Over the last few years, Jackie Chan has stated repeatedly that he wants to be thought of as the “Asian Robert De Niro” (most recently in this Indiewire interview). He wants to be challenged more as an actor, and having recently turned 61, that means participating in fewer action scenes. The Jackie Chan that we knew and loved during his heyday in the ‘80s and ‘90s is in the past. That may be hard to swallow if you grew up watching his movies, baring witness to all of the wild and crazy stunts he did back in the day. But, really, it’s time to move on.
Unless, of course, you don’t want to. In that case, you can check out this nifty, lengthy video, which features every single stunt Chan performed during his four-decade-long career. What’s amazing about the fight choreography in a lot of his early films is that it never stops being impressive no matter how many times you watch. Chan was notorious for shooting take after take until he got the stunt perfect, which means he probably did dozens of different variations of all the scenes you see in the video. Variations that will forever remain on the cutting room floor (except for what made the blooper reel).
It’s hard not to get a kick out of how improvisational some of the stunts feel. The seamless manner in which Chan grabs random objects along his path and use them in increasingly imaginative ways is impressive. But the most cringe-worthy shots are the ones that involve Jackie Chan falling off rooftops, climbing up flagpoles, and essentially inventing parkour before that was even a thing.
If you don’t have time to watch all 27 minutes, at least skip to the 4-minute mark where Chan performs a stunt that really should’ve killed him. Or, at least, left him with severe brain damage. Which Jackie Chan stunt is your personal favorite? Let us know in the comments section. [via Reddit]