Out of all the films Jackie Chan has made in his long career as an action star, one movie stands out as his favorite. Given how long he's been making his movies, there's obviously no shortage of films for Chan to pick from. In fact, over a handful of his movies are counted as some of the genre's best.
Few martial arts actors have starred in half as many movies as Chan, an action icon who has headlined dozens and dozens of films in a period that spans nearly 50 years at this point. Beginning in the mid-1970s, Chan began playing lead roles in multiple kung fu movies a year. In 1985 alone, the actor played the main character in an impressive total of five movies. Chan's schedule remained busy for years, with the actor continuing to star in Hong Kong movies while eventually finding work in Hollywood as well. Considering the sheer number of projects he's been involved in, it's not surprising that there are some, like The Protector, Chan wasn't pleased with. However, there are quite a few that the actor is openly proud of when speaking about his work.
Why Jackie Chan's Favorite Movie Is Police Story
Interestingly, Chan has singled out one movie as his absolute favorite. In an interview, Chan picked out his favorite films of all time and included one of his own - 1985's Police Story - in his list. Describing his thoughts on the film, Chan called it "one of the best action films ever made" [via Rotten Tomatoes]. Based on what this movie entails, and what's known about what Chan likes to see from his movies, it's easy to see why he would have a such a fondness for the first installment in the Police Story series. The 1985 movie was packed with Chan's trademark comedy, intense and well-choreographed action sequences, and stunts that Chan performed himself. As both the writer and the director of Police Story, Chan was obviously in an excellent position to create the exact movie he wanted.
While these qualities are shared by numerous Jackie Chan movies, Police Story is widely considered to be one of the best examples of this particular formula. In fact, it featured some of his most dangerous stunts, not the least of which being the famous scene where he slid down a long pole, shattering several lights on the way down. How these stunts were filmed and how realistic the fight scenes felt contributed a great deal to the legacy the film has today.
Jackie Chan's Police Story Was An Answer To The Proctector
Interestingly, Jackie Chan's favorite movie was created in response to a film the actor views as one of his worst films. Before appearing in Police Story, Chan starred in The Protector, a movie which the actor heaped harsh criticism on in his autobiography, Never Grow Up. Due to a contract with Golden Harvest, Chan had no choice but to star in the t Hong Kong-American production. As a movie that relied heavily on violence and profanity and leaned away from the goofy comedy of Chan's usual work, The Protector comes across now as sort of an antithesis to the actor's entire career. According to Chan, making Police Story was his way of showing people what a Jackie Chan movie was supposed to be.
