackie, just went on a James Hong deep dive after his fun antics at last nights SAG awards.

But, to tie it into Jackie Chan, the first version of Everything Everywhere All At Once was written with Jackie in mind. It was going to be him as the main character and Michelle Yeoh as the mild mannered spouse. But they decided it was just another action movie with little new to add, so they swapped it to have Michelle Yeoh be the main character and make it more about the mother/daughter relationship.

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ZombieJesus1987 t1_ja9nnw3 wrote

I don't know about it being his "last" good movie, but 2009's The Shinjuku Incident was really good.

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LittleBullBoy t1_jackvp1 wrote

Rumble In The Bronx is my favourite. Mainly because the stunts impress me the most.

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Martipar t1_ja97kt4 wrote

Jackie Chan film or film with Jackie Chan in?

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aresef t1_ja9jk6o wrote

I actually really liked The Foreigner, even if it was a bit derivative. Best, I’d say Police Story. Supercop and Who Am I are up there.

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Moidahface t1_jaap9vn wrote

Dragon Blade is not good by any means, but I really wish more people saw it for the madness of a Chinese-produced movie about Ancient Rome fighting Ancient China with John Cusack being terrible in the co-lead, Adrien Brody chewing the scenery as an insane Roman Emperor and a whole shit-ton of Australian extras.

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rhymes_with_candy t1_jab608q wrote

His last good American movie, Kung Fu Panda 3.

His last good HK movie, The Shinjuku Incident.

His all time best, Drunken Master 2.

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Hier00 t1_ja8x4bz wrote

Chinese Zodiac (2012) was pretty good.

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PaleFig t1_ja93gmd wrote

Battle Creek Brawl (1980)

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TussalDimon t1_ja9e0o5 wrote

I haven’t seen Foreigner, so for me the last Jackie movie I enjoyed was The Karate Kid. Although it should’ve been called The Kung-fu Kid.

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Ebbemonster OP t1_jaawyz1 wrote

Jackie was great in The Karate Kid, but Jaden Smith..... wow... No wonder his acting career never happened.

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hardgeeklife t1_ja9h4u1 wrote

The last Jackie Chan film I thought he was really great in was Police Story 2013, although it's not really a "typical" jackie chan film as it's quite melodramatic rather than comedic. Still, he's in decent shape back then, and the younger generation he has in the ensemble are competent, so the stunt work is excellent in imo.

A lot of his crossover Western releases shifted their focus to just a small number of high profile set pieces (think the bamboo scaffolding scene in Rush Hour 2). While impressive, this meant less time was spent on intricately choreographed fight sequences, which is what I personally really dig, and Police Story 2015 is the last one I remember with a healthy balance of the two

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josephgordonreddit t1_ja9kan9 wrote

If you're looking for standard fun JC with great fight choreography, then it would probably be Rush Hour 3 even if the movie didn't stand up to Rush Hour 2's quality.

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AfternoonCouncilor t1_ja9nv20 wrote

I love the Shanghai Knights/Noon movies. I quite liked Around the world in 80 days. Tuxedo was so dumb but fun at the time, not seen it in ages.

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ZackyZack t1_jaamxdb wrote

I absolutely adore the chinese one in which he is a monster "hunter" with a magical paintbrush

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MaleficentTrainer281 t1_jaaxgpk wrote

The Foreigner, interesting story, good acting. A change of pace from the garbage they call entertainment these days.

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Nellrose0505 t1_jab4own wrote

Forbidden Kingdom is my favorite Jackie Chan movie.

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EntertainerOrk t1_jacax49 wrote

Sometime around Rumble in the Bronx or so. Though I enjoyed Rush Hour 1 and 2 and Shanghai Knights. After that I really tuned out. I was there for the 80s and 90s movies all up to Police Story 3.

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Moffee t1_jacs1nx wrote

I haven't kept up with any of his films outside of Hollywood - but while rush hour series is good, I think three is a step down and also Shanghai Noon and Knights are far better.

Don't compare to police story, meals on wheels etc but Shanghai is so good!

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Mediocre_Analysis_54 t1_jad036u wrote

I've seen pretty much all of his movies, and I'm drawn to "Vanguard" the most.

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Curse_ye_Winslow t1_ja9o7bd wrote

It could have been Everything Everywhere All at Once if he had accepted the role, though I think Michelle Yeoh was a ringer for the role.

btw, Rush Hour 4 is on the way...

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Ebbemonster OP t1_jaax8cz wrote

I thought Rush Hour 3 was pretty painful. Chris Tuckers flirting with the girls has just gotten nasty as he has gained weight and become old.

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Onelove914 t1_jaatc17 wrote

What was the last movie he made? That one.

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