Here are more videos you should watch if you'd like to go more in-depth with this topic: About Jackie Chan using stunt doubles in Thunderbolt: ua-cam.com/video/2ldJf6Kqq24/v-deo.html About the Myth of Genius and Great Man Theory: ua-cam.com/video/6RhOUup8epA/v-deo.html Cheers!
Frankly Wong Jing is the last person in HK to have the right to talk smack about Jackie Chan, seeing his own messy personal life, including alleged triad connections and misogyny, referring to Ann Hui's Song of the Exile "Nobody wants to watch a movie about a fat woman". The parody of JC came out rather mean spirited in the movie, not only bringing JC but his father and agent into the petty dispute. Jet Li even apologized for his involvement in the movie.
Thanks for this Vid Essay. And very good points. I also have a hard time now watching his movies knowing he's political leanings and that he's made his money from capitalistic endeavors. But you are correct that many people are complex with good and flaws.
didn't he fake the bloopers shown at the end of some movies, and in interviews and memoirs directly brag to have never used stunt doubles (not just claiming to do his own stunts), and lie about injuries that never happened? (particularly the one where he "missed the branch")
@@OrAngeAnArchy What do you think the movie industry is? Making them out of kindness rather than profit? Do you only watch movies from people you agree politically? If I was as narrow minded as you I'd miss the entire filmography of Clint Eastwood, among others.
"Jackie is your typical Asian dad, who has all sorts of political hot takes, who are frequently absent from children's lives. Who insists on singing at a birthday party." That's a humorous take while also putting things into perspective. Good line!
I saw Kidnap (2017) and was so enraged by how bad it is, I literally thought I can do better. That's the reason behind my first feature script. Pettiness is a real strong motivation.
@@AccentedCinema It's not pettiness, it's inspiration, ometimes inspiration comes from a bad impression. I always say 'if you can't be a shining example, then at least you can be a terrible warning'
@@AccentedCinema IIRC Xiran Jay Zhao started their UA-cam channel out of petty spite against Disney’s live action Mulan. I find that hilarious. I guess both of you were motivated by similar things?
Let's not forget that Jackie also started out as a stunt double himself. But of course, most audiences don't care about that. Fortunately, he and Sammo Hung established their own stunt teams. So when the Hong Kong Film Awards come around, their entire teams get credited for the Best Action Choreography category. Jackie's team currently holds the record for most wins w/ 7, while Sammo's team has the most nominations w/ 22. Though both Jackie & Sammo have also won this category separately from their respective teams.
no he didn't,.. he started out as a "stage hand" and then took a role when someone dropped out and was then hired to do Big and Little Wong Tin Bar when he was 8 years old... he was a child star,.. you have no idea what you are talking about lol
@@dr.decker3623 Child stars do not downgrade into becoming stunt doubles, genius! Those are the likes of Macaulay Culkin, Drew Barrymore, Shirley Temple, Daniel Radliffe, Dakota Fanning, etc... It is a given that all doubles had previous jobs. The point is that Jackie started his action career as a stuntman. Bruce Lee did not even know who he was until the former accidentally hit him in the face. Use common sense. 🤦♂
@@shiranuiaensland1442 Based on people's beliefs on the internet, Jackie Chan is apparently a child star turned p...star turned action star. Now, THAT's the ultimate star! XD
Wong-Jing’s professional respect for Jackie in spite of not *liking* him is shown by Frankie becoming a *real* hero who rises to the occasion in the climax of “High Risk” to protect the people he loves in spite of being a cowardly blowhard.
I'm a filmmaker, so I appreciate you clarifying how shooting and editing works for the uninitiated. I will say that Jackie Chan does all his own stunts. The fact that someone else did them too does not take away from the fact that he did it. And just because the pick a take where a double does the same stunt because it looks better doesn't negate Jackie doing the stunt. It's more so a testament to his dedication to making the best film and action possible to choose to use a take with a double in it because it looks better on camera. I don't think anyone ever thought Jackie was the one doing the skateboard tricks that kind of stuff is an obvious double and frankly, barely a "stunt". And obviously, if you break your foot, you can't kick in a fight scene, but you CAN'T stop shooting the movie. Ironically the very reason stunt doubles are needed. Stunt guy breaks his foot the film can keep shooting with the stars and they can get a new stunt person in.
Imagine calling all the stunt Jackie did for decades is a double stunt, shame on u people he didn't broke evry shit on his body just for y'all to make a controversy and doubting him for doing his own stunts. And yeah Mr filmmaker, who's more professional and incredible filmmaker you than him? Jackie Chan also filmmaker btw and also do all his stunt even after broke his ankle he keep finishing his movie. Duh people i hate y'all
This video also fails to acknowledge pre visual side of stunt choreography, where sometimes stuntmen often perform the supposed act first which is filmed, they see how it looks in roll, then the actor or the double perform it again.
"Judge someone by their actions and not their actions by who you think they are" This is such a good quote that I will take this and try to use it from now on.
Definitely. I think the moral of this video is that you shouldn't idolize anyone. People are flawed, nobody is perfect. And separating the actor from their personal life is also important. Jackie may not be the ideal human being, but his films are good.
@@drsolo7 I means don't make assumptions on people and act on it like it's true when you have actually not gotten any facts about the assumptions at all.
Ikr, it's totally understandable acually, sometimes he gets injured and needs a double to do the take, i don't see the problem, he still a human after all
People didn't, but it's still a blow to an image that Jackie built. His doing so many of his own stunts is already impressive, but you know how marketing cherrypicks reality until it sounds perfect and how much consumers reward perfection.
I think one of the main points here is that we shouldn’t give the Chan Man any less credit for his stunts. He deserves immense praise for his stunt work. It’s that his stunt doubles and stunt team simply deserve more credit for what they do as well.
@@laobok If I'm not mistaken, the differences in the roles of choreographers and stunt artists are very much well established. And the claim here is that jackie chan do his own stunts.
The thing is, he's still doing his own stunts. It's not like he's just stepping out & sipping on a latte while the stunt guy fills in & does the dirty work... He's broken countless bones & injured himself repeatedly, just to be the guy we're all watching on the screen as much as possible. Thing is you can't ask him to risk his health on a crazy stunt 10 takes in a row, so obviously fresh stuntmen are needed. The director & editor then choose the best takes (or slices of multiple takes) for the film, some of which aren't Jackie. Doesn't mean he didn't do that stunt too, only that another person's take came out better. A lot of hype & credit have been given to Tom Cruise & Keanu Reeves in recent years for all their crazy stunts (and the training they go through to do them), yet they still use stuntmen plenty throughout their films. I'd argue Jackie should be given even more credit than them, as he's been doing more for longer.
Thank you brah. Literally the same shit I said to my gf rn. Like this guy that made this vid is tryna discredit Jackie for whatever reason. Hell even the director of this parody movie still had respect and high praises for Jackie 😒
@@k_kaazey8 The video doesn't discredit him at all. It outright defends him by citing him as a professional actor and one who organizes a team effort for his action films, performing stunts himself as well as shared with stunt doubles for a variety of reasons. Even going as far as to cite how many great and talented people are in the end, just people. Flawed. Just watch the actual video - The both of you.
@@theblobconsumes4859 I did watch the actual video and that's not what he was saying at all. He was tryna discredit Jackie. But if that's what you got from the vid then cool, I'm not going to argue with you.
As a huge action buff it's no secret that Chan uses doubles, but he gives us so many indelible sequences with himself and his world renowned stunt team that the bubble never really burst for me when I learnt about it. That said, this is one of my fave videos from your channel! Thanks for highlighting the super crucial role stunt doubles and teams play in pur action cinema. Wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting without them.
@UCLEqlDqd9xiB9HISPVD-NJA Because Chan is very pro China so People from hong kong will definitely hate him. I hate china myself but he IS chinese so him being pro his own country is nothing strange or anything. Americans are pro america and that country is evil as fuck.
I mean, the guy who does most of his own stunts which are also way above the level of most Hollywood productions is still leagues above the guys who don't do their own stunts at all. As a creative works aficionado who is also a business school guy , I can totally respect Jackie's statement as a cynical business decision to get the name of Hong Kong action cinema out there.
I love love *love* your 'Great Men of History' segment. It's such a mental trap, one that's shockingly easily to fall into for even the savviest and discerning person. Every single event of note in history, from the greatest of miracles to the most abhorrent of atrocities, was a team effort. But it's hard for most people to pass out credit to multiple individuals, so they look for the most visible person (or the person provided for them by marketers and history-writers) to hang everything on.
A big problem with discrediting the great men of history is that it only serves to showcase an adolescent perspective that wasn't able to handle it's own preconceptions, and then defends it's wrongness by attacking the great men instead of accepting that it was wrong. The fact George Washington or Winston Churchill or etc etc needed teams is only hidden to children by their ignorance of how the world works. They hear Churchill and are only able to see Churchill. It's not a fault of what "we" do, because most adults understand that these were leaders, who had to lead folks to be great men of history. The entire basis of this view is based on adolescent ignorance shifting from appearance to another.
I love discovering new movies from this channel. Also, I think the thing about the “stunts” argument is that people aren’t framing the question right: “Does Jackie Chan do his own stunts?” Yes. “Does Jackie Chan do his own stunts ’by himself’?” No. That simple. For me: who does the stunts is less important than if the stunts are done well. I don’t watch King Hu movies thinking that there are actual flying martial artists out there lol
Despite Wong Jing's obvious mockery of him, I guess the one redeeming quality of "Frankie" in the film was his love for his father which was accurate of Jackie's relationship to his dad and was something that he seems to admire. It was what triggered his kungfu mojo to return and allowed him to defeat the villain in the climax. I found it to be a genuinely sweet moment in the film. Also, I think Jackie Cheung and Wu Ma's chemistry together really made it work.
Honestly, I'm less surprised by the stunt double "reveal" and more shocked at all his not-so-great life choices. He projects such a friendly public persona, it's like seeing Will Smith punch Chris Rock. That said, I've always felt like the film industry doesn't treat stunt doubles with enough respect; some of the stuff they're asked to do is just insane--"Please do X in high heels"--and yet they get hardly any credit for it!
No, he used stunt doubles even when he wasn’t injured or in the hospital. Even though he did and still does a lot of his stunt, there are times where he just hast to use it’s not double.
@@jameslee155 it depends whether he uses stunt doubles when he was/wasn't seriously injured or in the hospital. Using stunt doubles is not a problem but people might think that it's a problem. It also depends whether the stunt they did is bad or not. I don't blame on Jackie cuz he gets injured a lot
He used to be my idol when I was a teen. As an adult I always appreciate being reminded how human the actors I use to (and sometimes still) admire are/were
I think it's still okay to idolise the best aspects of a person, sometimes even if they aren't real. It's just also good to remember that there's a real and flawed human being underneath.
“A stunt guy pads up and goes through a wall. That's his profession. Every time the profession's mixed, I don't want to risk 80 people's jobs just so I can say I have big nuts." ~ Danny Trejo
That sounds like a good quote, but it's really protecting his own cowardice. Most folks who do their own stunts (and there are very few for a few reason) do so because they like doing it,not because they want to say they have big nuts. It's probably the same the kind of thrill seeking that goes into skydiving etc. There's also the component of some (like Jackie) coming from very poor places, similar to the Romanian circus girls stereotype, or the indian freak show performer.
It's a bittersweet video for me. Like the Illusion is broken, but in return you can appreciate a new aspect behind the collective effort to put this amazing feats on film. Thanks for the video.
How is the illusion broken? He still did like 60-to 70% of stuntwork in the movies, risked his life and many times took severe injuries. Imho, Jackie did as much as he could, and he could have done everything by himself, but it would have extended the time needed to make his movies to months or even years. Mind he got injured a lot. Even a mild muscle injury takes weeks to months to heal. I've had injuries from sole stress on the muscles, that took over a year to heal.
I found it pretty interesting but not unreasonable considering dude hasn't been 25 for at least 60 years anymore. Difficult moves like the spin kick and so obviously the skateboard tricks in the video along literally couldn't be done by him at the age he doesn't during those films. common sense should've broken this reality for a lot of people.
@@sws212 Eeee... He was about 35 when that spin kick scene was made? Jackie did a lot of spin-kicks himself, just not this partucalar one. Perhaps this was purely for visual reasons. Eg. the stuntman had longer legs, so his kick looked cooler than Jackie's, and in this one Jackie's face didn't need to be visible. Or Jackie didn't have time to master this particular kick. There can be many reasons aside from injuries.
You can still appreciate the intelligence and business sense. Like I said in my own comment, perhaps it is a lie that Jackie does 100% of his own stunts by hmself 100% of the time, but it's a much smaller lie than "Jackie doesn't do his own stunts like all the other Hollywood actors". it makes no sense to equate a guy who does most but not all of his own stunts to a guy who does virtually none of them, and that's not even considering how much more difficult and straight-up difference the average stunt in his films are compared to the average Hollywood film.
To be fair, the illusion was only because of messed up western marketing. That was like how I remember all the people claiming Chan never used wirework when Crouching Tiger came out and I was like 'uh, I can see some of the wires in his work, like literally there'. Nothing wrong with using wires, but it was other people and marketing making these claims.
Finally a perfect statement about Jackie and him using stunt doubles. There's actually one more reason for Jackie to use a stunt double. Jackie always designs and directs his own fights scenes in most of his movies. As an action director(or a stunt coordinator) he sometimes prefers to stay behind the camera to film the fight scene in a perfect angel for Jackie always being extremely serious and professional for it. And 9:29 I don't think there were any problems with that YES to Conan's question because that was real Jackie hanging on the helicopter in the Supercop(1992). And further more Jackie never denied that fact that he actually uses stunt doubles and he always appreciated the teamwork of the JC stunt team on multiple public occasions(in the documentary of the making of Who Am I, etc.)
I appreciate the anti-idolatry angle of this video. Motion capture taught me that just because Kratos is voiced by Chris Judge, that doesn't mean that a stunt performer can't have massive ownership over a character. And since motion capture and animation combine two, sometimes three layers of performance capture (facial/body scan, voiceover/facial capture/performance capture, and stunts/motion capture) into one character, the filmmaking process is freed from the limitations of hiding doubles. It maintains artistic integrity in a better way than film can.
I'm still grossly ashamed of my blind-spot for appreciating motion-capture artists in video games. It's easy to give credit when it's also their likeness and voice being used, but when it's not, it's like trying to appreciate an amorphous cloud.
To me Jackie’s stunts were always less important than his fight scenes. Yeah it’s cool to think he jumps off the side of a building, but the creative fight scenes and his great dramatic acting ability was more why i enjoyed him but that’s just me. Plus i assume and give him the benefit of the doubt that he tries to do things, and if it doesn’t work out then it doesn’t work but i’m sure he at least tries or considers doing things before the double is involved.
yup, also you cant just green screen away a good fight scene, specially from multiple angles, but faking a dangerous stunt that will have a static camera is so easy that it is irresponsible to not do that when possible for the safety of the stunt performers like that bell tower drop, they could have had a better cushion for the fall, and with a small cut in the middle of the fall film him landing from a smaller drop on the ground, it would have the same effect without the chance of someone dying if they mess up
Agreed! I always love martial arts fight sequences more than stunts. Interestingly, dangerous stunts are what gave Jackie an international appeal. More western audience appreciate stunts (case in point: Tom Cruise in the last few decades) more than highly choreographed fights, even though the latter are awesome and difficult to do well.
@@devforfun5618 I mean it wouldn't have had the same effect if it was not a single unbroken shot. Literally. You seem like someone who thinks watching 117 cuts of Liam Neeson climbing over a fence is 'dynamic'.
Jackie Chan is "NOT" your typical dad. He has gone through serious hardships, had an awful childhood, and only ever knew pain. I think that the Jackie Chan we saw in film from back in the day is a more free Jackie Chan whereas today's Jackie Chan is an even more so victim of not only his own ambition for film but his dark, grueling past that only grows with time. We can never escape childhood trauma, the horrors of brain injuries only become more harrowing through the passage of time as we come to better understand it.
he never hide his stuntman. he will use his men to work in any of his films. every goon that he fight in his movies are all his stuntman. he give them job. the director just petty to hit that on Jackie. if it not because of Jackie the Hollywood will still producing gun fight movie and john wick would have hand to hand combat.
As someone from South East Asia who grew up in the 90's watching Hong Kong films, the widespread myth that Jackie does all his own stunts and never uses doubles confused me. I remember seeing the BTS at the end of the films and there was such a big team involved, I just thought it was impossible Jackie didn't get any help on his role. I guess that was a myth that was only prevalent in the West, and your explanation in the video makes perfect sense. On the point of him having a messy personal life, I think especially today, it is important for viewers to learn to separate the artist from the art. However well we think we know a celebrity or public figure, the public image is never the full person, but result of a carefully curated story and brand. With Jackie, I've learned not to take his parenting advice seriously, but I can still laugh and be amazed when I'm watching one of his films. Lastly, yes, so much of the production team that works behind the scene is underrated. Even though I love movies, I only recently learned the term "VFX" and that the team that works to produce the amazing visual effects is often severely underpaid and under-recognized. I'm grateful that more people are using social media platforms (like your channel) to educate people like me about movie making now.
You make great points. Because of medical people in my family I know that Jackie has gotten injured during filming many times. But filming cannot stop, too much money at stake, they must use doubles. But people like black and white explanations so I understand. They say Tom Cruise also does his own stunts but I know there is a team. Those Mission Impossible stunts are complicated and dangerous. And messy lifestyle is so common in the movie industry and with ambitious people. You don't have to socialize with these people, in fact you most likely won't get the chance, so you don't have to like them to like the movie. And at last the craft people are being appreciated. Lighting, sound, all the different kinds of special effects people have done some awesome work. The more you learn about it the more you'll be amazed.
You know, as a huge fan of Jackie I already know all of this and a few other messed up things he’s done. His ability to craft stunt sequences is unmatched. JC Stunt Team was legendary and in his masterpiece Police Story, he actually does the most dangerous stunts. Almost all of our legends are problematic such as Bruce Lee with his extra-marital affairs and drug addiction as well. But it reminds you that they’re all human and shouldn’t take away from their contributions.
Ah a fellow Police Story enjoyer. To me, it's the Jackie Chan movie that managed to strike the right balance between action, comedy and drama. Drama often have been a miss in Jackie Chan's movies, but Police Story is the exception.
@@lewisgregory1996 sorry it sounds that way. Didn’t make a single excuse in my comment though. The point is he’s contributed a lot to cinema regardless of whether or not you agree with his personal life. Same goes for many others that people idolize.
@@aquaticlibrary “extramarital affairs” Lol When you’re one of the the greatest and most iconic human on the planet, sleeping with someone other than your basic and only-known-because-they-married-you spouse isn’t a big deal. She should consider herself lucky that she was the wife, and the other women weren’t
@ 7:15 - A special shout-out for *Chin Ka-lok* and his brother *Chin Siu-ho,* two highly underrated martial arts actors and stuntmen. During the 80s and 90s, HK cinema heavily relied on them whenever acrobatic moves or high falls *without* mattresses and cartons were desired for a scene. Ka-lok is probably best known for his lead in *Operation Scorpio.* Siu-ho was especially memorable as the acrobatic pupil of the uni-brow priest (Lam Ching-ying) in *Mr. Vampire.*
I like how in earlier Jackie Chan movies you see the same stunt team he works with as the hencemen / goons… you can tell it’s a collaborative effort and he probably trusts them a lot.
The last part of comparing Jackie to a typical Asian dad made me choked on my Milo so hard lmfao. And the sad part is, it isn't that much different with my dad too.
African dads are the same. Constant exagerations and comparing you to the homie with the nice grades. U better not end up something else than a lawyer, a doctor or an ambassador. #emotionalDamage 😂
So your dad is absent in your life too? Because Jackie wasn't much of a dad at all, both his son and daughter(born from extramarital affair) hates him. Jackie have said to have reconciled with his son several times, only for his son to rebut it saying they've not seen nor talked to each other in years.
Jackies's son Jaycee has acted in Jackie's movie Railroad Tigers with him, was one of the producers for Jackie's movie, Bleeding Steel, and recorded music with his dad as well so...I dare say the statement that they haven't spoken to each othet for years is a crock of kaka. As for his "daughter", she has publicly stated that she didn't want a relationship with him so any attempt by him to start one would be useless until if or when she decides that she wants one. Needless to say her own mother has been less than supportive but receives very little of the rebukes or responsibility. There are two parents. It takes two people. Both were adults. Both bare responsibility not just the guy. She was a grown women who knew how NOT to get pregnant with a MARRIED man...a man who by his own admission was too wrapped up in his career to be an ideal father to the child that he already had and too fanatically OCD not to have worn his jacket so who was to blame? BOTH.
I am impressed that you did an excellent job in summarizing and concluding in the end, and delivering in such well-written words that neither downplay nor extragate the effort they put into the film, just the authentic side of the film industry that not many people pay attention to.
City hunter was a fun movie to watch because it felt like one of the only anime adaptions that actually leaned into the anime aspects of source material. It was a genuine live action anime. It's kinda similar to some South Indian movies in that way. Also if you want to learn more about the behind the scenes of movies toh should check out the reactions of corridor crew with VFX artists and stuntmen. They really go in-depth on how movies are created.
The Jackie Chan City Hunter makes a mockery of the source material - he only used the Colt Python once for the entire film which was Ryo Saeba's signature item, plus the character of Ryo Saeba has two sides - his slapstick and pervy persona is just a front, when he is fighting he is all business and the most professional assassin around, and this aspect was nowhere to be found in the Jackie Chan movie, and it didn't lean into anything because the kind of humor which Wong Jing uses was already very common slapstick for East Asian entertainment of that time in general, so it's just more of a coincident rather than intentional. Later another HK adaptation of City Hunter that was made which wasn't as well known and that one was actually much more faithful both in terms of using the same pervy slapstick anime jokes as well as nailing the serious side of City Hunter. Also Steve Chow's "Love on Delivery" which was also an adaptation of a Japanese manga Hakaioh Noritaka which was a slapstick material arts story, that one was also faithful plus has Steve Chow's humor which he admits is heavily influenced by anime to begin with so that one was especially on point with it leaning heavy into anime style slapstick comedy, so if you want to hold up something as leaning in anime, you should hold that one up instead. If anything Jackie's City Hunter was an extremely low point for anime adaptation where the director heavily disrespected the source material - I'd only put it to like a slightly above Dragon Ball Z live action movie because the stunts earned back some points. The movie was poorly received and heavily criticised as being disrespectful to the source material in Japan with people giving it a backhanded compliment as being a good "Jackie Chan" film - which really should tell you everything about it being leaning into the source material.
@@nanaholic01 it's still better than the Korean adaptation, that one was stomach churning The best so far is still the french production of Nicky Larson, followed by the Japanese live action adaptation of Angel Hearts, City Hunter's spinoff/sequel
i always found it odd that actor Gary Daniels looked just like the portrait of Ken in Street Fighter 2 video game which came out BEFORE they hired him to be in City Hunter. So it was like a prophecy fullfilled. Perhaps Capcom knew of him before and used his likeness.
@@nanaholic01 I'd add terrible music and other odd choices. For example one of key features of Kaori is obviously being a tomboy, but she isn't one the movie.
@@tedjomuljono3052 It's a spinoff officially. Also Ryo is too messed up to stand living without Kaori, even if she's alive and well elsewhere. In the original this noted by he sister long before they became a couple. Kaori's death would have destroyed Ryo's character.
Only those who are living in fantasy land can't accept and understand why jackie uses a double. It was already proven time and time again that he performs all his stunts, but there are times where double comes in and does his own stunt. This does not change anything. Jackie still almost died many times for doing his stunts.
Ok, so of course we all have that deep suspicion that the people we admire, especially the people we see in movies, are not exactly what they seem. It's a mask, an allure. So no doubt Jackie has his flaws. Yes, he does sus things, lies about some of his stunts, and has hot takes off camera, but his job is to entertain on the big screen, big whoop. He's like that one uncle you hang out with as a kid. Strong, fearless, can basically do anything. But as you grow up and learn that nobody is perfect and realize their faults, you can either accept it and move on, enjoy the good memories you had of them, or not. That's Jackie Chan for me. P.S. Yes AC, he's basically a stereotypical Asian Dad.
It's not just "stereotypical Asian dad", Jackie's life outside of movies is typical of the really bad older male toxic masculinity that is prevalent in HK and Chinese culture. I've worked with bosses and know of family and friends of family that are his generation and the men make a big show about hard work and being diligent, but go on to drink themselves silly and have affairs with women across the border in Shenzhen, never mind the the private attitudes they have about things like LGBT rights and race relations. Seeing Jackie in real life if way more disillusioning that finding out he has stunt doubles; it's not that he's just a terrible person, he's emblematic of all of the terrible people in Chinese society.
@@stuntmonkey00 Yes, thanks for going a bit more in depth on that, and I would suspect that these traits of toxic behavior in men of an older generation are not specific to HK or China as well, since we have them here where I live, too. That's why older uncles come to mind for me, since they are more prevalent in fitting to those said stereotypes. It's not that I hate them, in fact, there are some I truly have nothing but respect for. It's just when their toxic traits show, it gets hard trying to retain that respect. It all boils down to what people want to focus on, the act or the actor, and Jackie is doing a reaaaaally good job of putting the focus on his act, since not a lot of international audiences are aware of his behavior IRL, good or bad.
@@stuntmonkey00 Woah. Jackie by modern standards is a conservative but it's unfair to completely write him off. He has strong work ethics, dedicating many takes to get the perfect stunt or shot, and since that JC Stunt Team cannot be insured by most insurance companies, Jackie would pay for them out of his own pocket if they get injured. And he even stated that by the day he dies, he wishes to have given away all of his wealth. Can you say the same about many Hollywood stars like Sean Penn who proclaim liberal views yet come off as completely narcissistic? Even Wong Jing, who made the movie, is notorious around HK for his misogynistic views and rumored Triad connections, having mocked the appearance of acclaimed director Ann Hui.
He still did most of the stunts himself. In case you didn't know, a muscle injury can take over a year to heal, and Jackie was injured a lot. Had he not used stunt doubles, his movies would have taken years to make a single one.
I realized jc used doubles and wirework just by watching his latter career films, in which it became increasingly obvious heading into the late 90s. I never looked it up because it was clear that he really did the most dangerous work and stunts, whereas doubles might do some move or sequence more beautifully for the camera. I was disappointed for half a second till i recalled that he was 'big brother' because he really was the best stuntman in hk / the world long before his career as a successful filmmaker. His face is almost always shown after a big stunt without any cutaway, and you can see what dangers he put himself in during the outtakes at the end of the film. Hes still the best stuntman and actor/stuntman of all time imo for taking all those risks despite also being the lead, and while i am a fan of actors like tom cruise, hollywood stunts done by actors are nowhere near as dangerous nor as difficult to execute as jc's were. Ill give cruise props for always learning new skills and trying to push the envelope in hollywood, but in the end he just does dangerous stuff anybody watching his films could do, whereas jackies stunts often would be impossible for someone without his lifetime of training in martial arts and gymnastics.
For some reason I died laughing at the part where you describe JC as a "typical Asian dad" and then list all his obnoxious dad traits 😂 reminds me of my geung geung a bit!!
I don't take anything away from Jackie for using stunt doubles. He's put his body through so much punishment over the years. Broken bones, almost dying doing a stunt... You can't deny his dedication to his craft
My parents hate the crap out of Jackie Chan. A lot of the Chinese community sees him as a cheating piece of shit. Definitely admire his work and craft though. Not all people are perfect. I learned that it's important to separate the character / craft that people do vs who they actually are. Superstars are just normal people who have to sell a career to make a living. They're flawed just like any other person. No one is perfect.
Eh? Every celebs are probably cheating piece of shit. As long as they arebt beinf hypocritical about it, or being as arse about it, thats okayish, I guess... Just enjoy their art, not their person. They are just a celebs....and friggin rich, but still a celebs. Theres also....some rumors back then in the 90s that with 50thousand HKD, one could buy a night with female hk movie stars. Oh well, it is what it is
I think when it comes to Jackie's relationship with China, there are some who give him the benefit of the doubt, just assuming all the weird propaganda he's in is just to please China and that he doesn't REALLY agree with them deep down. But much like how in the USA there's a difference between people who happen to work on pro-US military propaganda for a pay check, and the ardent pro-military patriots, it's clear Jackie is very sincere in his views.
@@stevenclark5173 Yes the TV show that was explicitly about how the US military betrayed it's own soldiers, how the military industrial complex is evil, is pro military propaganda. Are you able to tie your shoes without it devolving into a brain injury? Like seriously, how utterly stupid are you? Did you read one thing on the Occupy Democrats bandwagon and not even a synopsis of The Terminal List? I'm sorry, am I responding to a disabled person?
it's not a myth to say he does his own stunts. He uses stunt double's. Of course he does. He also does all his own stunts. Sometimes the double's take is better, doesn't mean he DIDN'T do it
12:28 "Jackie is your typical asian dad, who loves to exagirate things, who has all sorts of political hot takes, who are frequently absent in children's lives, who insists on singing in a birthday party while drunk off his mind." Thinking of him this way, yeah, yeah, that tracks. Also, almost completely forgot about the insane "Chinese people need to be managed" line among all the others. Like, damn, wtf. Where did he get his political influences from?
He has been a ccp propaganda mouthpiece for a while, so regularly say things like how chinese people has always needed and will always need authoritarianism and other bad takes. He is also friends of some of the hong kong policy chief, he was very critical of the protest of 2019. He is unpopular and controversial figure in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
1. He was educated as an actor, not a political philosopher. 2. He had brain injuries. 3. He's old. 4. I was educated as a political philosopher and I'm not entirely unsympathetic. Democracy is an extremely dumb idea, it failed many times in history, and with every decade it fails even stronger. I'm not a fan of censorship or typical dictatorships though.
He was misinterpreted, and was actually stating that "Chinese people need self-discipline", ie being a strict dad complaining about his son not working hard enough.
I recall watching Rumble in the Bronx in a theater years ago, and most people stayed in their seats during the credits stunt reel. When the credits were finishing, spontaneous applause started in the theater, like it was planned... it wasn't, everyone was just in awe of what we just watched. Thanks for sharing this and your perspective on Jackie as a man, and not just the idol, which I believe is fair and accurate. I haven't heard of this movie, let alone that Jet Li was in it, now I need to watch it!
absolutely love your discussion of the great man theory. articulated perfectly. Jackie Chan is a human like anybody else. he's not above having flaws nor above taking criticism. that doesn't mean you can't enjoy his work beyond a full "death of the author" lens. this video is exactly why I love your channel. happy to see you back after a little gap :)
After years of interested in of Jackie i know that he is not saint but i saw too that he is very different and better in a lot of things than typical Chinese men. He changed. He has a big ego and like golddigger and be real big brother (not in good way but in way big boss, big persona, vip, very smart important persona who own all and has control) what is not nice and really controversial when is glue with treating of workers or women etc. He like drink what is not so bad until he drives drunk (he did) or try so hard to be a symbol of hones and proper person. I want to believe that only thing he always said is truth, that he never be involved in drugs... Rest of stuff, well, normal for actors, for celebrytes but almost innocent in comparison to western this kind of ppl heh.
More HK kung fu content, count me in edit: Thank you so much for providing such a nuanced perspective. Feel like this is often absent from discussions of cinema or celebrities
I like how Wong Jing cast Jacky as (Frankie) Jackie 😂😂😂 If you wonder who that is, he is a very famous HK Cantonese and Mandarin singer. One of the best
This is probably one of your most interesting video so far. Also, shout out to Jackie Cheung, the Jackie Chan impersonator in that movie. He's more of a singer than an actor, and he's a legend in his own right. His music is on Spotify if anyone's curious!
Everytime I saw comments in every western videos or webside saying that Jackie is perfect, no haters, not using any stunt double etc from his western fans I knew that they really don't know about the truth, in my heart I really dont want to disappoint his western fans so I always choose to silent. Now this video has come out, I have to say : as an asian and a 20 years of Jackie's movie audience, everything told in this video is 100% true.
Huh... I mean, even if you watch these scenes in slow-motion, frame by frame, it's clear that Jackie did about 70% of stunts himself. That's really a lot, and you'll find a lot of footage when Jackie is injured doing a stunt, and clearly from that point onwards he couldn't do certain moves for weeks or months. They did what they had to, to finish the movies in time and make them look good.
real western fans know very good about bad side of Jackie but honest don't care so much cos he is in a lot of stuff better than a lot of western actors or people. Drunk, women, be as.. h, yes, he was, maybe sometimes he is still. But he learned some stuff during years. Political stuff? Commone! He lives in China! Western ppl really don't know how it is when you live in country like this and want to do what you want, what is your life. JC ofc is ash for some ppl from crew, has big ego but at other hand he really worked very hard, he deserved for be icon in cinema like he is. For me he is better than Jobs. Same with Michelle Yeoh. She had bad opinion too with some stuff but still we like her in movies and rather as person too.
lmaooo 13:30 i never would've gotten it if you just put the actor's name but putting "landlord from kung fu hustle" made me recognize him immediately hahaha
What a wild series of revelations. I don't particularly LOVE Jackie, but always thought his stuff was pretty cool. And still do, as far as the movies go! But I'm shocked that he had such a questionable lifestyle that I had no idea about. That being said, I always assume most Stars and even Athletes that I admire for their profession are often... difficult to stomach... in their public lives. They can still be great for the entertainment they provide, but I think sometimes the way that they've been elevated in the public eye can often give them a sense of immortality or an untouchable quality that is absolutely UNtrue. They are human just like us. Great video.
"In the 80s, it was unheard of for a Western audience" I am sincerely jealous that Accented Cinema hasn’t found out yet about Jean-Paul Belmondo’s work - whose movies had a big influence on some HK directors as well as the Japanese anime Cobra. What a treat it will be to discover all these great movies.
Would love to hear your thought about Scissor Seven. It’s such a uniquely Chinese animation that takes so much inspiration from Japanese anime. It’s like if a stephen chow movie was turned into an animation with the production value of a high tier anime.
Scissor Seven and Link Click are so good. I want him to talk about Link Click as well it has such a good story and the animation feels like drinking a cool drink of water. It’s so smooth.
I actually never thought that I would ever like scissor seven but it became one of my favorites the comedy and humor just matches mine like the wacky and sometimes messed up and having a cook character in the same time being a fool but not too much to being really lame
Counter point to the "It's okay if he doesn't do all his own stunts". When he says "Yes" to the question even though the reality is a little more nuance, that is a still a lie, its a lie by omission. You are supposed to explain the nuance, and a talk show, is specifically the place to do that. So to me that a pretty big lie. Tom Cruise can do this, because Tom Cruise actually does all his own stunts, with almost little to no exceptions, but Jackie Chan cannot do this, because Jackie Chan's answer is not clean cut and dry.
Awwww, thank you for making this, brother! I've been on a Jackie Chan kick lately, and it's good of you to bring me a little down to Earth. There are parts of e.g. Police Story which are really bad, but there are also some amazing fights and stunts, and I think it's important to remember (like you said) that everyone and everything has a good and a bad side
This reminds me of this quote "You're never as good as they say you are, you're never as bad as they say you are." It's remarkable enough if a person can excel in one attribute out of many. It's a disservice and fallacy to expect they live to any particular standard in other aspects of their life. Do they have problems and make mistakes, should there be consequences? Sure. Just like setting a rational expectation of anyone and simply taking someone for what they are can appear to be a challenge for many.
OH MY GOD I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO REMEMBERED THIS MOVIE!! I had a VHS copy of this film and it was Called MELTDOWN. me,my brothers,and my Dad watched this all together. highlights include the Bomb Expert and the School Bus at the beginning,the Jackie Chan clones fight against the most vicious member of the Bank Robbers and Jet Li's fight against the 2nd in command, ,and how Jet Li gets the Bomb Maker with the Knife covered in Snake venom. I legit thought this movie would be forgotten about. also i found out about the Jackie Chan Slander after I heard about Jet Li apologizing to him about this Movie. I heard it was due to Wong Jing and Jackie Chan having bad feelings left over from shooting CITY HUNTER.
My impression of Jackie Chan, when it comes to stunts, didn't change at all when I started to learn about his double. I know he has done endless stunts himself, and it would just be stupid (and too risky and expensive) if he did everything himself. The injuries alone is proof of what he has gone through. Also, when he started to make movies in Hollywood, it was said that he could not get insurance because of those stunts. So I think it's comes down to more then his willingness to do stunts.
Thank you so much for this topic, as an actor I always thought of the stunt men as a part of the family, and if I ever require a stunt double, he will not be just a double, he will be my brother because he is not helping me creating “My” character, he is helping me creating “Our” character.
Brilliant video as always, so many great topics covered: the man vs the myth, the artist vs his art, and how knowing the trick behind the magic act can either ruin it or you or make it appreciate it more.
Jet Li felt so bad about the way High Risk mocked Jackie Chan. That movie is such a guilty pleasure. Also, the actor they got to play Frankie's father is a dead ringer for Jackie Chan's real life father, which rubs even more salt in the wound. 😅
@Fundamentally Unorthodox You misunderstand completely. Jackies fame or his watches isn't the point (mille has custom made watches for several people so i don't understand this point), it's the fact that he's as real deal of a martial artist as you can get but people mistakenly think he's some comedy martial arts actor who couldn't break a mofo.
@@heresjohnny602 Jackie's skill as a martial artist isn't the point of the video. It's not even a factor in the formula at all. You're exactly the type of person this video was made for.
This assessment was not totally without basis... here's Jackie doing something to do with public drunkenness 11 years later. How can future events be the basis?
While people don't like it when their image of a personal idol is destroyed, I think everyone needs to think about the definition of what in idol is. An idol is a image or representation of a being, not that being itself. While I would obviously prefer that someone I respect doesn't have crippling flaws I think it's good to know that even at the highest levels humans have flaws. People are not born great, they become great.
While its true stunt doubles are used. We still appreciate the fact that they are willing to risk their lives where possible for our entertainment. It also shows that Jackie knowing he can't perform as well as his double will let his double take his place to get the perfect shot. That kick was amazing.
Speaking of City Hunter, I would put it in the same category as the live-action adaptation of Ghost In The Shell, where the filmmakers thought lifting visual elements would be enough. However, none of the character really came across. Jackie visually looks like Ryo Saeba, but didn't really act like the character at all. It felt more like a rushed license to reframe it as a vehicle for Jackie rather than as an actual adaptation. Apparently Tsukasa Hojo, the original creator of City Hunter, also hated the film.
I really like you going into the dangers of „Great Man History“. As an archeology student i am often confronted with the complicated reallity of people in the past. Often a judgement of good or bad is hard to make, or even out of place alltogether. I think we can value the things that people create and do, without having to worship them.
People are great because of what they achieve. Someone can be great to you and your immediate circle because of who they are. Plenty of great men and women in history were not only flawed people but they also are bathed in blood. Plenty of Obama fans want to ignore the thousands if not tens of thousands of civilians killed by the drone strikes he authorized.
"Were they human beings?" YES: "They were horrible people." NO: "They were fictional people." IT DEPENDS ON THE CONTEXT: "They were horrible people who were probably fictional."
Man, I love this channel; what a fantastic analysis. The worship of great men like Jackie or Bruce is not only unfair to, as you said, the whole team behind the production, but also unfair to the men themselves. At the end of the day, they're individual human beings with their own complexities and people's expectations of them should reflect that. Keep it up man!
When I first saw this movie, I never thought they were making fun of Jackie Chan. I knew they were parodying Bruce Lee, but I thought it was more of a comment on Bruce impersonators.
In the states, I don't think most people know/or care about Jackie Chan outside of his acting career. He is still an American legend. The only reason his buzz has died down is because he has stopped producing films due to his self being isolated in stereotypical action roles. I guarantee if Jackie Chan were to produce a cartoon or anything characterizing him as "loveable" yet again, it would be massively popular.
This was a fantastic video. The myth of the singular great man in history needs to die, because there are so many people whose names and actions we don't know because of that bad way of telling a story. I also think there should be more widely-known awards for stunt performers, instead of things like the Taurus World Stunt Awards. It takes so many hard-working people to make these films.
honestly he does enough stunts that it's always been impressive. i really don't like how he treated hong kong or his misogyny however. i wish those had been a stunt double.
Great message at the end, we can always get caught up in the greatness of a person which in turn can blind us that they are flawed human beings like us, but understanding that greatness is achieved as a team effort that cover each others flaws. Jackie Chan cannot execute these films without the stuntmens' help and the stuntmen don't get paid handsomely if Jackie doesn't promote the movies the way he does.
4:30 I don't think it's fair to claim that the accusation of Jackie Chan being an actor who shows up to work drunk is "not without basis" because of something he did over a decade later at a concert...
@@retrocatalog What kind of fucked up logic is that? 'Yes, your honor, the defendant stole a stapler from work today therefore when he was 12 years old he was also a thief'. I mean I know a youtuber who steals copyrighted music from video games and puts them on his own channel. If he's doing that now, was he also stealing guitars when he was 8 years old? He must have been!
Honestly, this doesn't phase me for a bit, show business is show business, you sell a product, and this guy proved his valor... That's enough for me. If he's not a good guy, I'm sure he's paying for his actions as it clearly seems he's dealing with his own demons. Respect to his achievement.
Once I watched documentary about Hongkong stuntmen, in a booming of industry they were so badass, try to outdo what others stunt team, the rivalry is tight, Jackie, Sammo and Yuen Biao are some of them that can comprehend good story elements and good choreography, that's why they respected by others, without good story their stunts doesn't sell
I'm sure he has his own problems, but I'm reminded about how often Keanu Reeves brought up his own stunt double's work in the leadup promos for the John Wick sequels.
Back then if you were studying alchemy you were studying chemistry, he was working in multiple fields that became sciences However, Newton definitely loved studying magic, perhaps more than calculus, and who can blame him?
This video was very very well done. Started out about dissing Jackie Chan but ended up with we ,as human with flaws regardless. Amazing piece!! Keep it up AC!
People quick to forget the insane amount of charity work JC has done too. Like everyone he is a human, and has flaws, but I think his good largely out weighs his bad.
Here are more videos you should watch if you'd like to go more in-depth with this topic:
About Jackie Chan using stunt doubles in Thunderbolt:
ua-cam.com/video/2ldJf6Kqq24/v-deo.html
About the Myth of Genius and Great Man Theory:
ua-cam.com/video/6RhOUup8epA/v-deo.html
Cheers!
Hey AC, do you have a discord channel or letterboxd account?
Frankly Wong Jing is the last person in HK to have the right to talk smack about Jackie Chan, seeing his own messy personal life, including alleged triad connections and misogyny, referring to Ann Hui's Song of the Exile "Nobody wants to watch a movie about a fat woman". The parody of JC came out rather mean spirited in the movie, not only bringing JC but his father and agent into the petty dispute. Jet Li even apologized for his involvement in the movie.
Thanks for this Vid Essay. And very good points. I also have a hard time now watching his movies knowing he's political leanings and that he's made his money from capitalistic endeavors. But you are correct that many people are complex with good and flaws.
didn't he fake the bloopers shown at the end of some movies, and in interviews and memoirs directly brag to have never used stunt doubles (not just claiming to do his own stunts), and lie about injuries that never happened? (particularly the one where he "missed the branch")
@@OrAngeAnArchy What do you think the movie industry is? Making them out of kindness rather than profit? Do you only watch movies from people you agree politically? If I was as narrow minded as you I'd miss the entire filmography of Clint Eastwood, among others.
"Jackie is your typical Asian dad, who has all sorts of political hot takes, who are frequently absent from children's lives. Who insists on singing at a birthday party." That's a humorous take while also putting things into perspective. Good line!
That's....That very similar to the plot of the nicholas cage movie. the unbearable weight of massive talent. Or one of the plots anyway.
@@theshyboy Which one?
Yeah incredibly ironic and funny, but reasonable at the same time
In a word, Jackie is human. Aren’t we all? Enjoyed the video as always.
"The movie begins by blowing up a bus full of children"
What a great start
Comedy gold
-insert late term abortion joke.
lmaooo
My favorite part, and I have three children.
Man, I love Jackie Chan's work but I admire the hell out of someone who makes an entire movie out of pettiness.
I saw Kidnap (2017) and was so enraged by how bad it is, I literally thought I can do better. That's the reason behind my first feature script.
Pettiness is a real strong motivation.
@@AccentedCinema It's not pettiness, it's inspiration, ometimes inspiration comes from a bad impression. I always say 'if you can't be a shining example, then at least you can be a terrible warning'
@@fabledredeyes That is honestly a beautiful saying.
@@AccentedCinema IIRC Xiran Jay Zhao started their UA-cam channel out of petty spite against Disney’s live action Mulan. I find that hilarious. I guess both of you were motivated by similar things?
Right?!
Let's not forget that Jackie also started out as a stunt double himself. But of course, most audiences don't care about that. Fortunately, he and Sammo Hung established their own stunt teams. So when the Hong Kong Film Awards come around, their entire teams get credited for the Best Action Choreography category. Jackie's team currently holds the record for most wins w/ 7, while Sammo's team has the most nominations w/ 22. Though both Jackie & Sammo have also won this category separately from their respective teams.
no he didn't,.. he started out as a "stage hand" and then took a role when someone dropped out and was then hired to do Big and Little Wong Tin Bar when he was 8 years old... he was a child star,.. you have no idea what you are talking about lol
@@dr.decker3623 Child stars do not downgrade into becoming stunt doubles, genius! Those are the likes of Macaulay Culkin, Drew Barrymore, Shirley Temple, Daniel Radliffe, Dakota Fanning, etc... It is a given that all doubles had previous jobs. The point is that Jackie started his action career as a stuntman. Bruce Lee did not even know who he was until the former accidentally hit him in the face. Use common sense. 🤦♂
@@shiranuiaensland1442 Based on people's beliefs on the internet, Jackie Chan is apparently a child star turned p...star turned action star. Now, THAT's the ultimate star! XD
@@shiranuiaensland1442 And he wasnt doing stunt work during that, you can literally see his face. It was a super minor role in a movie.
@@dr.decker3623 You mean child actor and it was a small role, not exactly a "star" at that point.
Using a stunt double when you are literally injured just shows how badass Jackie was because he is still acting in most of the film with a broken leg.
"The movie began by blowing up a bus full of children"
I laughed so hard that i am ashamed of myself for doing so.😅
Bruh right hahaha
Wong-Jing’s professional respect for Jackie in spite of not *liking* him is shown by Frankie becoming a *real* hero who rises to the occasion in the climax of “High Risk” to protect the people he loves in spite of being a cowardly blowhard.
I'd say more like he didn't want to piss off all of Jackie's fans.
@@Visplight What Jackie fans? Last I checked, most of China doesn't like him
@@tutumazibuko2510 That's now - not when the movie came out.
@@tutumazibuko2510 what about outside of china?
That's very interesting ty I never saw the film
I'm a filmmaker, so I appreciate you clarifying how shooting and editing works for the uninitiated. I will say that Jackie Chan does all his own stunts. The fact that someone else did them too does not take away from the fact that he did it. And just because the pick a take where a double does the same stunt because it looks better doesn't negate Jackie doing the stunt. It's more so a testament to his dedication to making the best film and action possible to choose to use a take with a double in it because it looks better on camera. I don't think anyone ever thought Jackie was the one doing the skateboard tricks that kind of stuff is an obvious double and frankly, barely a "stunt". And obviously, if you break your foot, you can't kick in a fight scene, but you CAN'T stop shooting the movie. Ironically the very reason stunt doubles are needed. Stunt guy breaks his foot the film can keep shooting with the stars and they can get a new stunt person in.
Imagine calling all the stunt Jackie did for decades is a double stunt, shame on u people he didn't broke evry shit on his body just for y'all to make a controversy and doubting him for doing his own stunts. And yeah Mr filmmaker, who's more professional and incredible filmmaker you than him? Jackie Chan also filmmaker btw and also do all his stunt even after broke his ankle he keep finishing his movie. Duh people i hate y'all
@@felixdom9693 you're drunk
This video also fails to acknowledge pre visual side of stunt choreography, where sometimes stuntmen often perform the supposed act first which is filmed, they see how it looks in roll, then the actor or the double perform it again.
"Judge someone by their actions and not their actions by who you think they are"
This is such a good quote that I will take this and try to use it from now on.
Yeah, it's a good quote, I really hate those who make assumptions and act on it with no prove and in current times seems to have many.
Definitely. I think the moral of this video is that you shouldn't idolize anyone. People are flawed, nobody is perfect. And separating the actor from their personal life is also important. Jackie may not be the ideal human being, but his films are good.
Can you explain this quote, i dont understand it entirely
@@drsolo7 I means don't make assumptions on people and act on it like it's true when you have actually not gotten any facts about the assumptions at all.
@@Ming1975 ahhh, thanks very much sir
I'd find it hard to believe anyone would stop being a fan of Jackie due to the stunt/double controversy.
Ikr, it's totally understandable acually, sometimes he gets injured and needs a double to do the take, i don't see the problem, he still a human after all
And you guys missed the fact that he's a child abuser. He threw his son, who was a toddler at the time, across the room.
Probably no one except for self righteous accented cinema
People didn't, but it's still a blow to an image that Jackie built. His doing so many of his own stunts is already impressive, but you know how marketing cherrypicks reality until it sounds perfect and how much consumers reward perfection.
Because his view on democracy and freedom....he thinks ppl like you don't deserve freedom.....YOLO!
I think one of the main points here is that we shouldn’t give the Chan Man any less credit for his stunts. He deserves immense praise for his stunt work. It’s that his stunt doubles and stunt team simply deserve more credit for what they do as well.
Well then he shouldn’t be stealing credits from his stunt doubles, no?
@@leviccas_9294 don't think he disagreed with that
@@leviccas_9294 Tell me the name of one violinist from the orchestra that first played Beethoven's 5th Symphony and say that again.
@@laobok If I'm not mistaken, the differences in the roles of choreographers and stunt artists are very much well established. And the claim here is that jackie chan do his own stunts.
The thing is, he's still doing his own stunts. It's not like he's just stepping out & sipping on a latte while the stunt guy fills in & does the dirty work...
He's broken countless bones & injured himself repeatedly, just to be the guy we're all watching on the screen as much as possible. Thing is you can't ask him to risk his health on a crazy stunt 10 takes in a row, so obviously fresh stuntmen are needed.
The director & editor then choose the best takes (or slices of multiple takes) for the film, some of which aren't Jackie. Doesn't mean he didn't do that stunt too, only that another person's take came out better.
A lot of hype & credit have been given to Tom Cruise & Keanu Reeves in recent years for all their crazy stunts (and the training they go through to do them), yet they still use stuntmen plenty throughout their films. I'd argue Jackie should be given even more credit than them, as he's been doing more for longer.
Thank you brah. Literally the same shit I said to my gf rn. Like this guy that made this vid is tryna discredit Jackie for whatever reason. Hell even the director of this parody movie still had respect and high praises for Jackie 😒
@@k_kaazey8 The video doesn't discredit him at all. It outright defends him by citing him as a professional actor and one who organizes a team effort for his action films, performing stunts himself as well as shared with stunt doubles for a variety of reasons. Even going as far as to cite how many great and talented people are in the end, just people. Flawed.
Just watch the actual video - The both of you.
@@theblobconsumes4859 I did watch the actual video and that's not what he was saying at all. He was tryna discredit Jackie. But if that's what you got from the vid then cool, I'm not going to argue with you.
Just an example of the age we live in. People generally try to "expose" someone who accomplished more in their film career.
Tom cruise doesn’t have a stuntman, nobody dares to do his crazy sh!t
As a huge action buff it's no secret that Chan uses doubles, but he gives us so many indelible sequences with himself and his world renowned stunt team that the bubble never really burst for me when I learnt about it.
That said, this is one of my fave videos from your channel! Thanks for highlighting the super crucial role stunt doubles and teams play in pur action cinema. Wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting without them.
You get a like for the Arsenal profile pic. But as a Hong Konger, I can tell you no one likes him here.
@@dafish1982 no one cares about Hong Kong though
@UCLEqlDqd9xiB9HISPVD-NJA Because Chan is very pro China so People from hong kong will definitely hate him. I hate china myself but he IS chinese so him being pro his own country is nothing strange or anything. Americans are pro america and that country is evil as fuck.
@@dafish1982 Speak for yourself, it's just you and the ones in black that don't like him.
I mean, the guy who does most of his own stunts which are also way above the level of most Hollywood productions is still leagues above the guys who don't do their own stunts at all. As a creative works aficionado who is also a business school guy , I can totally respect Jackie's statement as a cynical business decision to get the name of Hong Kong action cinema out there.
I love love *love* your 'Great Men of History' segment. It's such a mental trap, one that's shockingly easily to fall into for even the savviest and discerning person. Every single event of note in history, from the greatest of miracles to the most abhorrent of atrocities, was a team effort. But it's hard for most people to pass out credit to multiple individuals, so they look for the most visible person (or the person provided for them by marketers and history-writers) to hang everything on.
A big problem with discrediting the great men of history is that it only serves to showcase an adolescent perspective that wasn't able to handle it's own preconceptions, and then defends it's wrongness by attacking the great men instead of accepting that it was wrong.
The fact George Washington or Winston Churchill or etc etc needed teams is only hidden to children by their ignorance of how the world works. They hear Churchill and are only able to see Churchill. It's not a fault of what "we" do, because most adults understand that these were leaders, who had to lead folks to be great men of history.
The entire basis of this view is based on adolescent ignorance shifting from appearance to another.
I love discovering new movies from this channel. Also, I think the thing about the “stunts” argument is that people aren’t framing the question right: “Does Jackie Chan do his own stunts?” Yes. “Does Jackie Chan do his own stunts ’by himself’?” No. That simple.
For me: who does the stunts is less important than if the stunts are done well. I don’t watch King Hu movies thinking that there are actual flying martial artists out there lol
I think that's a very fair framing of the question.
I agree with you. But for 6:45 Rumble in the Bronx, should we consider him do his own stunts since majority of the fights were done by doubles?
@@ryanprasetyo4844 Thunderbolt was the movie Jackie had a stunt double for most of the fight, not Rumble in the Bronx.
A bunch of weebs that think katanas can cut through steel just shuddered at your comment.
@@Laneous14 I don't know about that analogy man. If anything, weebs would know way too much about katanas for no reason.
Despite Wong Jing's obvious mockery of him, I guess the one redeeming quality of "Frankie" in the film was his love for his father which was accurate of Jackie's relationship to his dad and was something that he seems to admire. It was what triggered his kungfu mojo to return and allowed him to defeat the villain in the climax. I found it to be a genuinely sweet moment in the film. Also, I think Jackie Cheung and Wu Ma's chemistry together really made it work.
Honestly, I'm less surprised by the stunt double "reveal" and more shocked at all his not-so-great life choices. He projects such a friendly public persona, it's like seeing Will Smith punch Chris Rock. That said, I've always felt like the film industry doesn't treat stunt doubles with enough respect; some of the stuff they're asked to do is just insane--"Please do X in high heels"--and yet they get hardly any credit for it!
Sorry, shouldn't it be slapped?
Actually, Hong Kong hates Jackie Chan because he's a CCP bootlicker.
Jackie Chan's extracurricular activities has been widely known here in Asia for a long time and not just in China.
@@One.Zero.One101 Yeah, we all knew he was a womanizer like back in the early 90s. Zoomers all think history began in 2000.
Not-so-great-life choices? He was womanizer, get over it
So, Jackie used stunt doubles only when he was seriously injured or in the hospital. Now I respect him even more.
No, he used stunt doubles even when he wasn’t injured or in the hospital. Even though he did and still does a lot of his stunt, there are times where he just hast to use it’s not double.
@@jameslee155 it depends whether he uses stunt doubles when he was/wasn't seriously injured or in the hospital. Using stunt doubles is not a problem but people might think that it's a problem. It also depends whether the stunt they did is bad or not. I don't blame on Jackie cuz he gets injured a lot
Nope he uses stunt doubles all the time even when he is perfectly fine. Worked with him twice and he did it all the time.
He used to be my idol when I was a teen. As an adult I always appreciate being reminded how human the actors I use to (and sometimes still) admire are/were
I think it's still okay to idolise the best aspects of a person, sometimes even if they aren't real. It's just also good to remember that there's a real and flawed human being underneath.
@@umjackd Same here despite his politics lately.
“A stunt guy pads up and goes through a wall. That's his profession. Every time the profession's mixed, I don't want to risk 80 people's jobs just so I can say I have big nuts." ~ Danny Trejo
That sounds like a good quote, but it's really protecting his own cowardice. Most folks who do their own stunts (and there are very few for a few reason) do so because they like doing it,not because they want to say they have big nuts. It's probably the same the kind of thrill seeking that goes into skydiving etc. There's also the component of some (like Jackie) coming from very poor places, similar to the Romanian circus girls stereotype, or the indian freak show performer.
@@blanktrigger8863 I would like to see you call Danny a coward to his face. Go ahead lol
@@KristenDETW Yeah he'd probably murder you if you insulted him!
It's a bittersweet video for me. Like the Illusion is broken, but in return you can appreciate a new aspect behind the collective effort to put this amazing feats on film.
Thanks for the video.
How is the illusion broken? He still did like 60-to 70% of stuntwork in the movies, risked his life and many times took severe injuries.
Imho, Jackie did as much as he could, and he could have done everything by himself, but it would have extended the time needed to make his movies to months or even years. Mind he got injured a lot. Even a mild muscle injury takes weeks to months to heal. I've had injuries from sole stress on the muscles, that took over a year to heal.
I found it pretty interesting but not unreasonable considering dude hasn't been 25 for at least 60 years anymore. Difficult moves like the spin kick and so obviously the skateboard tricks in the video along literally couldn't be done by him at the age he doesn't during those films. common sense should've broken this reality for a lot of people.
@@sws212 Eeee... He was about 35 when that spin kick scene was made?
Jackie did a lot of spin-kicks himself, just not this partucalar one. Perhaps this was purely for visual reasons. Eg. the stuntman had longer legs, so his kick looked cooler than Jackie's, and in this one Jackie's face didn't need to be visible. Or Jackie didn't have time to master this particular kick. There can be many reasons aside from injuries.
You can still appreciate the intelligence and business sense. Like I said in my own comment, perhaps it is a lie that Jackie does 100% of his own stunts by hmself 100% of the time, but it's a much smaller lie than "Jackie doesn't do his own stunts like all the other Hollywood actors".
it makes no sense to equate a guy who does most but not all of his own stunts to a guy who does virtually none of them, and that's not even considering how much more difficult and straight-up difference the average stunt in his films are compared to the average Hollywood film.
To be fair, the illusion was only because of messed up western marketing. That was like how I remember all the people claiming Chan never used wirework when Crouching Tiger came out and I was like 'uh, I can see some of the wires in his work, like literally there'. Nothing wrong with using wires, but it was other people and marketing making these claims.
Finally a perfect statement about Jackie and him using stunt doubles. There's actually one more reason for Jackie to use a stunt double. Jackie always designs and directs his own fights scenes in most of his movies. As an action director(or a stunt coordinator) he sometimes prefers to stay behind the camera to film the fight scene in a perfect angel for Jackie always being extremely serious and professional for it.
And 9:29 I don't think there were any problems with that YES to Conan's question because that was real Jackie hanging on the helicopter in the Supercop(1992).
And further more Jackie never denied that fact that he actually uses stunt doubles and he always appreciated the teamwork of the JC stunt team on multiple public occasions(in the documentary of the making of Who Am I, etc.)
I appreciate the anti-idolatry angle of this video. Motion capture taught me that just because Kratos is voiced by Chris Judge, that doesn't mean that a stunt performer can't have massive ownership over a character. And since motion capture and animation combine two, sometimes three layers of performance capture (facial/body scan, voiceover/facial capture/performance capture, and stunts/motion capture) into one character, the filmmaking process is freed from the limitations of hiding doubles. It maintains artistic integrity in a better way than film can.
You just said it hides like 4 different ones. Unless you mean literally with angles
Oh Wow, glad to see you here Eric, huge fan of your videos. Can't wait to see more of your work in the next God of War.
@@DSan-kl2yc no you don't have to hide anything, like when they have to cut to random angles to hide Steven Seagal's double.
@@EricJacobusOfficial Why you no have Million subscribers even you joined Many years ago
I'm still grossly ashamed of my blind-spot for appreciating motion-capture artists in video games. It's easy to give credit when it's also their likeness and voice being used, but when it's not, it's like trying to appreciate an amorphous cloud.
He is still in my opinion, the greatest film maker ever. No one is perfect, and Chan is a product of his environment.
To me Jackie’s stunts were always less important than his fight scenes. Yeah it’s cool to think he jumps off the side of a building, but the creative fight scenes and his great dramatic acting ability was more why i enjoyed him but that’s just me.
Plus i assume and give him the benefit of the doubt that he tries to do things, and if it doesn’t work out then it doesn’t work but i’m sure he at least tries or considers doing things before the double is involved.
yup, also you cant just green screen away a good fight scene, specially from multiple angles, but faking a dangerous stunt that will have a static camera is so easy that it is irresponsible to not do that when possible for the safety of the stunt performers
like that bell tower drop, they could have had a better cushion for the fall, and with a small cut in the middle of the fall film him landing from a smaller drop on the ground, it would have the same effect without the chance of someone dying if they mess up
yesh, I like his movie mostly because of the great mix in fight scene and the comedy
Agreed! I always love martial arts fight sequences more than stunts. Interestingly, dangerous stunts are what gave Jackie an international appeal. More western audience appreciate stunts (case in point: Tom Cruise in the last few decades) more than highly choreographed fights, even though the latter are awesome and difficult to do well.
@@devforfun5618 I mean it wouldn't have had the same effect if it was not a single unbroken shot. Literally.
You seem like someone who thinks watching 117 cuts of Liam Neeson climbing over a fence is 'dynamic'.
@@devforfun5618 This is exactly the reason why they did it, otherwise we wouldn't be talking about that scene if it was done how you suggested.
Jackie Chan is "NOT" your typical dad. He has gone through serious hardships, had an awful childhood, and only ever knew pain. I think that the Jackie Chan we saw in film from back in the day is a more free Jackie Chan whereas today's Jackie Chan is an even more so victim of not only his own ambition for film but his dark, grueling past that only grows with time. We can never escape childhood trauma, the horrors of brain injuries only become more harrowing through the passage of time as we come to better understand it.
jackie's bloopers always made it look like he was giving props to all the stunt men.
he never hide his stuntman. he will use his men to work in any of his films. every goon that he fight in his movies are all his stuntman. he give them job. the director just petty to hit that on Jackie. if it not because of Jackie the Hollywood will still producing gun fight movie and john wick would have hand to hand combat.
As someone from South East Asia who grew up in the 90's watching Hong Kong films, the widespread myth that Jackie does all his own stunts and never uses doubles confused me. I remember seeing the BTS at the end of the films and there was such a big team involved, I just thought it was impossible Jackie didn't get any help on his role. I guess that was a myth that was only prevalent in the West, and your explanation in the video makes perfect sense.
On the point of him having a messy personal life, I think especially today, it is important for viewers to learn to separate the artist from the art. However well we think we know a celebrity or public figure, the public image is never the full person, but result of a carefully curated story and brand. With Jackie, I've learned not to take his parenting advice seriously, but I can still laugh and be amazed when I'm watching one of his films.
Lastly, yes, so much of the production team that works behind the scene is underrated. Even though I love movies, I only recently learned the term "VFX" and that the team that works to produce the amazing visual effects is often severely underpaid and under-recognized. I'm grateful that more people are using social media platforms (like your channel) to educate people like me about movie making now.
You make great points. Because of medical people in my family I know that Jackie has gotten injured during filming many times. But filming cannot stop, too much money at stake, they must use doubles. But people like black and white explanations so I understand. They say Tom Cruise also does his own stunts but I know there is a team. Those Mission Impossible stunts are complicated and dangerous.
And messy lifestyle is so common in the movie industry and with ambitious people. You don't have to socialize with these people, in fact you most likely won't get the chance, so you don't have to like them to like the movie.
And at last the craft people are being appreciated. Lighting, sound, all the different kinds of special effects people have done some awesome work. The more you learn about it the more you'll be amazed.
The internet needs more kind and balanced people like you.
"He is a typical Asian dad"
Couldn't be said even better
You know, as a huge fan of Jackie I already know all of this and a few other messed up things he’s done. His ability to craft stunt sequences is unmatched. JC Stunt Team was legendary and in his masterpiece Police Story, he actually does the most dangerous stunts. Almost all of our legends are problematic such as Bruce Lee with his extra-marital affairs and drug addiction as well. But it reminds you that they’re all human and shouldn’t take away from their contributions.
Ah a fellow Police Story enjoyer. To me, it's the Jackie Chan movie that managed to strike the right balance between action, comedy and drama. Drama often have been a miss in Jackie Chan's movies, but Police Story is the exception.
@@ShebaFr Ahh I see you are also a person of culture 👌
No one is trying to take anything from him, and it sounds like you're making excuses for him because you like him
@@lewisgregory1996 sorry it sounds that way. Didn’t make a single excuse in my comment though. The point is he’s contributed a lot to cinema regardless of whether or not you agree with his personal life. Same goes for many others that people idolize.
@@aquaticlibrary “extramarital affairs”
Lol
When you’re one of the the greatest and most iconic human on the planet, sleeping with someone other than your basic and only-known-because-they-married-you spouse isn’t a big deal. She should consider herself lucky that she was the wife, and the other women weren’t
@ 7:15 - A special shout-out for *Chin Ka-lok* and his brother *Chin Siu-ho,* two highly underrated martial arts actors and stuntmen.
During the 80s and 90s, HK cinema heavily relied on them whenever acrobatic moves or high falls *without* mattresses and cartons were desired for a scene.
Ka-lok is probably best known for his lead in *Operation Scorpio.* Siu-ho was especially memorable as the acrobatic pupil of the uni-brow priest (Lam Ching-ying) in *Mr. Vampire.*
I'd say Ka-lok is best known for Full Throttle, where he's nominated for Best Supporting Actor in HK's Oscar.
@@kwcy92
I guess you're right. I was only thinking of leading roles when I wrote this.
But I might even be off on that.
Chin siu ho is well known for those who aprecciate kung fu flicks
Chín siu họ ? he was in the seventh curse with chow yun fat and Maggie cheung. That’s his best leading role
I like how in earlier Jackie Chan movies you see the same stunt team he works with as the hencemen / goons… you can tell it’s a collaborative effort and he probably trusts them a lot.
The last part of comparing Jackie to a typical Asian dad made me choked on my Milo so hard lmfao. And the sad part is, it isn't that much different with my dad too.
African dads are the same. Constant exagerations and comparing you to the homie with the nice grades. U better not end up something else than a lawyer, a doctor or an ambassador. #emotionalDamage 😂
@@17absolut but did your dad claim to climb 20 miles up mountains both ways to go and from schools though? Asian dad exaggerations are comical.
@@fobinc Yooooooo, my dad had to go through a whole forest and swim across a river to get to school. 😭😂 Dem dads, man...
So your dad is absent in your life too? Because Jackie wasn't much of a dad at all, both his son and daughter(born from extramarital affair) hates him. Jackie have said to have reconciled with his son several times, only for his son to rebut it saying they've not seen nor talked to each other in years.
Jackies's son Jaycee has acted in Jackie's movie Railroad Tigers with him, was one of the producers for Jackie's movie, Bleeding Steel, and recorded music with his dad as well so...I dare say the statement that they haven't spoken to each othet for years is a crock of kaka. As for his "daughter", she has publicly stated that she didn't want a relationship with him so any attempt by him to start one would be useless until if or when she decides that she wants one. Needless to say her own mother has been less than supportive but receives very little of the rebukes or responsibility. There are two parents. It takes two people. Both were adults. Both bare responsibility not just the guy. She was a grown women who knew how NOT to get pregnant with a MARRIED man...a man who by his own admission was too wrapped up in his career to be an ideal father to the child that he already had and too fanatically OCD not to have worn his jacket so who was to blame? BOTH.
I am impressed that you did an excellent job in summarizing and concluding in the end, and delivering in such well-written words that neither downplay nor extragate the effort they put into the film, just the authentic side of the film industry that not many people pay attention to.
City hunter was a fun movie to watch because it felt like one of the only anime adaptions that actually leaned into the anime aspects of source material. It was a genuine live action anime. It's kinda similar to some South Indian movies in that way.
Also if you want to learn more about the behind the scenes of movies toh should check out the reactions of corridor crew with VFX artists and stuntmen. They really go in-depth on how movies are created.
The Jackie Chan City Hunter makes a mockery of the source material - he only used the Colt Python once for the entire film which was Ryo Saeba's signature item, plus the character of Ryo Saeba has two sides - his slapstick and pervy persona is just a front, when he is fighting he is all business and the most professional assassin around, and this aspect was nowhere to be found in the Jackie Chan movie, and it didn't lean into anything because the kind of humor which Wong Jing uses was already very common slapstick for East Asian entertainment of that time in general, so it's just more of a coincident rather than intentional. Later another HK adaptation of City Hunter that was made which wasn't as well known and that one was actually much more faithful both in terms of using the same pervy slapstick anime jokes as well as nailing the serious side of City Hunter.
Also Steve Chow's "Love on Delivery" which was also an adaptation of a Japanese manga Hakaioh Noritaka which was a slapstick material arts story, that one was also faithful plus has Steve Chow's humor which he admits is heavily influenced by anime to begin with so that one was especially on point with it leaning heavy into anime style slapstick comedy, so if you want to hold up something as leaning in anime, you should hold that one up instead. If anything Jackie's City Hunter was an extremely low point for anime adaptation where the director heavily disrespected the source material - I'd only put it to like a slightly above Dragon Ball Z live action movie because the stunts earned back some points. The movie was poorly received and heavily criticised as being disrespectful to the source material in Japan with people giving it a backhanded compliment as being a good "Jackie Chan" film - which really should tell you everything about it being leaning into the source material.
@@nanaholic01 it's still better than the Korean adaptation, that one was stomach churning
The best so far is still the french production of Nicky Larson, followed by the Japanese live action adaptation of Angel Hearts, City Hunter's spinoff/sequel
i always found it odd that actor Gary Daniels looked just like the portrait of Ken in Street Fighter 2 video game which came out BEFORE they hired him to be in City Hunter. So it was like a prophecy fullfilled. Perhaps Capcom knew of him before and used his likeness.
@@nanaholic01 I'd add terrible music and other odd choices. For example one of key features of Kaori is obviously being a tomboy, but she isn't one the movie.
@@tedjomuljono3052 It's a spinoff officially.
Also Ryo is too messed up to stand living without Kaori, even if she's alive and well elsewhere. In the original this noted by he sister long before they became a couple. Kaori's death would have destroyed Ryo's character.
Only those who are living in fantasy land can't accept and understand why jackie uses a double. It was already proven time and time again that he performs all his stunts, but there are times where double comes in and does his own stunt.
This does not change anything. Jackie still almost died many times for doing his stunts.
Ok, so of course we all have that deep suspicion that the people we admire, especially the people we see in movies, are not exactly what they seem. It's a mask, an allure. So no doubt Jackie has his flaws. Yes, he does sus things, lies about some of his stunts, and has hot takes off camera, but his job is to entertain on the big screen, big whoop. He's like that one uncle you hang out with as a kid. Strong, fearless, can basically do anything. But as you grow up and learn that nobody is perfect and realize their faults, you can either accept it and move on, enjoy the good memories you had of them, or not. That's Jackie Chan for me.
P.S. Yes AC, he's basically a stereotypical Asian Dad.
It's not just "stereotypical Asian dad", Jackie's life outside of movies is typical of the really bad older male toxic masculinity that is prevalent in HK and Chinese culture. I've worked with bosses and know of family and friends of family that are his generation and the men make a big show about hard work and being diligent, but go on to drink themselves silly and have affairs with women across the border in Shenzhen, never mind the the private attitudes they have about things like LGBT rights and race relations. Seeing Jackie in real life if way more disillusioning that finding out he has stunt doubles; it's not that he's just a terrible person, he's emblematic of all of the terrible people in Chinese society.
@@stuntmonkey00 Yes, thanks for going a bit more in depth on that, and I would suspect that these traits of toxic behavior in men of an older generation are not specific to HK or China as well, since we have them here where I live, too. That's why older uncles come to mind for me, since they are more prevalent in fitting to those said stereotypes. It's not that I hate them, in fact, there are some I truly have nothing but respect for. It's just when their toxic traits show, it gets hard trying to retain that respect. It all boils down to what people want to focus on, the act or the actor, and Jackie is doing a reaaaaally good job of putting the focus on his act, since not a lot of international audiences are aware of his behavior IRL, good or bad.
@@stuntmonkey00 Woah. Jackie by modern standards is a conservative but it's unfair to completely write him off. He has strong work ethics, dedicating many takes to get the perfect stunt or shot, and since that JC Stunt Team cannot be insured by most insurance companies, Jackie would pay for them out of his own pocket if they get injured. And he even stated that by the day he dies, he wishes to have given away all of his wealth. Can you say the same about many Hollywood stars like Sean Penn who proclaim liberal views yet come off as completely narcissistic? Even Wong Jing, who made the movie, is notorious around HK for his misogynistic views and rumored Triad connections, having mocked the appearance of acclaimed director Ann Hui.
He still did most of the stunts himself. In case you didn't know, a muscle injury can take over a year to heal, and Jackie was injured a lot. Had he not used stunt doubles, his movies would have taken years to make a single one.
@@richardfan7157 "Conservative," the guy literally thinks people in China shouldn't be more free and need to be controlled.
I realized jc used doubles and wirework just by watching his latter career films, in which it became increasingly obvious heading into the late 90s. I never looked it up because it was clear that he really did the most dangerous work and stunts, whereas doubles might do some move or sequence more beautifully for the camera.
I was disappointed for half a second till i recalled that he was 'big brother' because he really was the best stuntman in hk / the world long before his career as a successful filmmaker. His face is almost always shown after a big stunt without any cutaway, and you can see what dangers he put himself in during the outtakes at the end of the film.
Hes still the best stuntman and actor/stuntman of all time imo for taking all those risks despite also being the lead, and while i am a fan of actors like tom cruise, hollywood stunts done by actors are nowhere near as dangerous nor as difficult to execute as jc's were.
Ill give cruise props for always learning new skills and trying to push the envelope in hollywood, but in the end he just does dangerous stuff anybody watching his films could do, whereas jackies stunts often would be impossible for someone without his lifetime of training in martial arts and gymnastics.
For some reason I died laughing at the part where you describe JC as a "typical Asian dad" and then list all his obnoxious dad traits 😂 reminds me of my geung geung a bit!!
I just meet him last month in a restaurant, he did enough of his own stunts that right now he can't stand up from his seat without help anymore.
Jackie chan still has done stunts that most actors wouldnt do (granted he started in stunts for film) but thats more than enough for me.
I don't take anything away from Jackie for using stunt doubles. He's put his body through so much punishment over the years. Broken bones, almost dying doing a stunt... You can't deny his dedication to his craft
My parents hate the crap out of Jackie Chan. A lot of the Chinese community sees him as a cheating piece of shit. Definitely admire his work and craft though. Not all people are perfect. I learned that it's important to separate the character / craft that people do vs who they actually are. Superstars are just normal people who have to sell a career to make a living. They're flawed just like any other person. No one is perfect.
Eh? Every celebs are probably cheating piece of shit. As long as they arebt beinf hypocritical about it, or being as arse about it, thats okayish, I guess...
Just enjoy their art, not their person. They are just a celebs....and friggin rich, but still a celebs.
Theres also....some rumors back then in the 90s that with 50thousand HKD, one could buy a night with female hk movie stars.
Oh well, it is what it is
I think when it comes to Jackie's relationship with China, there are some who give him the benefit of the doubt, just assuming all the weird propaganda he's in is just to please China and that he doesn't REALLY agree with them deep down. But much like how in the USA there's a difference between people who happen to work on pro-US military propaganda for a pay check, and the ardent pro-military patriots, it's clear Jackie is very sincere in his views.
@@bigredjanie Shout out to Christ Pratt for being down with the pro-US military propaganda.
@@stevenclark5173 Yes the TV show that was explicitly about how the US military betrayed it's own soldiers, how the military industrial complex is evil, is pro military propaganda. Are you able to tie your shoes without it devolving into a brain injury?
Like seriously, how utterly stupid are you? Did you read one thing on the Occupy Democrats bandwagon and not even a synopsis of The Terminal List? I'm sorry, am I responding to a disabled person?
@@bigredjanie Err....OP isnt talking about china-relationship. OP was talking about how his dad dislike jackie chan cos hes a cheating husband.
it's not a myth to say he does his own stunts. He uses stunt double's. Of course he does. He also does all his own stunts. Sometimes the double's take is better, doesn't mean he DIDN'T do it
12:28 "Jackie is your typical asian dad, who loves to exagirate things, who has all sorts of political hot takes, who are frequently absent in children's lives, who insists on singing in a birthday party while drunk off his mind."
Thinking of him this way, yeah, yeah, that tracks.
Also, almost completely forgot about the insane "Chinese people need to be managed" line among all the others. Like, damn, wtf. Where did he get his political influences from?
He has been a ccp propaganda mouthpiece for a while, so regularly say things like how chinese people has always needed and will always need authoritarianism and other bad takes. He is also friends of some of the hong kong policy chief, he was very critical of the protest of 2019. He is unpopular and controversial figure in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
1. He was educated as an actor, not a political philosopher.
2. He had brain injuries.
3. He's old.
4. I was educated as a political philosopher and I'm not entirely unsympathetic. Democracy is an extremely dumb idea, it failed many times in history, and with every decade it fails even stronger. I'm not a fan of censorship or typical dictatorships though.
He was misinterpreted, and was actually stating that "Chinese people need self-discipline", ie being a strict dad complaining about his son not working hard enough.
Bro he’s Chinese form China.
U obviously have no idea how chinese people are
If you do, ull supprt jackie lol
I recall watching Rumble in the Bronx in a theater years ago, and most people stayed in their seats during the credits stunt reel. When the credits were finishing, spontaneous applause started in the theater, like it was planned... it wasn't, everyone was just in awe of what we just watched. Thanks for sharing this and your perspective on Jackie as a man, and not just the idol, which I believe is fair and accurate. I haven't heard of this movie, let alone that Jet Li was in it, now I need to watch it!
absolutely love your discussion of the great man theory. articulated perfectly. Jackie Chan is a human like anybody else. he's not above having flaws nor above taking criticism. that doesn't mean you can't enjoy his work beyond a full "death of the author" lens.
this video is exactly why I love your channel. happy to see you back after a little gap :)
After years of interested in of Jackie i know that he is not saint but i saw too that he is very different and better in a lot of things than typical Chinese men. He changed. He has a big ego and like golddigger and be real big brother (not in good way but in way big boss, big persona, vip, very smart important persona who own all and has control) what is not nice and really controversial when is glue with treating of workers or women etc. He like drink what is not so bad until he drives drunk (he did) or try so hard to be a symbol of hones and proper person. I want to believe that only thing he always said is truth, that he never be involved in drugs... Rest of stuff, well, normal for actors, for celebrytes but almost innocent in comparison to western this kind of ppl heh.
1:56 now this is MY kind of movie!
More HK kung fu content, count me in
edit: Thank you so much for providing such a nuanced perspective. Feel like this is often absent from discussions of cinema or celebrities
waiting for the SAMMO HUNG video
I like how Wong Jing cast Jacky as (Frankie) Jackie 😂😂😂
If you wonder who that is, he is a very famous HK Cantonese and Mandarin singer. One of the best
This is probably one of your most interesting video so far.
Also, shout out to Jackie Cheung, the Jackie Chan impersonator in that movie. He's more of a singer than an actor, and he's a legend in his own right. His music is on Spotify if anyone's curious!
This is probably one of your best works, and I'm so grateful to watch it
Everytime I saw comments in every western videos or webside saying that Jackie is perfect, no haters, not using any stunt double etc from his western fans I knew that they really don't know about the truth, in my heart I really dont want to disappoint his western fans so I always choose to silent. Now this video has come out, I have to say : as an asian and a 20 years of Jackie's movie audience, everything told in this video is 100% true.
Huh... I mean, even if you watch these scenes in slow-motion, frame by frame, it's clear that Jackie did about 70% of stunts himself. That's really a lot, and you'll find a lot of footage when Jackie is injured doing a stunt, and clearly from that point onwards he couldn't do certain moves for weeks or months.
They did what they had to, to finish the movies in time and make them look good.
real western fans know very good about bad side of Jackie but honest don't care so much cos he is in a lot of stuff better than a lot of western actors or people. Drunk, women, be as.. h, yes, he was, maybe sometimes he is still. But he learned some stuff during years. Political stuff? Commone! He lives in China! Western ppl really don't know how it is when you live in country like this and want to do what you want, what is your life. JC ofc is ash for some ppl from crew, has big ego but at other hand he really worked very hard, he deserved for be icon in cinema like he is. For me he is better than Jobs. Same with Michelle Yeoh. She had bad opinion too with some stuff but still we like her in movies and rather as person too.
lmaooo 13:30 i never would've gotten it if you just put the actor's name but putting "landlord from kung fu hustle" made me recognize him immediately hahaha
What a wild series of revelations. I don't particularly LOVE Jackie, but always thought his stuff was pretty cool. And still do, as far as the movies go! But I'm shocked that he had such a questionable lifestyle that I had no idea about. That being said, I always assume most Stars and even Athletes that I admire for their profession are often... difficult to stomach... in their public lives. They can still be great for the entertainment they provide, but I think sometimes the way that they've been elevated in the public eye can often give them a sense of immortality or an untouchable quality that is absolutely UNtrue. They are human just like us. Great video.
A few hugs is hardly a questionable lifestyle.
A single affair is really not much for a movie star.
@@piotrmalewski8178 ooh ffs stop justiffying it, hes just fuckin abusive.
@@piotrmalewski8178 there is also his homophobic and pro CCP attitude
"In the 80s, it was unheard of for a Western audience"
I am sincerely jealous that Accented Cinema hasn’t found out yet about Jean-Paul Belmondo’s work - whose movies had a big influence on some HK directors as well as the Japanese anime Cobra. What a treat it will be to discover all these great movies.
When people say "Western Audience," they generally mean the Americas. Otherwise, they refer to the "European Audience."
Would love to hear your thought about Scissor Seven. It’s such a uniquely Chinese animation that takes so much inspiration from Japanese anime. It’s like if a stephen chow movie was turned into an animation with the production value of a high tier anime.
That would be cool
Scissor Seven and Link Click are so good. I want him to talk about Link Click as well it has such a good story and the animation feels like drinking a cool drink of water. It’s so smooth.
I actually never thought that I would ever like scissor seven but it became one of my favorites the comedy and humor just matches mine like the wacky and sometimes messed up and having a cook character in the same time being a fool but not too much to being really lame
@Jack Vue same here
Imo is PG Gintama. I love it for the same brand of humour albeit a more tamed version.
Counter point to the "It's okay if he doesn't do all his own stunts".
When he says "Yes" to the question even though the reality is a little more nuance, that is a still a lie, its a lie by omission. You are supposed to explain the nuance, and a talk show, is specifically the place to do that. So to me that a pretty big lie. Tom Cruise can do this, because Tom Cruise actually does all his own stunts, with almost little to no exceptions, but Jackie Chan cannot do this, because Jackie Chan's answer is not clean cut and dry.
Awwww, thank you for making this, brother! I've been on a Jackie Chan kick lately, and it's good of you to bring me a little down to Earth. There are parts of e.g. Police Story which are really bad, but there are also some amazing fights and stunts, and I think it's important to remember (like you said) that everyone and everything has a good and a bad side
This reminds me of this quote "You're never as good as they say you are, you're never as bad as they say you are."
It's remarkable enough if a person can excel in one attribute out of many. It's a disservice and fallacy to expect they live to any particular standard in other aspects of their life. Do they have problems and make mistakes, should there be consequences? Sure. Just like setting a rational expectation of anyone and simply taking someone for what they are can appear to be a challenge for many.
OH MY GOD I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO REMEMBERED THIS MOVIE!!
I had a VHS copy of this film and it was Called MELTDOWN.
me,my brothers,and my Dad watched this all together.
highlights include the Bomb Expert and the School Bus at the beginning,the Jackie Chan clones fight against the most vicious member of the Bank Robbers and Jet Li's fight against the 2nd in command,
,and how Jet Li gets the Bomb Maker with the Knife covered in Snake venom.
I legit thought this movie would be forgotten about.
also i found out about the Jackie Chan Slander after I heard about Jet Li apologizing to him about this Movie.
I heard it was due to Wong Jing and Jackie Chan having bad feelings left over from shooting CITY HUNTER.
i saw this movie on amazon prime about a year ago, might still be on there.
Edit: Yup, its still there. Along with City Hunter, if you hate yourself.
My impression of Jackie Chan, when it comes to stunts, didn't change at all when I started to learn about his double. I know he has done endless stunts himself, and it would just be stupid (and too risky and expensive) if he did everything himself. The injuries alone is proof of what he has gone through. Also, when he started to make movies in Hollywood, it was said that he could not get insurance because of those stunts. So I think it's comes down to more then his willingness to do stunts.
Thank you so much for this topic, as an actor I always thought of the stunt men as a part of the family, and if I ever require a stunt double, he will not be just a double, he will be my brother because he is not helping me creating “My” character, he is helping me creating “Our” character.
Brilliant video as always, so many great topics covered: the man vs the myth, the artist vs his art, and how knowing the trick behind the magic act can either ruin it or you or make it appreciate it more.
Jet Li felt so bad about the way High Risk mocked Jackie Chan. That movie is such a guilty pleasure.
Also, the actor they got to play Frankie's father is a dead ringer for Jackie Chan's real life father, which rubs even more salt in the wound. 😅
I only stumbled on this channel a couple weeks ago, but i gotta say that this is probably the 15th video I've watched and it is always top knotch!
People either sleep on or mock Jackie too readily even though he's got skills.
@Fundamentally Unorthodox You misunderstand completely. Jackies fame or his watches isn't the point (mille has custom made watches for several people so i don't understand this point), it's the fact that he's as real deal of a martial artist as you can get but people mistakenly think he's some comedy martial arts actor who couldn't break a mofo.
@@heresjohnny602 Jackie's skill as a martial artist isn't the point of the video. It's not even a factor in the formula at all. You're exactly the type of person this video was made for.
@@jackstack2136 Just your picture alone tells me you're a stuffy overly serious individual with intellectual superiority issues.
Calm down bro.
This assessment was not totally without basis... here's Jackie doing something to do with public drunkenness 11 years later. How can future events be the basis?
While people don't like it when their image of a personal idol is destroyed, I think everyone needs to think about the definition of what in idol is. An idol is a image or representation of a being, not that being itself. While I would obviously prefer that someone I respect doesn't have crippling flaws I think it's good to know that even at the highest levels humans have flaws. People are not born great, they become great.
People don't become great, they fool others into believing that they are great.
While its true stunt doubles are used. We still appreciate the fact that they are willing to risk their lives where possible for our entertainment.
It also shows that Jackie knowing he can't perform as well as his double will let his double take his place to get the perfect shot. That kick was amazing.
Speaking of City Hunter, I would put it in the same category as the live-action adaptation of Ghost In The Shell, where the filmmakers thought lifting visual elements would be enough.
However, none of the character really came across. Jackie visually looks like Ryo Saeba, but didn't really act like the character at all. It felt more like a rushed license to reframe it as a vehicle for Jackie rather than as an actual adaptation.
Apparently Tsukasa Hojo, the original creator of City Hunter, also hated the film.
This is perhaps your best video. Thank you for making a great great video on the fallibility of any great man.
They even made Wu Ma look like Jackie's dad.
i love how jackie cheung used to play comedic role and now turn into more serious artist
I really like you going into the dangers of „Great Man History“.
As an archeology student i am often confronted with the complicated reallity of people in the past. Often a judgement of good or bad is hard to make, or even out of place alltogether.
I think we can value the things that people create and do, without having to worship them.
People are great because of what they achieve. Someone can be great to you and your immediate circle because of who they are.
Plenty of great men and women in history were not only flawed people but they also are bathed in blood. Plenty of Obama fans want to ignore the thousands if not tens of thousands of civilians killed by the drone strikes he authorized.
"Were they human beings?"
YES: "They were horrible people."
NO: "They were fictional people."
IT DEPENDS ON THE CONTEXT: "They were horrible people who were probably fictional."
Man, I love this channel; what a fantastic analysis. The worship of great men like Jackie or Bruce is not only unfair to, as you said, the whole team behind the production, but also unfair to the men themselves. At the end of the day, they're individual human beings with their own complexities and people's expectations of them should reflect that.
Keep it up man!
When I first saw this movie, I never thought they were making fun of Jackie Chan. I knew they were parodying Bruce Lee, but I thought it was more of a comment on Bruce impersonators.
this old men in movie it is parody of Jackie's dad who ALWAYS was with son during make his movies.
You trying to convince me to watch this movie.
1:55 "The movie begins by blowing up a bus full of children."
*SOLD!*
In the states, I don't think most people know/or care about Jackie Chan outside of his acting career.
He is still an American legend. The only reason his buzz has died down is because he has stopped producing films due to his self being isolated in stereotypical action roles. I guarantee if Jackie Chan were to produce a cartoon or anything characterizing him as "loveable" yet again, it would be massively popular.
it's been done decades ago
Disney need to bring back Jake long 💯🥲
Isaac Newton didn't invent Calculus, it was already being taught at Kerala school of Mathematics (India) a century before Newton
This was a fantastic video. The myth of the singular great man in history needs to die, because there are so many people whose names and actions we don't know because of that bad way of telling a story. I also think there should be more widely-known awards for stunt performers, instead of things like the Taurus World Stunt Awards.
It takes so many hard-working people to make these films.
1:55 “The movie begins by blowing up a bus full of children”
What a hell of a way to open a movie
honestly he does enough stunts that it's always been impressive. i really don't like how he treated hong kong or his misogyny however. i wish those had been a stunt double.
Your section on the worship of "great men" is right on the nose.
Great message at the end, we can always get caught up in the greatness of a person which in turn can blind us that they are flawed human beings like us, but understanding that greatness is achieved as a team effort that cover each others flaws. Jackie Chan cannot execute these films without the stuntmens' help and the stuntmen don't get paid handsomely if Jackie doesn't promote the movies the way he does.
Man this channel's content is just *chefs kiss* 😚🤌😚🤌
4:30 I don't think it's fair to claim that the accusation of Jackie Chan being an actor who shows up to work drunk is "not without basis" because of something he did over a decade later at a concert...
@@retrocatalog What kind of fucked up logic is that? 'Yes, your honor, the defendant stole a stapler from work today therefore when he was 12 years old he was also a thief'.
I mean I know a youtuber who steals copyrighted music from video games and puts them on his own channel. If he's doing that now, was he also stealing guitars when he was 8 years old? He must have been!
He still did it though most likely did before so calm yourself
Honestly, this doesn't phase me for a bit, show business is show business, you sell a product, and this guy proved his valor... That's enough for me.
If he's not a good guy, I'm sure he's paying for his actions as it clearly seems he's dealing with his own demons.
Respect to his achievement.
Great content, thank you for reminding us the importance of stunt doubles.
i love watching your videos. so good, as always
It’s ok because it’s a movie and provides entertainment. Jackie is the man! None of us are perfect!!!
When Jackie jumped on another singer's stage uninvited, he was just rehearsing for a Chinese remake of 'A Star is Born'.
Once I watched documentary about Hongkong stuntmen, in a booming of industry they were so badass, try to outdo what others stunt team, the rivalry is tight, Jackie, Sammo and Yuen Biao are some of them that can comprehend good story elements and good choreography, that's why they respected by others, without good story their stunts doesn't sell
Damn man , you nailed it. Fantastic video. Bravo 🎉
I'm sure he has his own problems, but I'm reminded about how often Keanu Reeves brought up his own stunt double's work in the leadup promos for the John Wick sequels.
“Isaac Newton, the man who invented calculus, is a freaking alchemist.”
My reality is a lie…
Back then if you were studying alchemy you were studying chemistry, he was working in multiple fields that became sciences However, Newton definitely loved studying magic, perhaps more than calculus, and who can blame him?
This video was very very well done. Started out about dissing Jackie Chan but ended up with we ,as human with flaws regardless.
Amazing piece!! Keep it up AC!
People quick to forget the insane amount of charity work JC has done too. Like everyone he is a human, and has flaws, but I think his good largely out weighs his bad.