Jackie Chan: I'm not a fan of 'Rush Hour' films

[Guest luckystars]

"But hasn't Jackie over stayed his welcome?"

Harsh...

[Guest Markgway]

That's a harsh way of putting it, but I feel the answer maybe 'yes'.

I would've liked Jackie to have retired after 'Gorgeous' with his rep intact.

But it seems every film he's made since is another dent in his reputation and another anchor on his filmography.

I couldn't care less about The Forbidden Kingdom, and neither can Jackie, lol, but if his upcoming Armour of God 3 is a disappointment, he should pack it in, and maybe move onto directing, or at least give mature Clint Eastwood-type roles a go.

[Guest Tosh]

or at least give mature Clint Eastwood-type roles a go.

See this is what I'm saying, I liked the idea of the next drunken master with Jaa(or whoever has the talent) and having Chan being the master teaching the student, I like and respect Jackie but he's at that age where he needs to take the secondary roles and let the younger generation shine, and by that I'm not talking about the BS pop stars.

[Guest remo]

But it seems every film he's made since is another dent in his reputation and another anchor on his filmography.

I agree that he needs to branch out, but I'm not so sure about this. Stallone will always be known for Rocky and Rambo, not for stinkers like Spy Kids 3D; and nobody cares that Brando starred in a bad remake of Island of Dr. Moreau with Val Kilmer.

I don't think he's doing any long term damage to his reputation.

[Guest Markgway]

Don't kid yourself, mate. Stallone couldn't get himself arrested until Rocky Balboa. If John Rambo is a flop he might as well go into retreat as a trappist monk. And Brando became a parody of himself in later years... you picked two poor examples.

[Guest monk sante]

I like and respect Jackie but he's at that age where he needs to take the secondary roles and let the younger generation shine, and by that I'm not talking about the BS pop stars.

I agree 100% with you on this but this will never happen, Jackie's ego is too big. I think Jackie should concentrate on his other talents.........directing and putting good fight scenes together for good martial arts films.:smokin

[Guest remo]

Don't kid yourself, mate. Stallone couldn't get himself arrested until Rocky Balboa.

The point is that, 30 or 50 or 100 years from now, Jackie will be remembered for his major accomplishments: helping to bring the stale kung fu genre into the modern age, his death-defying stunts, etc. He won't be known as the guy who made The Tuxedo and The Medallion. A few or even several bad movies in the recent past don't nullify his significant overall achievements.

[Guest killer meteor]

Mind you, Bela Lugosi is remembered for both Dracula and Plan 9 From Outer Space

[Guest Markgway]

If someone makes a bad film they will be forgiven... if they make a half-dozen in a row... it sticks. Jackie has risked his rep for money. I love the guy but let's be honest.

[Guest SlothStyleKungFu]

I dont know how you could be shocked by this. He's said from the start in interviews that he didn't think Rush or Shanghai worked and their success was lost on him.

He's just a greedy hypocrite.

For Petes sake. I'd say a good 95% of mainstream movie actors/directors/producers are hypocrites when it comes to selling their films. Its part of the freaking job. I'm sure most of the time they hope it turns out okay, maybe even great, but getting a film made is such a huge investment, you've gotta' sell it even if its a turd.

At least he's honest. The interview says, basically, "I dont get why the US films are popular" and therefore he didnt feel like he could add to them because he just doesn't get it. Okay so he kept on because despite "artistically" feeling uncomfortable he was getting well paid. Thats hardly a crime, and the films box office returns made his pay justified, so its not like he's cheating anyone.

He's a stunt-action star, first and foremost, and as such, his career was over ages ago. The fact that he's extended some life out of it good or bad is immaterial. Yeah he could have branched out into straight comedy or maybe drama, but I still think his career would pale because performers of his kind are a rare breed, they have their prime, then it is gone. Such is the case with Jackie.

[Guest Chinatown Kid]

Yes Jackie's best physical performances are behind him now, no matter what you do you can't escape father time. He has left his legacy and mark on martial arts and action films that won't be forgotten though and he has nothing to prove. I just hope he can spend his later years now enjoying himself and doing what he wants to do. I would think he would be rich enough now to take roles he likes instead of just for the paycheck but I guess you can never have enough money...

[Guest JustAFan]

I think the biggest problem is that a lot of people are expecting a 60 year old man to still be able to deliver the performance of a 20 year old. Now granted a lot of his mid-ninties stuff has been less than good but he's still making pretty good movies, New Police Story and Rob-B-Hood are movies that I thought were pretty good.

Now I can't say for sure, but i'm pretty sure he's made more of off his Rush Hour movies than all of his HK movies combined.

No matter what people feel, if your in show business you're in it for the money. He releases movies for everyone to enjoy because he enjoys it, but he can flip flop around kick things in a fancy way in his own back yard for free, he does this in movies so his ribs don't touch.

[Guest Markgway]

I think the biggest problem is that a lot of people are expecting a 60 year old man to still be able to deliver the performance of a 20 year old.

Lol, he's only 53. You've aged the poor bloke!! :eek

[Guest Yi Long]

I think the biggest problem is that a lot of people are expecting a 60 year old man to still be able to deliver the performance of a 20 year old. Now granted a lot of his mid-ninties stuff has been less than good but he's still making pretty good movies, New Police Story and Rob-B-Hood are movies that I thought were pretty good.

I dont expect him to do spinning jumpkicks and flips etc at all.

But just because he's OLD doesnt mean he cant be in GOOD movies anymore, or do good fightscenes.

He can just do great wing-chun fight-choreography, or maybe with weapons or whatever... there are lots of cool martial arts where you dont have to have a peak flexibility.

And TBH, even if he doesnt do fightscenes anymore, he could still choose good scripts and do good movies. But he doesnt.

BTW. Lau Kar Leung in Pedicab Driver? Old man, awesome fightscene. Yuen Biao and Sammo? Now starring in martial arts TV series with very nice choreography.

Jackie is just being lazy and greedy, and just not picking very good movies. He's @#%$ up his own legacy by the stuff he's been doing the last 10 years orso.

[Guest remo]

Jackie is just being lazy and greedy

Say what you like about his recent theatrical efforts, but this is a load of utter crap. The man's charitable works are beyond reproach, and include bequeathing half of his estate to charity:

Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation homepage

Jackie Chan Reveals Charity Will

Jackie Chan tops Forbes as most generous celebrities

Jackie Chan and UNICEF

Jackie Chan's charitable work

[Guest SlothStyleKungFu]

But just because he's OLD doesnt mean he cant be in GOOD movies anymore, or do good fightscenes.

He can just do great wing-chun fight-choreography, or maybe with weapons or whatever... there are lots of cool martial arts where you dont have to have a peak flexibility.

Oh come on. Have you been watching martial arts films over the past decade(+)? The industry has changed from HK to everywhere in terms of fight choreography, stylization, etc, and the manic stunt pic was dying even when Jackie was in HK. (And I mean dying in terms of audience demand and studios willingness to devote time/money to scenes).

Audiences tastes change. Industries adjust. Performers adapt or become obsolete. A guy like Jackie, with a deteriorating body, always a populist anyway, rode what seemed to work (even if he didn't understand it) which was a far better career decision (both in Hollywood and his modern HK -misses) than trying to live in a past that couldn't be reproduced.

BTW. Lau Kar Leung in Pedicab Driver? Old man, awesome fightscene. Yuen Biao and Sammo? Now starring in martial arts TV series with very nice choreography.

Pedicab Driver was, what, a 1990 film? The industry and audience has changed- oh yeah, and Pedicab was a flop, so despite how good the fights might have been it just illustrates my point. And as far as the tv example, its hardly an apt comparison to international or even local blockbuster cinema.

Look, I'd love if he could pull off one grand hurrah, but this idea that he could and just isnt willing to, is to assume he has more power and control over the way his films are made. Sorry, he might be the face of the films, but he isnt the mechanic. Even if he could be the mechanic, the film making machine isnt the same. Its a whole new game, totally different from the one that produced his prime, and you cannot expect one man to change or work agaisnt that.

[Guest remo]

And as far as Hollywood goes there's no way he could finance his own picture, which is probably what it would take to make a more traditional JC film. In 2006 his net worth was estimated to be around $130 million, which would barely cover the funding of one summer blockbuster (and if it failed he'd of course be destitute).

[Guest JustAFan]

Lol, he's only 53. You've aged the poor bloke!!

LOL, it seems he has been 53 for years, I just assumed he was 60, he might as well be.

Jackie is just being lazy and greedy

Wow, because he's trying to make a lot of money at his job without doing more damage to his body than he has already done he is lazy and greedy. I'm not trying to be argumentative, i'm just saying. Jackies still trying to do what made him who he is in most of our eyes, he can't do a pedicab driver style movie (thank GOD) it's not in his nature.

I don't know how many of you feel but i'm glad he's slowing down, for years he has done damage to his body to entertain us doing stunts in great movies that could've killed him. Now, he's playing it safe and doing movies to make money....more power to him. He is 53 ( Markgway) and at an age that he can do what he wants and for whatever reason. Hopefully I can as well when i'm that age.

[BLfan]

I personally feel that the rush hour films etc.. keeps the martial arts genre in the limelight and reaches a wider audience. Although they may not be the best examples of the genre, it does introduce it to new audiences and makes them check out the classics and give us martial arts fans something new to watch and criticise. Without Jackie Chan or Jet Li the genre would of stopped being popular after Bruce Lee. Someone new definitely needs to take it forward but with actors with no martial arts skills doing martial arts and other countries doing martial art type action, the market is already saturated.

Jackie Chan should really try to develop something new that works in favour of his age but Hollywood is so stupid that it follows only trends and milks it dry. That why we end up with Rush Hour 1 to 3 instead of something new from Jackie.

Jackie himself needs to think outside of the box and do not follow trends. I do not know why but CGI and Wirework does not work for him.

[Guest remo]

I do not know why but CGI and Wirework does not work for him.

Probably because Jackie built his entire career around the fact that he was the special effect.

But while the CGI in New Police Story was pretty iffy, I didn't think the wirework was all that bad.

[Guest theportlykicker]

But Jackie CAN still do good fight scenes. I know everyone hates New Police Story as a film but the fights were great. Jackie rocked it in that bar fight in particular.

[Guest Beat TG]

I wasn't so impressed with NPS both story and action-wise, but Jackie vs Andy On (double) was neat.

[Guest rdenn]

he is only using cgi and wires becuase he is an old man now, and new police story was some of the best action from him in years..

[Guest Iron Boat]

Its not like his asian films are Shakespearian or something, in my opinion they are just as cheesy as his American films. The comedy is just as corny in Asia as it is in America.

[shaolin drunkard]

I`m not into rush hour either...have seen only part3 though and it did not impress.I guess they need to have american turbolip co-starring to draw more people into cashier but still....is jackie getting old but there was not any GREAT fights in#3 and not much impressive stunts..chase in early movie was quite average,it did not feature any awesome ability jackie has used to display...on jackies behalf if breaking into american market and making movies like this been his dream,congratulations on that:monkey02