Jackie Chan is unquestionably a primal force in Hollywood with a vast catalog of successful films to back up his reputation, and it might all be thanks to a handful of key rules he’s sure to follow with every film. One of the rare names able to link Eastern and Western cinema together with a single lovable persona, Jackie Chan is famous far and wide for everything from the Rush Hour films to his early days on the sets of Hong Kong classics like Wheels on Meals. It seems as though Chan is cognizant of what audiences love about him.

In 2015, Jackie Chan released the autobiography Never Grow Up, which detailed his amazing life story, personal philosophies, and unearthed the secrets of his professional ambition. Included among the exclusive information was a list of six key factors that make for a successful Jackie-Chan-led blockbuster, as described by the star himself. According to Chan, there are six key rules that every Jackie Chan blockbuster spearheaded by his likeness has to follow, or at least, should follow under ideal circumstances.

A “Jackie Chan Movie” Requires These 6 Things

Jackie Chan’s Formula In A Nutshell

First and foremost, Jackie Chan proudly states that the heroes he plays have to be relatable, ordinary people, who he calls “everyday men with problems and imperfections“. Unlike the no-losing clauses of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Steven Seagal, Chan has no problem being embarrᴀssed on-screen, whether that means getting his ʙuтт kicked, looking like a fool, or being the ʙuтт of jokes. This helps him become an endearing figure that audiences more easily impress themselves upon, and helps him stand out from the hordes of perfect superhero martial arts movie protagonists.

The next three rules have to do with Jackie Chan’s signature fight sequences. Rule two highlights the importance of improvisation, allowing Jackie himself to fill out the action beats of a given sequence with sparse limitations from the script itself. Rule three emphasizes the dangerous stunts Jackie Chan does in many of his movies, always lending some air of visceral spectacle to the carnage. Rule four admits that Chan’s films are about the action first, and the plot second, with the story only ever being a vehicle for what audiences really want to see.

The six key characteristics of a Jackie Chan film:

1. Common men.
2. Improvisation, especially in big fight sequences.
3. Stunts!
4. Starting with action.
5. Exotic settings.
6. Positive values.

Finally, the last two characteristics of a classic Jackie Chan film involve the material itself. Chan stresses the importance of exotic and globe-trotting locations in his adventures, always giving him a fresh new environment to weaponize against his opponents with various improvised tools of battle. For rule six, Chan points out that he only strives to include positive values in his films, stating “I’ll never express anything vulgar, cruel, mean, or negative“.

The Movies That Didn’t Follow This Formula Is Proof Of Its Success

As Are The Movies That Do

Looking back at Jackie Chan’s old school kung fu movies and his big-budget blockbusters alike, it’s seems as though he’s very much onto something with this formula. Films that tend to stray from the path of these guidelines don’t always do so well, such as The Protector, a gritty police martial arts film that tried to turn Chan into something he isn’t — A Bruce Lee-like ferocious hero. This goes in clear opposition to Chan’s penchant for more “everyman” characters, something the film suffered critically and financially for.

Meanwhile, Jackie Chan’s most iconic films, such as Wheels on Meals, Rush Hour, and Drunken Master feature all of these key charactersitics to the T. From giving Chan’s characters a chance to look foolish and make mistakes to leading with impeccable action scenes with daring stunts that make the most out of unique locations, it seems as though the formula is a tried and true method of producing a kung fu movie classic. Few Hollywood stars can boast to have figured out their appeal to such a scientific degree as Jackie Chan has.