The Last CLASSIC Jackie Chan Movie

[Ninja Sinai]

I decided to watch Kung Fu Yoga recently, actually let me rephrase that, I attempted to watch Kung Fu Yoga recently, but after approx 20-30 mins or so I had to switch it off as it was that bad!

I was like, "Man what happened to Jackie Chan!???"

I mean this is the man who made so many classics back in the day.

So I started thinking as to what was the last bonafide Jackie Chan classic, and in my honest opinion, I believe it was Drunken Master 2 and that was waaay back in 1994 people!! Since then Jackie had continued to turn out garbage after garbage, albeit a few exceptions of some good movies (I can only think of two by the way). The first Rush Hour (1998) and The Foreigner (2017). So thats like two good movies in the last 20 years!! I wouldn't class them as classics, but definitely would class them as good movies.

I mean come on what the heck happened to him?? I know some fans will say its because he started making hollywood movies, that would restrain what he could and couldn't do, but heck even his HK movies made in the last 20 years have been rubbish!

Maybe some will say its because he's gotten old, but heck from 1994 onwards, I honestly dont think a single classic Jackie Chan movie has been made that match the movies he made from the late 70s up to the mid 90s.

Honestly, they only hope I have left, is that sometime very soon, Jackie, Sammo and Yuen Biao can reconcile and make one last classic for the fans before one of them departs from this world. That would def get fans hyped around the world! And Sammo or Yuen Woo Ping should direct. And if its an old skool style traditional movie like SITES, Drunken Master or the Young Master, that would simply be the cherry on the cake!

Edited October 31, 2020 by Ninja Sinai

[massa_yoda]

Usually it's between DM2 and Who Am I? when people debate his last classic.  For me, I've found plenty to enjoy between those films and The Foreigner.  For example, Gorgeous, Accidental Spy, Shanghai noon/knights, New Policy Story, Little Big Soldier and CZ12 may not be classics, but I certainly don't consider any of those garbage.  Far from it.  But my expectations are also in check when I watch these films.  The man was already in his forties when DM2 came out.  

[KenHashibe]

Interesting question. Drunken Master 2 is a great pick! It feels like it was his last movie before his transition to more "Holloywood-style" movies like Rumble in the Bronx. Not to say that I don't like those later movies, but they definitely had a different feel to them.

I would say that Who Am I? feels like his last movie I'd call a classic. Definitely nowhere near as good as Drunken Master 2 and it does have an American feel to it, but I definitely have a soft spot for it. I feel like every movie after that usually sees him as a co-star, or it's just not as good as his other work.

There are some post-Who Am I? movies that I really like, mainly Little Big Solider and New Police Story.

 

[sym8]

3 hours ago, Ninja Sinai said:

Honestly, they only hope I have left, it that sometime very soon, Jackie, Sammo and Yuen Biao can reconcile and make one last classic for the fans before one of them departs from this world. That would def get fans hyped around the world! And Sammo or Yuen Woo Ping should direct. And if its an old skool style traditional movie like SITES, Drunken Master or the Young Master, that would simply be the cherry on the cake!

I’ve been saying and hoping for this for years,fingers crossed 🤞.As for his last classic I would say Drunken Master 2,but I did enjoy Rumble and New Police Story(mainly for the finale though).Almost everything else has moments(Chinese Zodiac finale)but most especially the last few years are very forgetful.Quantity over quality springs to mind.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Who Am I? (not counting his Hollywood efforts here)

The last one to really capture the spirit of the JC brand as we know it best.

The last one to encapsulate all the components that he was known for including an epic final fight and showstopper stunt.

The last one that in vibe, tone and structure feels most like a continuation of what he started in the 80's and most relates to his previous classic films.

Yeah, I can watch Accidental Spy or New Police Story from time to time, but for me, Who Am I? was the end of an era and as the thread title says, the last classic Jackie Chan movie.

[JCLegend86]

I agree that Drunken Master 2 was his last classic, even one of his absolute best. 

I rewatched Amnesia like a month ago for the first time in 10+ years and it didnt feel close to as good as I remembered. However, Mr. Nice Guy had the opposite effect being much more entertaining than I remembered. Hollywood definately changed his films, but I did enjoy a handful of them pre 2005. 

I have great memories from rumble, rush hour 1 and 2, shanghai noon, gorgeous, around the world in 80 days and new police story. I think Shinjuku Incident was decent aswell. I hope police story iv gets an uncut release at some point, thats one I look forward to rewatch. 

Its pretty easy to tell his 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s apart. They all had their own style and feel to them. 70s were the old school kung fu days were he showcased his best of physical abilities. Then came the 80s and the movies became bigger, the stunts became insane and jackie were on top of the world. In the 90s with the execption of a few movies you could tell he was past his prime/peak and then turned hollywood on us. In the end, im just so thankful for everything. Except for the last 15 years lol

[SamSeed]

Hm. Last out and out classic film I would say is Who Am I, the end fight will always be one of my favourites. Unless Gorgeous came out after that, in which case it would be that, because although it has less action than some, the action it does have is for my money some of the best, most intricate choreography of his career. But the last classic fight? Chinese Zodiac, it's Jackie and his stunt team doing what they do best - a good mix of hand to hand and props with comedy woven throughout. Essentially, I think if I wanted to show somebody new to Jackie Chan what the quintessential Jackie Chan fight scene is, I'd probably show them that (obviously I'd build up to Police Story, save the best til last!). I can't say Zodiac is a classic film, because so much of the middle section is just filler. I do love the roller suit at the beginning though.

Edited November 4, 2020 by SamSeed

[Drunken Monk]

I’m in the Who Am I? camp. It’s the last quintessential Jackie movie.

Though he made a number of very watchable movies since then. No classics, granted, but enjoyable films.

[DrNgor]

Yeah, I'm also in the Who Am I? camp. I think the Shanghai Noon/Knights films came close, as did New Police Story. But nothing made after 2004 reached the heights of even those.

[ShawAngela]

I haven't watched all of  his movies, but Who am I has impressed me a lot. I watched the cut version in English, and not too long after, the 2h version in Mandarin and I enjoyed it as if it was the first viewing , and if I had time enough, it wouldn't bother me at all to watched it a third time !

[D1 Ma]

Who Am I? was the last true "Jackie Chan Film"

[DiP]

His last classic in his prime... I would say Rumble in the Bronx.

[Koravec]

Personally enjoyed Chinese Zodiac and Kung Fu Yoga quite a bit. Id say Jackie still has it, just not as a star in his own directing sadly, miss his big movies he had most of his own input in. But its not exclusive to Jackie, same goes for any other action star for the most part. Wonder how a true ‘jackie chan film’ could be made to translate into the modern era as well as with his age now. Think it could still be done if he really had to urge to do so, but hard to see that happening without at least a half done attempt. I mean he sure wouldnt be going out of his way to hurt himself the way that he used to.

[sifu iron perm]

i enjoyed shinjuku incident, i know it wasn't a typical jc flick, but the acting, plot and directing were good.

 

 

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

Drunken Master for me. The rest of his HK output feels like a cash grab. I liked the Rush Hour movies, Karate Kid was good, but Montreal is not the Bronx....

[Omni Dragon]

On 11/8/2020 at 3:00 AM, NoKUNGFUforYU said:

Drunken Master for me. The rest of his HK output feels like a cash grab. I liked the Rush Hour movies, Karate Kid was good, but Montreal is not the Bronx....

Just to be absolutely clear, Drunken Master from 1978?

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

No, the more recent one. I liked the Armour of God ll and Supercop, but after that things like Who Am I and so on put me off. I watched them, but meh.

[saltysam]

I have a soft spot for The Myth.

[Praying Snake]

The end fight in Chinese Zodiac is the last wow moment for me. Jackie was on fire here at the age of almost 60!!!

[Omni Dragon]

Who Am I? mainly because I assume Jackie Chan My Stunts doesn't count being a documentary?

I know he was past his prime and had a bit more wire assistance, but still I also feel like New Police Story is almost a candidate if we're just talking about the action. After New Police Story from what I've seen, which is not a lot, there are moments and I particularly enjoyed Shinjuku Incident and The Foreigner.

On 11/3/2020 at 4:05 PM, SamSeed said:

Hm. Last out and out classic film I would say is Who Am I, the end fight will always be one of my favourites. Unless Gorgeous came out after that, in which case it would be that, because although it has less action than some, the action it does have is for my money some of the best, most intricate choreography of his career.

Gorgeous did come out after Who Am I? and I might have agreed with you if I didn't personally feel the outside of action stuff brings the whole movie down. I've only seen the TriStar version though and I doubt seeing the original HK theatrical version would change my opinion.

[DragonClaws]

20 hours ago, Omni Dragon said:

Gorgeous did come out after Who Am I? and I might have agreed with you if I didn't personally feel the outside of action stuff brings the whole movie down. I've only seen the TriStar version though and I doubt seeing the original HK theatrical version would change my opinion.

 

On 11/3/2020 at 8:05 AM, SamSeed said:

Unless Gorgeous came out after that, in which case it would be that, because although it has less action than some, the action it does have is for my money some of the best, most intricate choreography of his career.

 

I'm a bit split between Who Am I(1998) & Gorgeous(1999), doesnt the H.K cut of Gorgeous contain few extra fights?. It so long since I watched the Tri-Star English dubbed cut on VHS.

 

[Killer Meteor]

Drunken Master II for me - probably Chan's last genuine homegrown Hong Kong movie, as opposed to one for a Hollywood or PRC market.

[Omni Dragon]

4 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

I'm a bit split between Who Am I(1998) & Gorgeous(1999), doesnt the H.K cut of Gorgeous contain few extra fights?. It so long since I watched the Tri-Star English dubbed cut on VHS.

From looking at  https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=1748 it looks to me like most of the cuts are dialogue and the action that's cut is minor.

[DragonClaws]

9 hours ago, Omni Dragon said:

From looking at  https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=1748 it looks to me like most of the cuts are dialogue and the action that's cut is minor.

 

Thanks for the information/link @Omni Dragon, according to the IMDB page. Stephen Chow Sing-Chi, had a cemeo that was trimmed out?.

[Omni Dragon]

@DragonClaws.

The Stephen Chow cameo was also mentioned on https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=1748:

Quote

I imagine they probably would have left that in had they known that Chow would go on to get significant recognition in the west with Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle just a few years later.