It’s a real shame that Jackie Chan has phased himself out of Hollywood so much that we don’t ever get to see him in his classic action-comedy films anymore. Back when they were commonplace, Jackie had a number of hits due to these films featuring superb fight scenes.
Most of the time, Jackie made use of his penchant for comedy and employed that in his fighting sequences to deliver a unique experience for the viewer. Overall, though, he’s indulged in all kinds of fighting styles in his career, and here are 10 of them that were particularly intense, both on the action and on the fun.
Atop The Eiffel Tower - Rush Hour 3 (2007)
After antagonizing Lee for much of Rush Hour 3, Kenji finally got the fight he wanted with his former surrogate brother. It didn’t disappoint either, as the two fought all over the Eiffel Tower. Originally battling with swords in a restaurant, the men then tumbled outside.
It then went into over-drive when they began improvising with their swords and the net they kept bouncing up and down from. It was a fast-paced sequence that incorporated both melee mastery and stunt choreography. Not to mention Carter’s constant yapping from the corner, also making the scene hilarious.
Putting On The Tux - The Tuxedo (2002)
Jackie has a wizard-like skill of making anything out to be a weapon in his movies, and here in The Tuxedo, he achieved that with pants. While every piece of the tux was needed for its powers to work, Jimmy only managed to get the bottom part.
Even so, the pants did the trick, as we saw Jimmy take on a number of men while completing tricks with his feet no normal man could. He would flip guys around, do the same with himself, and tossed furniture at his enemies all the while attempting to button his pants up.
Arcade Fight - Rumble In The Bronx (1995)
Having had enough of the antics of the villainous gang, Keung heads over to confront them for their actions. Of course, that doesn’t sit well with them, and a fight ensues at their headquarters. Here, much of the initial clash takes place on top of a pool table.
When Keung manages to beat the gang leader, the rest intervene and it’s up to Keung to dispatch each of them. Using equipment such as refrigerators, bottles, and arcade games around him, he was able to confound the attackers and hold them off while reducing them in numbers. It was one of the first displays of Jackie Chan’s mastery with using props as part of his action scenes.
Against An Army Of Men - Drunken Master II (1994)
In this scene, we saw perhaps the most formidable number of men a Jackie Chan character has ever faced. Fei-hung seemed to be holding his own very well against the onslaught, before every attacker decided to clash with him at the same time.
To avoid them, he dodged each while coming up with new ways to try and fight. Eventually, he happened upon a broad stick that he split apart to make multiple attacking points. Thereafter, he used the split stick to tear through the ranks of men and thrash them around with his unorthodox offense. Who needs Wolverine and his claws when you've got someone who can make claws out of a stick!
Mall Fight - Police Story (1985)
Nobody can make a mall seem like a war zone other than Jackie, and he displayed this in Police Story, where he took on a bunch of goons at the mall. While simultaneously protecting his companion, Jackie kept his offensive mode on.
With this, he employed his strategy of tossing enemies around into breakable objects so as to curb their numbers. It was a more brutal fight than Jackie Chan battles we’re used to, but it also had the effect of making the scuffle look extremely realistic when we saw glass shatter in such an impactful way.
Bar Fight - Rush Hour (1998)
They say you should watch your mouth when in a bad neighborhood; well, maybe people should watch who they attack when Jackie’s visiting said neighborhood. In one of the more intense fight scenes from the Rush Hour series, Lee introduced the American men to the Chinese fighting style.
When he was attacked after a misunderstanding, Lee used the pool table sticks around him the same way a person with sword mastery would. Wielding this weapon, which he broke in half, Lee proceeded to also break the bones in his assailants’ body. To top it off, he even apologized for it.
2-On-1 Rooftop Fight - Who Am I? (1998)
Underestimating Jackie for being alone against them, his opponents chose to go one after the other. They came to regret this as Jackie overpowered both of them, which led to a 2-on-1 situation as the fight threatened to slip off the rooftop.
With one attacker being proficient with his hands while the other was a master with his kicks, Jackie adopted a more aggressive approach to fight the men in tandem. He was then able to beat them by using the environment to his advantage, such as using the lower ground to mount an attack, and using sandbags to both blind and incapacitate them.
The Cat-Claw Prevails - Snake In The Eagle's Shadow (1978)
Over in his homeland, Jackie Chan’s fighting didn’t take to comedy as much as it did in Hollywood productions, and Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow was perfect proof of how smart his technique was. When even his master was beaten by the Eagle-claw style of the antagonist, Chien came up with his own Cat-claw maneuver.
This proved to be deadly, as the baddie had no clue how to defend himself against this improvisation. The end result was a game of wits where Chien, despite being a novice, finished off the antagonist as the Cat-claw prevailed.
The Clash Between Legends - The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
The match-up between the legends that are Jackie and Jet Li was a feast for the eyes as their intensely fast fight scene was an enthralling display of skill. With Li bringing in the Mantis style and Jackie employing the Drunken Fist, there was little to separate between the two.
Although Jackie’s Lu Yan was meant to be inferior to Li’s Silent Monk, the former still put up a commendable fight as both parties managed to get a win each. They would also use the enchanted rod as a prop, as both men fought to claim it while continuing their fiercely quick attacks without fail.
Clock Tower Confrontation - Shanghai Knights (2003)
Even though he was completely outmatched in this duel, it was still an incredible contest. Here, Chon found out Lord Rathbone was no ordinary villain as the latter was simply too good with swords. Despite having an attacking mindset and going for the head, Chon was cut off multiple times by Rathbone.
Eventually, Rathbone took to toying with Chon by slicing off a few cuts of the latter, but then returning his sword over to him for “one more” round. Realizing he truly was outmatched, Chon cut off the platform the men were standing on, sending them hurtling out the Clock Tower. Lucky for Chon, Roy was there to reach out and take his hand while Rathbone fell to his demise.