Jackie Chan is easily one of Hollywood's most recognizable and successful actors, largely credited with popularizing the martial arts comedy genre and having appeared in well over 100 movies. He is set to join Ralph Macchio and Ben Wang for Sony’s new Karate Kid movie, reprising his iconic role as Mr. Han for the first time in over 14 years. For those wishing to acquaint themselves with more of Chan’s work before his new movie, this guide will rank his 15 best films and demonstrate where to stream them.
Chan’s career is a bit difficult to keep up with, considering he frequently moves between the U.S. and Hong Kong film industries. Chan’s first big break came with Drunken Master, often considered a significant milestone in the Kung Fu comedy genre and popularization of Zui Quan. It quickly became one of the most successful Hong Kong movies of 1978 and is easily Chan’s best and most groundbreaking role.
He quickly followed up Drunken Master with several top-notch hits, including the Police Story series, Operation Condor, and Drunken Master II. He became one of the most popular actors in Asia before America, mainly because his initial attempts at breaking into Hollywood had proved futile. However, Chan decided to give Hollywood another shot and firmly solidified his stardom among U.S. audiences with his role in the buddy cop comedy Rush Hour alongside Chris Tucker.
Chan continued making a name for himself in the buddy cop genre, joining Owen Wilson for the hilarious Shanghai Noon and its satisfactory sequel Shanghai Knights. He also reprised the role that made him a household name in America with Rush Hour 2. However, he soon proved he didn’t have to be on the screen or performing his iconic stunts to draw in audiences. Chan voiced Master Monkey in the well-received Kung Fu Panda film series, starring alongside a star-studded cast including Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Lucy Liu, James Hong, and Seth Rogen.
In 2010, he portrayed Mr. Han in The Karate Kid. While the film received mixed reviews, Chan is the only actor ever given the privilege of becoming another iteration of Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi, and he did a phenomenal job. Although his roles in America have slowed down recently, that did not stop him from providing the voice of Splinter in one of 2023’s best movies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
For those looking for more of Jackie Chan’s top works, here is where to watch his 15 best films ranked by quality, reception, and how iconic Chan’s performance was.
