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JACKIE CHAN |
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ACTION GENIUS |
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I’ve been a fan of Chan the Man since I was a kid. I think if I remember correctly my first exposure to this action genius was through my brother. I think he showed me the finale of Police Story and I was amazed to say the least and since then I’ve been a big Chan fanatic and Kung Fu movie fanatic to boot. |
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I was an avid renter of all the classics through my early years, Drunken Master, Police Story, Armour of God. And when my brother and me were stuck for something to rent, the Best of Martial Arts compilation would never fail to entertain us, I lost count after the 50th time we rented it.
I remember seeing Jonathan Ross’ special on Chan on his own Incredibly Strange Movie Show, this documentary affirmed my fan status for Chan and made me an even bigger fan. I remember being almost in tears at the comedy clips of Drunken Master and rushing out to rent it. Ah those golden years. |
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Jackie Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1954 and was almost sold by his parents to a doctor as they where that short of money. He enrolled in the Peking opera school when he was old enough and was put through rigorous training routines. But it would be here where he would meet his two closest allies, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao (if you have a keen eye you can spot all three of them in Bruce Lees Enter the Dragon). After leaving the opera school Jackie landed some parts as bad guys in many low budget kung fu flicks, some of which are quite hard to track down these days. |
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During the seventies Jackie made many marginally successful movies with Lo Wei, who previously directed Bruce Lee in Big Boss and Fist of Fury. But in 1977 Jackie got his break when he was loaned to Seasonal films to make Snake in the Eagles Shadow. The films surpassed Bruce Lees box office record and made a star of its star and director Yuen Woo Ping (who recently handled fight choreography on The Matrix) |
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Drunken Master followed in 1978 and was just as successful. In 1980 after sorting out a lot of indifferences with Lo Wei (which involved an incident with some Triads) Major Hong Kong Film Company Golden Harvest took Jackie onboard. After making The Young Master in 1980 Jackie wanted to try and crack the American market the same way Bruce had. He made the abysmal Big Brawl; the Americans just didn’t know how to make a Jackie chan movie the right way. But Jackie persevered, getting cameo roles in the hilarious Cannonball Run movies, but he still went unnoticed. |
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So Jackie stayed in Hong Kong and made more of his brand of movies, until in 1985 when he made The Protector, another American production directed by The Exterminators Jim Glickenhaus. It flopped, although the film itself isnt that terrible its just your typical Yank buddy cop farce. But if it hadn’t of been for The Protector, Chan would have never made Police Story. As he wanted to show what a Jackie Chan cop movie should really be like. |
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Throughout the eighties Chan collaborated plenty of times with his close friends Hung and Biao on the classics like Wheel on Meals, Project A, My Lucky Stars and many others. In 1994 Jackie made his masterpiece in many of his fans eyes, Drunken Master 2. The film goes above and beyond greatness with some of the greatest fights and set pieces ever committed to celluloid. The final duel between Chan and his real life bodyguard Ken Lo is breath taking. About three quarters of the film was directed by Shaw Brother’s legend Lau Kar Leung, but due to differences he dropped out of the project and Chan took over. |
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Drunken Master II |
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In 1996 Miramax bought the rights to Chans 95 Movie Rumble in the Bronx, it was a huge success and Chan was now a star in the west. Soon other films companies like New Line Cinema where buying the rights to chan movies like Police Story 3: Supercop (Released in the US as Supercop) and Mr Nice Guy. Then Chan made Rush Hour with Bret Ratner, which re affirmed his status as a Hollywood star and proved that eventually the Americans could get it right and make a Chan film that worked right. |
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Selected Filmography
Enter the Dragon (Stunt Man) (1973)
Snake in the Eagles Shadow (1977)
Drunken Master (1978)
The Young Master (1980)
Dragon Lord (1982)
Winners & Sinners (Extended Cameo) (1983)
Project A (1983)
Wheel on Meals (1984)
My Lucky Stars (1985)
The Protector (1985)
Heart of Dragon (1985)
Police Story (1985)
Armour of God (1986)
Project A 2 (1987)
Dragons Forever (1988)
Police Story 2 (1988)
Miracles (1989)
Operation Condor: Armour of God 2 (1991)
Island of Fire (1991)
Twin Dragons (1992)
Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)
City Hunter (1993)
Crime Story (1993)
Drunken Master 2 (1994)
Rumble in the Bronx (1995)
Thunderbolt (1995)
First Strike (aka Police Story 4) (1996)
Mr Nice Guy (1997)
Who Am I? (1998)
Rush Hour (1998)
Gorgeous (1999)
Shanghai Noon (2000)
Accidental Spy (2000)
Rush Hour 2 (2001) |
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BACK TO FRONT |
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