Jackie Chan is among cinema’s most influential martial artists, and many of his films are currently available to stream on Prime Video. Whether one is a longtime admirer of Chan’s work searching for the perfect movie to revisit or one is looking to get into what his decades-spanning career has to offer for the first time, the set of films available to stream online is a great place to start. These films showcase what it is about Chan that has made him a notable figure in the martial arts genre.

Chan has earned positive attention throughout the years for his innovative stunt work —much of which is performed by Chan himself— and his ability to blend slapstick comedy with superb martial arts choreography. From career-defining movies like Drunken Master to more underrated releases like Shaolin Wooden Men, there’s a Jackie Chan movie ready to stream for nearly everyone.

10

City Hunter (1993)

Directed by Wong Jing

City Hunter sends Chan’s private investigator, Ryo Saeba, on a thrilling adventure when he’s hired to track down the runaway daughter of a CEO. The film is an adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name, and while it may not work on every level as a faithful adaptation, City Hunter surely is a lot of fun.

City Hunter combines fast-paced action with comedy and a bit of romance as Ryo and his partner Kaori Makimura (Joey Wong) have a complicated relationship. The character’s unique romantic connection and the conflict that takes shape when they must face a group of hijacking criminals do just enough to keep the audience’s attention. City Hunter isn’t regarded as one of Chan’s best movies, but it has a solid number of redeeming qualities that make it worth streaming when it’s available.

9

Shaolin Wooden Men (1976)

Directed by Chen Chi-hwa

For audiences wishing to witness an unrefined Chan before he earned his breakout film role or established himself as a death-defying action star, Shaolin Wooden Men is the ideal movie. Coming just a few years before what many consider to be Chan’s career-making film, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, he led the martial arts film Shaolin Wooden Men as a mute Shaolin student learning various martial arts styles.

Shaolin Wooden Men sets up an intriguing journey for Chan’s character, who must decide whether he will use his acquired martial arts skills for good or as a means of vengeance. For most of its runtime, Shaolin Wooden Men is a formulaic martial arts film with enough inspiring action sequences and tension between Chan’s character and the antagonist to keep audiences invested.

8

Magnificent Bodyguards (1978)

Directed by Lo Wei

Director Lo Wei worked with Chan a handful of times throughout his career, with one of their more underrated collaborations being the late ’70s film Magnificent Bodyguards. In the film, Chan’s Lord Ting Chung is asked to accompany a woman’s sick brother to the doctor, and on their journey, he finds himself wrapped up in a fight against local criminals.

Magnificent Bodyguards has a fun, adventurous tone that complements its action set pieces well. In addition to being the film’s leading star, Chan also worked on Magnificent Bodyguards as one of the stunt coordinators. Despite having been released relatively early in Chan’s career, the martial arts elements of the film are still impressive. Both innovative and thrilling in their execution, the action scenes in the film are a fun preview of what would eventually come of Chan’s career as an action star.

7

Twin Dragons (1992)

Directed by Ringo Lam & Tsui Hark

Chan takes on the double role of twin brothers separated at birth in Twin Dragons. The action comedy follows the twin brothers as they are reunited as adults and swap lives, only to find themselves in unexpected trouble. Twin Dragons features the expected balance of laughs and impressive martial arts sequences ᴀssociated with Chan’s career, and is a testament to the actor’s abilities as an adaptable performer.

Chan effortlessly takes on the differing idenтιтies of his twin characters, seamlessly altering the physicality in his performance to adapt to the characters’ contrasting fighting experience and style. Though it’s not among his most critically acclaimed works, Twin Dragons remains one of Chan’s best action movies from the 1990s and is a movie worth watching now that it’s been made available to stream.

6

Police Story: Lockdown (2013)

Directed by Ding Sheng

The Police Story film series remains one of Chan’s best martial arts franchises, having earned praise for its seamless blend of drama, action, and comedy. The initial series of films was first rebooted with 2004’s New Police Story, which introduced audiences to a much darker story than what the original set of films had established in tone.

Police Story: Lockdown, also known as Police Story 2013, takes this redirection a bit further, setting up a plot much darker than what’s seen in New Police Story. In the action thriller, Chan portrays detective Zhong Wen, who finds himself and his estranged daughter in the middle of a tense hostage situation. Police Story: Lockdown, while not perfect, can be appreciated for its genuine efforts at reworking the formula of a beloved film series and for allowing Chan to switch up his approach to fighting.

5

Battle Creek Brawl (1980)

Directed by Robert Clouse

Battle Creek Brawl, also known as The Big Brawl, is Chan’s first American movie, and was the actor’s first attempt at making a name for himself in Hollywood. The film is set in 1930s Chicago and follows Chan’s character, whose confrontation with intimidating mobsters leads to him competing in an intense street fighting tournament. Unfortunately, Chan’s entry into Hollywood wasn’t immediately successful.

Though Battle Creek Brawl earned a more positive response in other countries, it was considered a box-office failure in North America. Eventually, Chan would find success in the Hollywood market with films like Rumble in the Bronx, and looking back, Battle Creek Brawl is far from Chan’s worst movie. The film features Chan’s expected martial arts skills and comedic timing seen in his celebrated Hong Kong work, and is delightfully fun the whole way through.

4

Winners & Sinners (1983)

Directed by Sammo Hung

The movies making up the Lucky Stars film series were released throughout the ’80s and ’90s, combining a fine display of martial arts with bold comedy. The first film in the series, Winners & Sinners, has a star-studded cast and is now available to stream on Prime Video. Unlike the other movies mentioned, Chan does not have as prominent a role in Winners & Sinners.

The martial artist is instead a standout supporting actor, starring alongside actors like Sammo Hung, John Shum, and Charlie Chin. The film sees its main group of characters being released from prison with the intention of turning their lives around. However, it isn’t long until the group of friends gets caught up in a conflict between rival gangs looking to get their hands on counterfeit money.

3

Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin (1978)

Directed by Chen Chi-hwa

One of Chan’s best old-school kung fu movies is Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin. The film doesn’t contain nearly as many comedic elements as Chan’s more notable work, but presents audiences with a well-written story and captivating displays of martial arts. In the movie, Hsu Yin-fung (Chan) possesses the coveted kung fu manual known as the “Eight Steps of the Snake and Crane,” written by a group of Shaolin masters before their unexplained disappearance.

Hsu Yin-fung finds himself facing off against the various individuals who are after the manual and will do whatever it takes to get it. The fight choreography throughout Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin is nothing short of remarkable and is some of the more realistic and technical martial arts sequences seen in Chan’s filmography.

2

Wheels On Meals (1984)

Directed by Sammo Hung

Wheels on Meals is a hilarious martial arts film that easily keeps audiences laughing, earning critical praise upon its release for its balance of precise martial arts choreography and brilliant comedic elements. Chan leads the film as Thomas, a restaurant owner who embarks on a wild adventure with his friends David (Yuen Biao) and Moby (Sammo Hung) to save a young woman (Lola Forner).

The group of actors are comedically in tune with one another, and it’s their chemistry that favorably enhances Wheels on Meals‘ over-the-top action and energetic atmosphere. As humorous as the film is, Wheels on Meals is just as impressively action-packed. Among the films’ abundance of action scenes is one of Chan’s best final fights of his career. Wheels on Meals sees Chan going up against martial artist Benny Urquidez’s intimidating character in a tense confrontation.

1

Drunken Master (1978)

Directed by Yuen Woo-ping

A seminal film in the martial arts comedy genre, Drunken Master is a film that helped further cement Chan’s status as a martial arts star. The actor portrays a fictionalized version of Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the film, and is joined by Yuen Siu-Tin as a fictionalized version of Beggar So. Drunken Master follows Wong as he builds a strong teacher-student relationship with So after he begins training and learning the тιтular fighting style from him.

Drunken boxing is based on a real martial arts style, which aims to imitate the loose and unexpected movements of an intoxicated individual. Such a style of fighting strongly supports Drunken Master‘s comedic tone, but the precision and attention to detail in the film’s fight sequences keep things from being too absurd to take seriously. For enthusiasts and newcomers to Chan’s work alike, Drunken Master is a must-watch.