Over the course of his career, Jackie Chan has been associated with action-comedies, with Chan combining martial arts action with physical and situational comedy in a style truly all his own. That formula, as exemplified by his Rush Hour movie series, has helped establish a very clear template for what to expect from a “Jackie Chan movie,” but that also hasn’t stopped the actor from broadening his horizons.
Outside of leading and directing action-comedies, Jackie Chan has also appeared in more serious action films, which have often carried a much darker tone than his comedic work. Despite these movies eschewing Chan’s trademark comedy, his action-dramas have still been hugely entertaining, with some even ranking among his best
9. Shinjuku Incident (2009)
Set in the early ’90s, Shinjuku Incident follows Jackie Chan as Nick a.k.a. Steelhead, a Japanese immigrant to China who finds himself battling the Yakuza. Shinjuku Incident arrived the point when Chan was really beginning to favor drama over comedy in the characters he portrayed, and the movie indeed is a big change for Chan in both tone and the style of action. As a tonal forerunner to The Foreigner, the 2009 movie Shinjuku Incident is an intense ride of Chan playing against type and making it look surprisingly easy for a star synonymous with action-comedies.RELATED:
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8. Police Story Lockdown (2013)
If New Police Story faded away, then Police Story 2013 completely throws the colorful fun of the early Police Story franchise out the window. This standalone installment in the franchise stars Jackie Chan as the new protagonist, veteran Beijing detective Zhong Wen, who must rescue a group of hostages kidnapped at a nightclub. In addition to the darker tone of the film, Police Story 2013 also allows Chan to change up his fighting style. The crime action film features a more wrestling-oriented style based on China’s Chin Na and Shuai Jiao, which takes center stage in an MMA-style cage fight in which Zhong Wen endures immense pain to win.
7. Heart of Dragon (1985)
Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung have been an on-screen duo in numerous films, but Heart of Dragon is in a class of its own with Chan playing Hong Kong cop Tat Fung. Chan’s character looks after his brother Dodo, who has a learning disability, and finds himself fighting to save his brother from kidnappers. With Chan and Hung essentially growing up as brothers in the Peking Opera Academy, Heart of Dragon has a big heart indeed in its heartwarming story of Tat and Dodo’s relationship.
6. The Protector (1985)
One of Jackie Chan’s early efforts to break into Hollywood was 1985’s The Protector, with Chan portraying cop Billy Wong on a mission to take down a gang of criminals. Chan had a major behind-the-scenes dispute on The Protector’s action, with the fight scenes in Chan’s version more reflective of the Hong Kong style he is known for, particularly his final showdown with American kickboxing legend Bill “Superfoot” Wallace.
5. Crime Story (1993)
Hong Kong cop action movies frequently have a somewhat light-hearted quality to them, but Jackie Chan went in the complete opposite direction with 1993’s Crime Story. Chan plays a police officer named Eddie Chan who has PTSD, with the character being assigned to a kidnapping case and ultimately pursuing the kidnappers to Taiwan. The fiery action scenes of Crime Story are as intense as any Jackie Chan film, but the absence of comedy lets Chan show some of his early range that he would eventually embrace in his more dramatic roles.
4. Shaolin (2011)
Benny Chan’s 2011 martial arts epic Shaolin tells the tale of warlord Hou Jie (Andy Lau) losing everything only to find himself again by becoming a monk in the Shaolin Temple, and coming to the defense of the legendary monastery from his arrogant fellow warlord Cao Man (Nicolas Tse). Shaolin combines epic drama and amazing martial arts action wonderfully, while Chan’s role as the temple’s cook Wudao ironically adds the most levity to one of his more serious films.RELATED:
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3. Dragon Blade ( 2015)
Jackie Chan has largely moved away from the historical epic in his modern career, but Daniel Lee’s Dragonblade is considered one of his best films in the subgenre. Set during the Han Dynasty, Dragon’s Blade sees Roman militia led by Lucius (John Cusack) develop an unexpected camaraderie with Chinese soldiers on the Silk Road led by Huo An of Tran as both sides unite to defeat the evil Roman general Tiberius (Adrien Brody). “Dragonblade” is epic on every level, from its historical scope to its action sequences, with Chan, Cusack and Brody making a thrilling on-screen combination as the loyal generals and warriors of the ancient world.
2. New Police Story (2004)
While Jackie Chan’s Police Story movies originally included the usual Jackie Chan-style action-comedy fun, 2004’s New Police Story introduces Chan’s protagonist Chan Kwok-wing in a more dramatic light. In the 2004 entry, Chan Kwok-wing is man wracked with guilt for failing to save his fellow Hong Kong police officers from a gang of young criminals. Under the late Benny Chan’s direction, New Police Story places Chan into an emotionally turbulent story that also keeps action scenes fast and powerful.