Top 20 Jackie Chan Fights

“Armour of God” (1987)
The first in a film series that’s basically Jackie Chan’s take on “Indiana Jones,” this fight sees Jackie (the character) faced with 4 female assassins sporting high heels and ‘80s hair. The cave setting and overhead walkway allow for some fantastic use of the environment in the choreography. Additionally, all the high kicks from the women have Jackie dodging and leaping out of the way. There’s also plenty of comedy throughout. Although initially overmatched, Jackie is able to use his opponents’ choice in footwear against them. With its fantastic atmosphere, rare female foes, and some spectacular stunt work (just look at those flips!), this fight is a real treasure.

“The Myth” (2005)
Another film in Jackie Chan’s treasure hunting oeuvre, this one sees him play Jack, an archaeologist in search of a treasure once sought by himself in a past life. Jack seeks answers from a guru master of Kalaripayattu, an Indian martial art. The guru has him battle one of his students, hoping to reawaken memories of his past life. The ensuing sword duel is fast and furious, and features many cuts between Jack’s previous life and the present. The dual time periods bring plenty of novelty to the fight, plus the relatively straightforward nature of it makes it surprisingly unique among Jackie’s other fights as well. We’d certainly enjoy it in this life or the next.

“Project A” (1983)
As tempting as the final battle against pirates in the film was to discuss, we ultimately chose this one, since we think it showcases Jackie’s talents better. Due to a misunderstanding, former Marine policeman Dragon is arrested. After escaping on a bicycle, he is pursued by police who follow on bikes of their own. The sequence evokes silent comedy films, with its madcap visual comedy, though it also incorporates the creative choreography Jackie Chan’s fights are known for. Dragon uses the backstreets’ inhabitants to his advantage, flips pots with his bike, and even uses bamboo poles and the bike itself as a weapon! It’s just so much fun, and endlessly rewatchable!

“The Fearless Hyena” (1979)
The penultimate fight of this classic kung fu film sees Chan’s character Ching Hing-lung against the three disciples of a villainous kung fu master. The three men all wield folding guandaos, long-bladed Chinese spears. While Ching initially faces them barehanded, he eventually claims one of their weapons for himself, cutting two of them down and chasing the third away. The synchronicity of the trio’s movements is impressive. Meanwhile, Jackie is incredibly flexible throughout and some of the ways he dodges the guandaos have to be seen to be believed!

“City Hunter” (1993)
While it’s certainly arguable that the final fight of this film that pits Jackie Chan against Richard Norton is superior on a technical level, this fight is just so dang entertaining! Ryo Saeba finds himself in an arcade with his hands tied. Confronted by the big bad’s right-hand man Kim, Ryo is thrown into an arcade machine and electrocuted. This causes him to hallucinate that Kim is Ken from the video game “Street Fighter II.” After selecting his own character as E. Honda, the two exchange blows. After an initial defeat, Ryo returns as Chun Li to finish Kim/Ken for good! The entire sequence renders “Street Fighter” perfectly in live-action, complete with all the special moves! Hilarious!

“The Young Master” (1980)
Jackie Chan has many fights in his films. But his battle with hapkido master, Hwang In-shik is easily one of his longest! Chan’s character Dragon confronts escaped criminal Kam. In-shik’s Kam has the upper hand for most of the fight, first delivering blinding fast kicks, and then devastating arm and finger locks. Dragon brings the fight closer to the ground with more success. However, upon drinking water from an opium pipe, Dragon becomes nigh impervious to pain, tanking Kam’s attacks and throwing himself and his opponent around with abandon. Jackie has some positively backbreaking falls in this fight, and In-shik’s skill as a 10th degree black belt is on full display. But in a battle between skill and endurance, endurance wins this time.

“Armour of God II: Operation Condor” (1991)
In search of gold in the Sahara, Jackie, a.k.a. Asian Hawk, escapes some mercenaries and goes running for a wind tunnel. Above in a control room, his friends continually mess with the switches that regulate the wind speed and direction, leading to all kinds of mayhem. Eventually, the two groups learn to coordinate, which allows them to dispose of the mercenaries for good. While the actual hand-to-hand combat is sporadic, it’s still quite excellent. Additionally, the creative use of the wind in the choreography leads to some hilarious moments, such as Jackie going all in on that “Superman!” punch.

“The Forbidden Kingdom” (2008)
Despite both martial arts movie legends appearing in dozens of films, this marks their first onscreen appearance together, as well as their first fight. And it’s fittingly larger than life! Lu, the drunken immortal, played by Chan, gets into a fight with Li’s Silent Monk over possession of a powerful staff. Initially, each holding on to the staff leads to a lot of great footwork. However, after the staff is lodged in a pillar, the duo sets into each other using a variety of styles, as well as anything nearby. While the wirework does make the fight a bit floatier than most of both the actors’ previous works, it’s done by legendary choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping, so we really can’t complain!

“Drunken Master” (1978)
In this film, Jackie Chan plays a version of real life folk hero Wong Fei-Hung who’s been trained in the art of Drunken Boxing. Pitted against Thunderleg in a final fight, Wong showcases each of the Eight Drunken Immortal styles. When Thunderleg’s own secret technique proves too quick for him to handle, Wong has to improvise his own final style to defeat his foe. Out of Jackie’s older kung fu fights, we’d argue that this is the best. The rhythm of the combatants is like poetry in motion and the comedy of his drunken antics during the fight is hysterical. Although we’d argue that this isn’t the peak of Jackie doing his drunken style, this is still a magnificent fight scene.

“Shanghai Knights” (2003)
The fight in the market was also a contender for our list, though it’s more of an exhibition of Jackie’s skill alone. Who could possibly hold their own against Jackie? Well, the star of the “Ip Man” series might be a safe bet. In this uproarious comedy sequel, Jackie returns to the role of Chon ‘John Wayne’ Wang, who finds himself trading blows with Donnie Yen’s villainous Wu Chow as he tries to prevent the British royal family from being assassinated. Of course this isn’t your average brawl between two master martial artists, since the pair has to avoid being mowed down by a machine gun as they duke it out.

“Miracles” (1989)
Even in the director’s chair, Jackie doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into the fray when it comes to wild fight scenes. In this Hong Kong variation of Frank Capra’s “Lady for a Day,” Jackie takes on the role of a kind-natured individual who finds himself in the awkward position as leader of a notorious gang. Coming into conflict with a rival boss, Jackie ends up having to take out an entire swarm of goons inside a rope factory. As you can guess, the rope work is damn impressive, made all the better by the fight’s comedic edge.

“Gorgeous” (1999)
The course of true love never did run smooth, but when Jackie’s involved you can expect there to be some kind of fight added to the mix. After becoming smitten with a gorgeous woman named Bu, their whirlwind romance is interrupted by a rival businessman who becomes so determined to take Jackie out that he hires some extra muscle, played by Australian martial artist Brad Allan, to take him down a peg. Try not to blink; otherwise you’ll miss the flurry of fists and comedic dance that takes place.

“Rush Hour” (1998)
Who would have guessed that all Jackie needed to smash into mainstream Hollywood is his usual brand of action choreography… and Chris Tucker. While at a Chinese art exhibition, Inspector Lee finds himself not only having to take out multiple thugs, but also ensuring that the exhibits don’t end up destroyed, which is pretty tricky when you’re getting the crap kicked out of you. The only thing more priceless than the artifacts on display is the look on Jackie’s face when one of them gets blown to bits.

Rumble in the Bronx” (1995)
This is the film that gave the west their first real look at the awesomeness that is Jackie Chan. It may have been long overdue, but it certainly made an impression with audiences, with one a hell of a fight scene being especially memorable. Caught up in an escalating feud with several gang members, Jackie’s Hong Kong cop shows them why he’s not to be messed with as he takes down the villainous Tony and his cronies’ singlehandedly. Not only does he get to show off his martial arts prowess; he also uses everything from tables, chairs, shopping carts, and even a fridge to his advantage.

“Police Story 4: First Strike” (1996)
One of Jackie’s longest running series has no shortage of epic moments, and while the playground fight from “Police Story 2” is all well and good, there’s just no comparison to the now legendary fight scene in which the Chan Man takes a ladder and turns it into a lethal weapon. Even the plot—which involves nuclear warheads and a killer shark—pales in comparison to Jackie artfully wielding a ladder and taking down a room full of Triads in the process. It just goes to show that you can give this guy anything and he’ll find a way to make it an exquisite source of pain for his foes.

“Who Am I?” (1998)
This underrated film sees Jackie Chan play an amnesiac protagonist who may or may not be Jackie Chan himself. Faced with two hitmen, Jackie first fights against Kwan Yung. Despite a creative use of a shirt, things get kicked up a notch, literally, when Ron Smoorenburg steps up. His high kicking style puts Jackie on the backfoot, and when Kwan joins in too, things get really nuts! The fight ranges all over the roof, with the fighters dodging obstacles, using bricks, and trying not to fall off the edge! Featuring stunts, comedy, and some jaw dropping moves, this fight raises the roof in more ways than one. It’s perhaps the finest, or at least the most even, 2-on-1 fight in Jackie’s filmography!

“Wheels on Meals” (1984)
If there’s one man who could give Jackie a run for his money, even back in his prime, it was Benny ‘The Jet” Urquidez. Playing a fast food truck owner with some serious skills when it comes to martial arts, Jackie finds himself once again caught up in a criminal syndicate’s activities, eventually leading to a confrontation with The Jet himself. In a full on east vs. west showdown, these two masters of their craft prove what they’re made of. With a castle for their battleground, you can practically feel the impact of every punch that’s doled out. Bon appetit.

“Dragons Forever” (1988)
We get to see Jackie and The Jet duke it out again! This time, Chan is playing a lawyer hired by a chemical company to try and discredit a local fishery claiming they’re polluting the water. Jackie’s investigation soon leads him to take the law into his own hands when he finds himself the target of a narcotics kingpin. As you might have guessed, the villain’s main henchman is played by Benny, who really gets a chance to shine as he takes on both Jackie and fellow martial arts extraordinaire Sammo Hung. Guess you just can’t beat The Jet when it comes to playing minions.

“Police Story” (1985)
The stunt work in this scene alone is a sight to behold. Trapped in a mall, hunted down by a slew of goons, Jackie goes full-on super-cop and not only takes each of them out, but also manages to destroy most of the store in the process. Whether he’s slamming enemies into glass fixtures, running them over with a motorcycle, leaping over escalators, or that infamous moment when he slides down a pole wrapped in light bulbs, a lot of bones are broken and we can all agree that the whole scene is an action masterpiece.

“Drunken Master II” (1994)
What would later become known as “The Legend of Drunken Master” in North America, this film’s final fight sequence is unrivaled when it comes to its choreography, resulting in a furious feast for the eyes as Jackie exchanges fists with two deadly henchmen inside a factory. While he manages to dispose of one easily, the other proves to be far too skilled for Jackie to handle… that is until he ingests some industry alcohol. What follows is a demonstration of his drunken boxing at its best as he goes full-on beast mode. And this is why Jackie Chan is the man.

Is there an essential Jackie Chan fight we glossed over? Let us know in the comments!