Martial arts iconJackie Chan’s favorite movies include some surprising picks. One might assume that Chan’s favorite movies would include a few action classics, with one or two picks from Hong Kong, but he has a surprisingly diverse palate. Chan revealed his top five films in an interview withRotten Tomatoes,and they include an Oscar-winning musical, a 1990s crime comedy and a feature-length documentary.
Jackie Chan’s careerhas taken him from low-budget martial arts movies in Hong Kong to some of the biggest blockbusters in Hollywood.Each of his favorite movies reveals something about his filmmaking style and his influences, even if they aren’t the most obvious choices. Chan has millions of fans from all over the world, but not very many people would have been able to predict his top five movies of all time.
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5The Sound Of Music (1965)
Jackie Chan Has Always Been A Fan Of Musicals
Not many people would have guessed thatThe Sound of Musicis one of Jackie Chan’s favorite movies, but the martial arts legend has a long-standing passion for musicals.Chan claims that he fell in love withThe Sound of Musicbefore he even learned to speak English. Chan was just 11-years-old when the movie was released, and he apparently learned how to sing along to the soundtrack despite not knowing what the words meant. Clearly, learning English hasn’t dampened his affection for the classic musical.
Western audiences may not know about Jackie Chan’s musical talents. He first started singing over the closing credits to his movies in 1980 withThe Young Master, and many of his most popular movies from his Hong Kong years also feature his singing voice.Chan even claimed back in 2010 that he was interested in developing his own musical, based on his autobiography.I Am Jackie Chan: The Musicalsadly never came to fruition, but it supposedly would have been inspired by many of his favorite musicals, includingThe Sound of Music.
The Sound of Musicis one of just tenmusicals which have won the Oscar for Best Picture. Four musicals won the grand prize in the 1960s, but it has now been 22 years since a musical took home Best Picture.The Sound of Musichas stood the test of time, and it is still watched today. The story follows a governess to a singing family as their world is plunged into darkness by the rise of the Nazis and the outbreak of the Second World War.Julie Andrews delivers a career-defining performance in the lead role.
The Sound of Music
Cast
The Sound of Music is a musical movie adaptation of the stage play from 1959, which tells the story of the Trapp Family Singers. The classic 1965 musical follows Maria, a young woman who becomes the governess for a family of seven children in Austria just before World War II. It features beloved songs such as “Do-Re-Mi” and “My Favorite Things”.
4Analyze This (1999)
Jackie Chan Admires Robert De Niro’s Comedic Performance
Jackie Chan listsAnalyze Thisas one of his favorite movies due to the leading performance from Robert De Niro. Although De Niro is excellent as an anxious mob boss,Analyze Thisis still an unorthodox choice.Robert De Niro’s best moviesincludeHeat, GoodfellasandThe Godfather Part II,so it’s interesting that Chan didn’t choose one of these to show his admiration for De Niro.Analyze Thisputs a spin on De Niro’s typical gangster characters, as it’s a more comedic take on the crime genre.
Analyze Thispairs De Niro with Billy Crystal. De Niro plays a dangerous Italian-American mob boss who starts suffering panic attacks and other symptoms of anxiety, so he starts seeing a psychiatrist, played by Crystal. De Niro and Crystal make a brilliant comedic duo. Crystal’s natural flair for comedy is just what De Niro needs as he takes on a slightly different genre.De Niro gets a lot of laughs as a blubbering messwho tries to put up the facade of constantly being aggressive and intimidating all the time, while Crystal is pitch-perfect as his easily-spooked shrink.
AlthoughAnalyze Thismay not rank as one of De Niro’s very best movies, it’s certainly one of his funniest. He started playing more comedic roles during the 2000s and 2010s, but none have surpassedAnalyze This.Not even the sequel,Analyze That,could recapture the magic. Chan may appreciate De Niro’s performance inAnalyze Thisso much because he is also a great comedic star. Chan doesn’t use humor in all of his movies, but he’s often at his best when he can mix his impressive martial arts skills with his knack for physical comedy.
Analyze This
Analyze This is a comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Robert De Niro as mob boss Paul Vitti and Billy Crystal as Dr. Ben Sobel, a psychiatrist. When Vitti experiences anxiety attacks, he seeks professional help from Sobel, leading to a series of humorous and chaotic events. The film explores the unlikely relationship between a gangster and his therapist as they navigate their disparate worlds.
3Jurassic Park (1993)
Jurassic Park’s Visual Effects Blew Jackie Chan Away
Jackie Chan claims that he was"was amazed by the special effects"ofJurassic Park,and he certainly isn’t the only one.Jurassic Parkwas a sensation in 1993, impressing critics and raking in over $1 billion at the box office.Neither theJurassic Parksequels nor theJurassic Worldtrilogy have had quite the same impact, although they have all been huge financial successes. Next summer will see the release ofJurassic World 4,which promises a new era for the franchise with a new cast led by Scarlett Johansson.
Jurassic Park’s jaw-dropping visual effects brought dinosaurs to life in a way that had never been seen before.Decades later, it still has some breathtaking moments. It’s impressive that the movie’s special effects have held up so well, and this has a lot to do with Steven Spielberg’s blend of timeless practical effects and computer-generated imagery. The Jurassic World movies have almost exclusively used CGI, which creates some stunning moments, but can often feel strangely weightless or hollow when it isn’t done perfectly.
Jurassic Parkis an action thriller and a horror movie rolled into one, with a helpful dose of Spielberg’s humor. It has persisted as a family-friendly classic for over 30 years now, so it’s no surprise that Chan counts himself as a fan. Chan claims that he was desperate to work with Spielberg, but theJurassic Parkdirector thought that his presence would be too distracting in theJurassic Worldfranchise.Chan and Spielberg have a lot of mutual respect for each other, but they have never collaborated in any meaningful way. The closest they have come has been Chan’s 2002 flopThe Tuxedo,produced by Spielberg’s DreamWorks Pictures.
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park is a science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on Michael Crichton’s novel. Released in 1993, it follows a wealthy entrepreneur who creates a theme park with living dinosaurs. When security systems fail, experts and visitors experience the perilous reality of the park.
2An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
It’s hard to quantify the impact thatAn Inconvenient Truthhad when it was first released.Al Gore’s climate change documentary helped define the national conversation on global warming and human industrialization.It may have faded from the cultural zeitgeist over the past two decades, but it was vital in influencing a generation of climate activism and debate. Jackie Chan says thatAn Inconvenient Truthis"one of the most important films that anyone will ever see,“and he certainly isn’t alone in this assessment.
Al Gore was Bill Clinton’s vice president, and the Democratic nominee for the 2000 presidential election, although he lost to George W. Bush. These days, he is just as well-known for decades-long environmental activism as he is for his political career, andAn Inconvenient Truthhelped boost his profile. Documentaries don’t often perform well at the box office, butAn Inconvenient Truthearned close to $50 million worldwide. This makes it one of the highest-grossing documentary movies of all time, and it’s definitely one of the most influential.
An Inconvenient Truthis all about raising awareness about climate change, and encouraging individuals to do what they can to live more sustainable eco-friendly lives. It can be considered a success for achieving these goals, but some have criticizedAn Inconvenient Truthin recent years for failing to address the role that big corporations and governments must play in climate change mitigation. Gore has continued to advocate for ecological sustainability sinceAn Inconvenient Truth,andJackie Chan has also spoken out in favor of conservation and other environmental issues.
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film starring former US Vice President Al Gore. Directed by Davis Guggenheim, it focuses on Gore’s campaign to educate the public about the dangers of global warming. The film presents a comprehensive review of climate change science, the impact of human activity on the environment, and the urgency of taking action to prevent further damage.
1Police Story (1985)
Jackie Chan Lists One Of His Own Movies As A Favorite
The last of Jackie Chan’s favorite movies isPolice Story,his own 1985 action classic.Chan states thatPolice Storyis"one of the best action films ever made,“and although this could be interpreted as a tongue-in-cheek comment, it’s hard to disagree.Police Storymarked a pivotal moment in Chan’s career, bringing him a new level of international success after a couple of underwhelming attempts to enter the American market. Chan continued working in Hong Kong for many more years, but he had been marked as a director and actor worth watching.
Every Upcoming Jackie Chan Martial Arts Movie
The incredible martial arts movie career of Jackie Chan has shown no signs of slowly down as he has plenty of upcoming films in the works.
Police Story’s stellar reputation is all about its remarkable stunts. From the opening bus chase through a shanty town,Police Storybristles with palpable, kinetic action, all of it achieved through brave stunt work. The mall fight toward the end is the grandest of grand finales, with bodies being thrown through windows and glass display cases until Chan slides down a pole wrapped in shattering light bulbs. Chan’s best movies all showcase his signature stunts, which use the fundamentals of silent movie stars like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin to add humor to the action.
ThePolice Storyfranchisespawned by the runaway success of the first movie is Chan’s longest and most popular series. The franchise has delivered a few other bona fide classics, includingPolice Story 2andSupercop,in which Chan teams up with Michelle Yeoh. It’s no wonder that Chan still has a soft spot forPolice Story,since it was so important to his career. Decades later, it still holds up as a thrilling action movie, and a must-watch for any fans of the martial arts genre.Many of Chan’s admirers would undoubtedly list it as one of their favorites too.
Police Story
Police Story is a 1985 action film featuring Jackie Chan as Officer Chan Ka Kui, who single-handedly captures a Hong Kong drug lord. The film follows Chan as he protects secretary Salina, who is set to testify against the gangster in court.
