Jackie Chanis among cinema’s most influential martial artists, and many of his films are currently available to stream on Prime Video. Whether one is a longtime admirer of Chan’s work searching for the perfect movie to revisit or one is looking to get into what his decades-spanning career has to offer for the first time, the set of films available to stream online is a great place to start.These films showcase what it is about Chan that has made him a notable figure in the martial arts genre.
Chan has earned positive attention throughout the years for his innovative stunt work —much of which is performed by Chan himself— and his ability to blend slapstick comedy with superb martial arts choreography. Fromcareer-defining movies likeDrunken Masterto more underrated releases likeShaolin Wooden Men,there’s a Jackie Chan movie ready to stream for nearly everyone.
10City Hunter (1993)
Directed by Wong Jing
City Huntersends Chan’s private investigator, Ryo Saeba, on a thrilling adventure when he’s hired to track down the runaway daughter of a CEO. The film is an adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name, andwhile it may not work on every level as a faithful adaptation,City Huntersurely is a lot of fun.
City Huntercombines fast-paced action with comedy and a bit of romance as Ryo and his partner Kaori Makimura (Joey Wong) have a complicated relationship. The character’s unique romantic connection and the conflict that takes shape when they must face a group of hijacking criminals do just enough to keep the audience’s attention.City Hunterisn’t regarded as one of Chan’s best movies, butit has a solid number of redeeming qualities that make it worth streaming when it’s available.
9Shaolin Wooden Men (1976)
Directed by Chen Chi-hwa
For audiences wishing to witness an unrefined Chan before he earned his breakout film role or established himself as a death-defying action star,Shaolin Wooden Menis the ideal movie. Comingjust a few years before what many consider to be Chan’s career-making film,Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, he led the martial arts filmShaolin Wooden Menas a mute Shaolin student learning various martial arts styles.
Shaolin Wooden Mensets up an intriguing journey for Chan’s character, who must decide whether he will use his acquired martial arts skills for goodor as a means of vengeance. For most of its runtime,Shaolin Wooden Menis a formulaic martial arts film with enough inspiring action sequences and tension between Chan’s character and the antagonist to keep audiences invested.
8Magnificent Bodyguards (1978)
Directed by Lo Wei
Director Lo Wei worked with Chan a handful of times throughout his career, with one of their more underrated collaborations being the late ’70s filmMagnificent Bodyguards. In the film, Chan’s Lord Ting Chung is asked to accompany a woman’s sick brother to the doctor, and on their journey, he finds himself wrapped up in a fight against local criminals.
Magnificent Bodyguardshas a fun, adventurous tone that complements its action set pieces well. In addition to being the film’s leading star,Chan also worked onMagnificent Bodyguardsas one of the stunt coordinators. Despite having been released relatively early in Chan’s career, the martial arts elements of the film are still impressive. Both innovative and thrilling in their execution, the action scenes in the film are a fun preview of what would eventually come of Chan’s career as an action star.
7Twin Dragons (1992)
Directed by Ringo Lam & Tsui Hark
Chan takes on the double role of twin brothers separated at birthinTwin Dragons. The action comedy follows the twin brothers as they are reunited as adults and swap lives, only to find themselves in unexpected trouble.Twin Dragonsfeatures the expected balance of laughs and impressive martial arts sequences associated with Chan’s career, and is a testament to the actor’s abilities as an adaptable performer.
Chan effortlessly takes on the differing identities of his twin characters, seamlessly altering the physicality in his performance to adapt to the characters' contrasting fighting experience and style. Though it’s not among his most critically acclaimed works,Twin Dragonsremains one ofChan’s best action movies from the 1990sand is a movie worth watching now that it’s been made available to stream.
6Police Story: Lockdown (2013)
Directed by Ding Sheng
ThePolice Storyfilm seriesremains one ofChan’s best martial arts franchises, having earned praise for its seamless blend of drama, action, and comedy.The initial series of films was first rebooted with 2004’sNew Police Story, which introduced audiences to a much darker story than what the original set of films had established in tone.
Police Story: Lockdown, also known asPolice Story 2013, takes this redirection a bit further, setting up a plot much darker than what’s seen inNew Police Story. In the action thriller, Chan portrays detective Zhong Wen, who finds himself and his estranged daughter in the middle of a tense hostage situation.Police Story: Lockdown, while not perfect, can be appreciated for its genuine efforts at reworking the formula of a beloved film seriesand for allowing Chan to switch up his approach to fighting.
5Battle Creek Brawl (1980)
Directed by Robert Clouse
Battle Creek Brawl, also known asThe Big Brawl, isChan’s first American movie, and was the actor’s first attempt at making a name for himself in Hollywood. The film is set in 1930s Chicago and follows Chan’s character, whose confrontation with intimidating mobsters leads to him competing in an intense street fighting tournament. Unfortunately,Chan’s entry into Hollywood wasn’t immediately successful.
ThoughBattle Creek Brawlearned a more positive response in other countries, it was considered a box-office failure in North America. Eventually,Chan would find success in the Hollywood market with films likeRumble in the Bronx, and looking back,Battle Creek Brawlis far from Chan’s worst movie. The film features Chan’s expected martial arts skills and comedic timing seen in his celebrated Hong Kong work, and is delightfully fun the whole way through.
4Winners & Sinners (1983)
Directed by Sammo Hung
The movies making up theLucky Starsfilm series were released throughout the ’80s and ’90s, combining a fine display of martial arts with bold comedy. The first film in the series,Winners & Sinners, has a star-studded cast and is now available to stream on Prime Video. Unlike the other movies mentioned,Chan does not have as prominent a role inWinners & Sinners.
The martial artist is instead a standout supporting actor, starring alongside actors like Sammo Hung, John Shum, and Charlie Chin.The film sees its main group of characters being released from prison with the intention of turning their lives around. However, it isn’t long until the group of friends gets caught up in a conflict between rival gangs looking to get their hands on counterfeit money.
3Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin (1978)
One ofChan’s best old-school kung fu moviesisSnake & Crane Arts of Shaolin.The film doesn’t contain nearly as many comedic elements as Chan’s more notable work, but presents audiences with a well-written story and captivating displays of martial arts. In the movie, Hsu Yin-fung (Chan) possesses the coveted kung fu manual known as the “Eight Steps of the Snake and Crane,” written by a group of Shaolin masters before their unexplained disappearance.
Hsu Yin-fung finds himself facing off against the various individuals who are after the manual and will do whatever it takes to get it.The fight choreography throughoutSnake & Crane Arts of Shaolinis nothing short of remarkableand is some of the more realistic and technical martial arts sequences seen in Chan’s filmography.
2Wheels On Meals (1984)
Wheels on Mealsis ahilarious martial arts film that easily keeps audiences laughing, earning critical praise upon its release for its balance of precise martial arts choreography and brilliant comedic elements. Chan leads the film as Thomas, a restaurant owner who embarks on a wild adventure with his friends David (Yuen Biao) and Moby (Sammo Hung) to save a young woman (Lola Forner).
The group of actors are comedically in tune with one another, and it’s their chemistry that favorably enhancesWheels on Meals' over-the-top actionand energetic atmosphere. As humorous as the film is,Wheels on Mealsis just as impressively action-packed. Among the films' abundance of action scenes is one ofChan’s best final fights of his career.Wheels on Mealssees Chan going up against martial artist Benny Urquidez’s intimidating character in a tense confrontation.
1Drunken Master (1978)
Directed by Yuen Woo-ping
A seminal film in the martial arts comedy genre,Drunken Masteris a film that helped further cement Chan’s status as a martial arts star.The actor portrays a fictionalized version of Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the film, and is joined by Yuen Siu-Tin as a fictionalized version of Beggar So.Drunken Masterfollows Wong as he builds a strong teacher-student relationship with So after he begins training and learning the titular fighting style from him.
Drunken boxing is based on a real martial arts style, which aims to imitate the loose and unexpected movements of an intoxicated individual. Such a style of fighting strongly supportsDrunken Master’s comedic tone, butthe precision and attention to detail in the film’s fight sequences keep things from being too absurdto take seriously. For enthusiasts and newcomers to Chan’s work alike,Drunken Masteris a must-watch.
