Movie Scenes That Nearly Killed Jackie Chan

The incomparable Jackie Chan has been thrilling and charming audiences for over four decades. His singular combination of insane martial arts skills and crack comedic timing made him a star in the frantic early days of Hong Kong kung fu cinema, but it was his eminently lovable personality that ultimately led to Hollywood stardom and his current status as an international icon. With his most recent revenge thriller The Foreigner smashing up theaters, it’s worth remembering the other quality that has set Chan apart from the vast majority of his peers over his distinguished career—his insistence on doing his own stunts, no matter how dangerous. The outtakes of his films—which often play over the end credits—have for years illustrated for fans just how dedicated Chan is to his craft, and how lucky we are that he manages to cheat death virtually every time he makes a movie. Here are ten scenes that posed grave danger to the life and limbs of one of the greatest action stars of all time. 1. Nearly losing an eye in Drunken Master (1978)

2. Crawling over hot coals in The Legend of Drunken Master (1994) The Legend of Drunken Master climactic fight sequence is appropriately legendary, Chan himself took over directorial duties for the scene—meaning that it was his own idea to repeatedly risk lighting himself on fire. During the fight, opponent Ken Lo shows off some furious kicking skills of his own, but it may have been the open fire pits and hot coals that posed the more serious threat. Midway through the scene, Chan—who it should be mentioned is wearing extremely loose, baggy clothing—is kicked off balance and falls backwards onto the bed of hot coals, crab-walking across its entire length and rolling to safety while dodging Lo’s ferocious kicks. (Hilariously, Lo can be seen giving a cheerful thumbs-up the moment Chan’s butt hits the flames.) 3. Crushed legs in Crime Story (1992) Crime Story was a departure from the comedic tone of Chan’s previous movies, being a mostly straightforward and relatively gritty, well, crime story. In the finished scene, Chan narrowly avoids getting his leg crushed between two cars while trying to jump to safety. Crime Story is the rare Jackie Chan movie with no outtakes at the end, but according to Chan, his legs really did get crush. 4. Dodging billboards and shards of glass in New Police Story (2004) In the scene, Chan’s character (also named Chan this time around) is pursuing a gang member who diabolically distracts him from the chase by gunning down the driver of a loaded double-decker bus. Chan leaps onto the roof of the out-of-control bus, which proceeds to cause massive property damage while the hazards come at him fast and furious. Billboards, shards of flying broken glass, and plenty of other vehicles get in on the action as Chan manages to board the bus (by throwing himself through one of its windows, of course), which promptly has its top half removed by an overpass. He’s then able to bring the vehicle to a gentle stop by ramming a truck driven by a gang member at full speed.