Jackie Chan, a global superstar of martial arts cinema, is famous not only for his fighting ability but also for his unique blend of physical comedy. Beginning his career in some of the best kung fu films, Chan soon realized that blending slapstick and funny dialogue with traditional martial arts would make him stand out from other action heroes. Chan’s signature style changed the game, making him an international superstar by elevating an entirely new genre of action-comedy. Jackie Chan’s intense action stunts, mixed with his lightheartedness, made martial arts films more appealing to a wider audience.
His best characters, such as the straight-laced detective Lee in Rush Hour (1998) and the drunken kung fu master Wong Fei-hung in Drunken Master (1978), also showcase Chan’s ability to adapt to any role and perform basically any skill. Evading punches with a wide grin or taking a lashing headfirst while performing a split. His films contain some of the most laugh-out-loud inventive fights and stunt sequences in movie history. Collectively, these movies illustrate Chan’s unique knack for blending genres, cementing his place as one of the greatest martial arts actors with a one-of-a-kind comedic style.
10
The Medallion (2003)
Starring Jackie Chan And Lee Evans
The plot of The Medallion follows Jackie Chan’s character, Eddie Yang, a Hong Kong detective who acquires superhuman powers after almost dying from exposure to a mystical medallion. In a partnership with a British Interpol agent, played by Lee Evans, Eddie tries to prevent an evil villain from getting hold of the medallion’s powers. The movie combines the supernatural format with Chan’s trademark action-comedy style.
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Similar to his more popular Rush Hour series, the buddy-cop film relies on the incongruity of Eddie’s new powers and his incompetence at controlling them, which in turn leads to a lot of slapstick in the fights. The buddy dynamic between Chan and Evans also brings some nice comedic beats to the film, particularly when they utilize the paranormal elements of the plot. While not super-well-received, the film is a mix of lighthearted fun and shows Chan’s knack for combining action with supernatural hi-jinx.
9
The Spy Next Door (2010)
Starring Jackie Chan And Amber Valletta
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The Spy Next Door
PG
ActionComedyFamily
The Spy Next Door is a family action-comedy film directed by Brian Levant. The movie stars Jackie Chan as Bob Ho, an undercover CIA super spy who decides to retire and settle down with his next-door neighbor and girlfriend. However, he faces the challenge of caring for her three children, who are unaware of his covert lifestyle, while handling a last mission involving a clandestine Russian plot.
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Director
Brian Levant
Release Date
January 15, 2010
Studio(s)
Spy Next Door
, Relativity Media
, Robert Simonds Productions
, Lionsgate
, Mandate International
Writers
Jonathan Bernstein
, James Greer
, Gregory Poirier
Cast
Jackie Chan
, Amber Valletta
, Madeline Carroll
, Alina Foley
, Magnús Scheving
Runtime
94 Minutes
Main Genre
Action
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In The Spy Next Door, Jackie Chan plays Bob Ho, a retired CIA operative who has to babysit his girlfriend’s three children while she’s away. Meanwhile, Russian spies plot to try and kill him after one of the kids inadvertently downloads classified information onto their computer. Chan alternates masterfully between playing the straight secret agent and a bumbling babysitter, trying to impress the kids with predictably comical outcomes.
Chan’s innate physical comedy skills are allowed to roam free as he beats up the baddies with a multitude of kitchen utensils. There are plenty of family-friendly laughs, and while the plot is more formulaic than others, The Spy Next Door still delivers heaps of light-hearted laughs.
Like many of Jackie Chan’s films, the main source of humor is his slapstick brand of physical comedy and the paradoxical sides of the characters he is forced to play in the situations he finds himself in. The typical scenario of avoiding international assassination while trying to do everyday parenting tasks. Chan’s innate physical comedy skills are allowed to roam free as he beats up the baddies with a multitude of kitchen utensils. There are plenty of family-friendly laughs, and while the plot is more formulaic than others, The Spy Next Door still delivers heaps of light-hearted laughs.
8
Around The World In 80 Days (2004)
Starring Jackie Chan And Steve Coogan
Loosely based on the classic 19th-century novel by Jules Verne, Jackie Chan plays Passepartout, a faithful valet to his quirky master Phileas Fogg, in this globe-trotting action-adventure about circumnavigating the world in just, as the title of the film suggests, 80 days. Chan’s character brings a martial arts dimension to the period adventure, as his physical comedy plays out in mid-air, catapulting from one dangerous high-flying stunt to the next.
Around The World In 80 Days is a comedy film based on Jules Verne’s 1873 novel of the same name and a remake of the 1956 film of the same name.
The funniest aspects of the film revolve around Chan’s (mis)adventures with Steve Coogan’s Fogg; they form the perfect pair, with Coogan and Chan playing off each other and taking turns to get in each other’s way. Whether dressing up as women to evade capture or accidentally smashing valuable statues, the film’s comedy is slapstick and absurd, making for a fun ride with episodic, well-executed action scenes that have become a staple in Chan’s catalog.
7
Mr. Nice Guy (1997)
Starring Jackie Chan And Richard Norton
In Mr Nice Guy (1997), Jackie Chan is a popular TV chef in Melbourne (also called Jackie) who gets mixed up with a journalist exposing a drug lord for murdering a rival faction’s leader. The plot is very linear, with Chan doing all he can to stay one step ahead of the gangsters while also trying to save the day. The body-bending action sequences showcase Chan’s athleticism, while there are also many laugh-out-loud moments.
|
The 10 Funniest Jackie Chan Kung Fu Films On This List: |
IMDb Rating: |
|---|---|
|
The Medallion (2003) |
5.2/10 |
|
The Spy Next Door (2010) |
5.4/10 |
|
Around The World In 80 days (2004) |
5.9/10 |
|
Mr Nice Guy (1997) |
6.2/10 |
|
Rush Hour 2 (2001) |
6.7/10 |
|
Shanghai Noon (2000) |
6.6/10 |
|
Wheels On Meals (1984) |
7.0/10 |
|
Rush Hour (1998) |
7.0/10 |
|
Drunken Master (1978) |
7.4/10 |
|
Police Story (1985) |
7.5/10 |
The ‘fish-out-of-water’ trope is a common calling card in Chan’s repertoire, with his chef character being an unlikely hero thrown into a variety of comical yet dangerous situations. The stand-out being a scene with fellow actor and martial arts legend Sammo Hung in which Hung is a bewildered cyclist traveling alongside a van in which Chan is kidnapped by a gang and is forced to perform a variety of close combat techniques to survive the journey and the juxtaposition is hilarious. This is classic Chan at his best – action, comedy, and stunts combined to make for essential viewing.
6
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Starring Jackie Chan And Chris Tucker
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Rush Hour 2
Rush Hour 2, directed by Brett Ratner, follows Detective Carter and Inspector Lee as they navigate a dangerous investigation in Hong Kong. While Carter seeks leisure, Lee is determined to apprehend a Triad gang leader linked to a counterfeiting scheme tied to a bombing at the American Embassy.
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Director
Brett Ratner
Release Date
August 3, 2001
Cast
Jackie Chan
, Chris Tucker
, John Lone
, Alan King
, Roselyn Sanchez
, Harris Yulin
, Zhang Ziyi
Runtime
90 Minutes
In Rush Hour 2, the role of Detective Lee is again reprized by Jackie Chan, this time in Hong Kong, alongside his partner in crime (solving), the quick-talking, mouthy LAPD detective Carter (Chris Tucker), who both return to the beloved Rush Hour franchise. Like Rush Hour before it, this film is a wild ride of action, spectacle, and international intrigue. With Chan and Tucker trading insults and one-liners back-to-back while attempting to solve the bombing and murder of two U.S. customs agents at the American embassy.
The prop team for Rush Hour 2 created approximately $1 trillion in fake money to be used throughout the cash scenes in the film, however, the fake money created was so realistic that film extras started pocketing the money between takes and attempted to spend it in real life.
More than living up to its box office-smashing predecessor, Jackie Chan again plays the role of Lee perfectly, with straight, poker-faced responses to Carter’s loud, brash Americanisms while also allowing his character to open up and provide more of the hilarious one-liners. The cat-and-mouse banter between the two is genuinely funny, with a number of misunderstandings and culture clashes proving the basis for their one-of-a-kind chemistry. As always, Chan’s physical comedy is what really sells the gags in the fight scenes and makes it a classic comedic action movie that’s become a cult favorite.
5
Shanghai Noon (2000)
Starring Jackie Chan And Owen Wilson
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Shanghai Noon
PG-13
ActionAdventureComedy
Shanghai Noon is a 2000 action comedy film directed by Tom Dey. The story follows Chon Wang (Jackie Chan), an imperial guard from China who travels to the American Old West to rescue a kidnapped princess. Along the way, he partners with an outlaw named Roy O’Bannon (Owen Wilson) amidst cultural clashes and adventure. The film is noted for its blend of martial arts action and western motifs.
Director
Tom Dey
Release Date
May 26, 2000
Writers
Miles Millar
, Alfred Gough
Cast
Jackie Chan
, Owen Wilson
, Lucy Liu
, Brandon Merrill
, Roger Yuan
, Xander Berkeley
, Rongguang Yu
, Cui Ya Hui
Runtime
110 Minutes
Main Genre
Action
Expand
In the film Shanghai Noon, directed by Tom Dey, Jackie Chan plays Chon Wang, a Chinese Imperial guard who joins forces with an outlaw (Owen Wilson) in the American West to retrieve Princess Pei-Pei. Much of the film’s comedy derives from the friction that arises from the odd-couple pairing of the two leads. Their clashing cultures and identities lead to comical conflicts as the pair bumble their way through their shared task of rescuing the runaway princess.
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Similar to Rush Hour, the humor of Shanghai Noon derives from the interplay between the two leading men, Chan and Wilson, whose sharp repartee produces the movie’s biggest belly laughs. There are some endlessly quotable lines, such as “John Wayne? That’s a terrible cowboy name!” and for the fight scenes, Chan’s physical comedy is as inventive as it seamlessly blends Western action and tropes with more traditional kung fu. The combination of genres combined with Chan and Wilson’s dynamic makes Shanghai Noon one of Chan’s most entertaining comedic adventures.
4
Wheels On Meals (1984)
Starring Jackie Chan And Sammo Hung
Wheels on Meals, set in Barcelona, features Chan and Sammo Hung as a proprietor of a food truck and an assistant to a private investigator who get mixed up with the kidnap of a wealthy heiress and a gang of ruthless villains. Fast-paced action and high-energy choreography are balanced against many comic moments, particularly between Chan and Hung, whose friendly banter is a delight to watch. Jackie Chan seems to have an immediate chemistry with many of his co-stars, and this is none more obvious than in this 1984 film.
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It’s the brilliant blend of the signature Charlie Chaplin-style slapstick with the high-octane kung fu that makes Wheels on Meals such a comic delight. The two legends of acting and martial arts, Hung and Chan, are really allowed to spread their creative wings with Hung writing and directing and Chan choreographing the action. Chan’s fights – especially his showdown with the world kickboxing champion Benny Urquidez (widely considered one of the best fight scenes in all cinema) are both exciting and full of physical comedy. It’s the masterful combination of action that makes the humorous moments throughout really pop!
3
Rush Hour (1998)
Starring Jackie Chan And Chris Tucker
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9/10
Rush Hour
PG-13
ActionAdventureComedy
Rush Hour is an action/adventure comedy that stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. When the F.B.I. becomes agitated over dedicated Hong Kong Inspector (Lee) being sent to Los Angeles to rescue the Chinese Consul’s kidnapped daughter, he is forced to team up with a reckless and loudmouthed L.A.P.D.detective (Tucker) to keep him front interfering. Despite the differences between the two, they’ll put them aside to prove themselves and save the girl while finding themselves caught in a notorious crime lord’s crosshairs.
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Director
Brett Ratner
Release Date
September 18, 1998
Studio(s)
New Line Cinema
Distributor(s)
New Line Cinema
Writers
Ross LaManna
, Jim Kouf
Cast
Ken Leung
, Chris Tucker
, Tzi Ma
, Tom Wilkinson
, Jackie Chan
, Mark Rolston
, Rex Linn
, Elizabeth Peña
Runtime
98 minutes
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Slightly higher up than its sequel, Rush Hour again features Jackie Chan’s by-the-book Detective Lee teaming up with Chris Tucker’s fast-talking and brash Detective Carter. The film has a straightforward narrative: the odd couple detective duo must rescue a Chinese Diplomat’s (Lee’s friend’s) abducted daughter, but the real fun is watching the clash of styles between Chan’s slow, deliberate brand of deduction and martial arts and Tucker’s loud, manic methods of solving crimes.
Rush Hour was the catalyst for the founding of film review website Rotten Tomatoes. Senh Duong, the founder of RT, was an avid Jackie Chan fan and wanted a space to collect all the reviews of Chan’s action films as they were being released in America.
This is definitely one of Jackie Chan’s first films that tips the usually perfect comedy-action balance in favor of laughter. The humor in Rush Hour is all about the cultural, linguistic, and procedural mismatches between Chan and Tucker, and the pair share many side-splitting moments and one-liners (“This won’t work.. I’m not 6’1″”) that are still as sharp more than 25 years later. The action is also incredible, with Chan’s trademark, fast and furious, brilliantly inventive style, stuffed with comic beats that keep the entertainment coming thick and fast. Chan’s charisma and Tucker’s energy are a match made in heaven.
2
Drunken Master (1978)
Starring Jackie Chan And Yuen Siu-Tien
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10/10
Drunken Master
PG-13
ActionComedyMartial Arts
Drunken Master is a martial arts film featuring Jackie Chan as a mischievous young man who is sent to train under a rigorously unorthodox old beggar. Released in 1978, it follows his journey to mastering the Drunken Fist fighting style amidst comedic and action-packed encounters.
Director
Yuen Woo-ping
Release Date
October 5, 1978
Studio(s)
Golden Harvest Company
, Seasonal Film Corporation
Distributor(s)
New World Pictures
Writers
Siao Lung
, Ng See-yuen
Cast
Jackie Chan
, Yuen Siu-tien
, Hwang Jang-lee
, Dean Shek
, Lam Kau
, Fung King-man
Runtime
110 Minutes
Main Genre
Action
Expand
Jackie Chan plays Wong Fei-hung, a ne’er-do-well martial artist who’s trained in the erratic Drunken Fist by a master who humiliates and humbles him with a host of comedic training methods, potentially inspiring the lessons learned in The Karate Kid some six years later. The film’s hallmark style is that of its eponymous fighting method: Wong’s flailing movements become increasingly unpredictable the more ‘drunk’ he becomes, resulting in some of the most playful and original fight choreography in martial arts cinema history.
Chan’s athleticism and natural talent make the style seem genuinely believable, and the fight choreography throughout is as funny as the jokes peppered throughout the scenes, with a wittier, better-executed dialogue than some of Chan’s other early work.
Much of the laughs throughout Drunken Master stems from the absurdity of the Drunken Fist style, with Chan’s character staggering, swaying, and catching his foes off guard with unpredictable moves. Chan’s athleticism and natural talent make the style seem genuinely believable, and the fight choreography throughout is as funny as the jokes peppered throughout the scenes, with a wittier, better-executed dialogue than some of Chan’s other early work. The seriousness with which Chan portrays the style in tandem with the absurdity of its movements combines to make it one of the comedy pinnacles of Chan’s career.
1
Police Story (1985)
Starring Jackie Chan And Brigitte Lin
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10/10
Police Story
PG-13
ActionComedyCrimeThriller
Police Story is a Hong Kong action film directed by and starring Jackie Chan as Kevin Chan Ka-Kui, a dedicated police officer who is framed for murder. The film showcases remarkable stunt work and martial arts sequences, depicting Kevin’s relentless pursuit of justice against a drug lord. Released in 1985, Police Story underscores Chan’s innovative approach to action filmmaking, combining high-octane sequences with comedic elements.
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Director
Jackie Chan
, Chi-Hwa Chen
Release Date
December 14, 1985
Writers
Jackie Chan
, Edward Tang
Cast
Jackie Chan
, Brigitte Lin
, Maggie Cheung
, Kwok-Hung Lam
, Bill Tung
, Yuen Chor
Runtime
100 Minutes
Main Genre
Action
Expand
In Police Story, Chan Ka-Kui, played by Jackie Chan, is a daredevil policeman sent to capture a drug lord. The film is filled with high-octane stunts, including the now-famous sequence where Chan slides down a pole through exploding lights in a shopping mall. There is plenty of action in Police Story, but the film also has plenty of comedic moments that perfectly balance the story – especially when Chan’s character bumbles his way through his budding romantic relationship.
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Chan’s signature slapstick comedy style is on full display in Police Story. Throughout the 100-minute runtime, there are plenty of belly laughs through a combination of brilliantly timed jokes, ‘pie-in-the-face’ gags, and physical comedy through long and complicated action sequences. Chan has the unique ability to get laughs through his words, his expression, and his movements, and he is at the absolute peak of his prowess in Police Story. The film is one of Chan’s best overall, an action classic made all the more memorable for the way it perfectly intertwines comedy to create a pure martial arts comedic delight.