Personally what do you think was Jackie Chan's best, classic and most iconic year?

[Omni Dragon]

I watched The Protector for the first time the other day and it was a lot better than I expected. I'd heard the stories through the years of how Jackie didn't like it etc but actually, if not taken too seriously, it's not a bad action movie, some of the camera work was slightly bad in the action stuff you could see the hits missing but actually I thought they did better establishing shots of Hong Kong than a lot of completely local productions. Anyway to the point of this thread The Protector came out in 1985 but so did Police Story which to me might be the most quintessential Jackie Chan movie though I might prefer Project A, Police Story feels like the most classically Jackie Chan style action. I hear Jackie say in an interview that while he worked on the Police Story shopping centre scenes at night, he worked on Heart of the Dragon in the day. Which I think is one of the best action to drama balanced movies there is. While I wasn't so into the comedy of My Lucky Stars and Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars IMO they still have some of the best fight scenes from 80s HK cinema, they to came out in 1985. So IMO I'd say 1985 was Jackie Chan's best, classic and most iconic year. But I'm guessing others who might be really into shapes might think of somewhere around 1976-1979 was his best years but personally I don't feel he stood out from his contemporaries so much in the shape era.

[Iron_Leopard]

It's got to be either 78 or 85.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

In terms of just him on screen, I would say yes, '85 is hard to beat. Not a Protector fan myself, but him doing his thing in Police Story and Sammo's films is enough. Three exceptional fights with Dick Wei that year, all hall of famers.

[Takuma]

7 hours ago, Iron_Leopard said:

It's got to be either 78 or 85.

Same. Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Police Story are my favourite Jackie films + both years had other good stuff as well, most importantly Drunken Master in '78.

[DragonClaws]

10 hours ago, Silver and Gold Dragon said:

But I'm guessing others who might be really into shapes might think of somewhere around 1976-1979 was his best years but personally I don't feel he stood out from his contemporaries so much in the shape era.

I think he certinaly stood out more in 85 than the late 70's, in terms of his own filmaking style etc. 1978 was big year for Kung Fu movies, and it just happens to mark when Chan finally broke out of the generic mould. 78 was prolific year for the Chanster, but I'm not sure if the two Lo Wei movies that came out the same times DM/SITES, were not made earlier?. 85 might just have been one of his busiest, and certianly most succesful years.

[danthemandmv]

I have to agree with the prevailing opinion- either '78 or '85.

[AlbertV]

It's definitely a tie between 1978 and 1985

1978 because of his breakout films and 1985, he got to unleash Police Story and with Heart of the Dragon got to showcase his emotional acting with such great chemistry with Sammo as brothers. Let's not forget My Lucky Stars (my favorite of the Lucky Stars films)

[DrNgor]

Yeah, put me in the 1985 camp. While 1978 certainly saw him rise to fame and make some other good (if unappreciated old school films), the Chan that the world knows and loves really came into his own in 1985. Police Story was a masterpiece. Heart of Dragon had one of his most iconic fights. My Lucky Stars was one of Golden Harvest's biggest money makers. Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars features two of the greatest action sequences of all time.

[sym8]

85 for me.Police story is still my go to film to showcase Hong Kong cinema at its finest.👍