10 Fight Sequences In Action Films That Were Influenced By Jackie Chan

10 Fight Sequences In Action Films That Were Influenced By Jackie Chan

There have been many great martial artists that have had an impact on the film industry. But did you know that Jackie Chan’s fighting style and choreography influenced these films?

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Jackie Chan is an absolute legend in the entertainment industry. While the actor has been inspired by the martial arts great, such as the late Bruce Lee, Chan has also added a lot himself to choreography within the action genre. His long list of films have been truly remarkable in bringing martial arts to the big screen.

Jackie Chan’s own style puts the focus on the storytelling. From unbelievable stunts to bringing in a lot of physical comedy in his movements, Chan really is the master of putting fight sequences on-screen which serve the narrative. Plenty of other films can find their action influenced, in part, by Jackie Chan’s work.

10 Honorable Mention: Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)

Although it has not yet been released and therefore is classed as an honorable mention, it’s difficult to deny the influences from Jackie Chan’s work on Marvel’s upcoming martial arts movie, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings.

Not only have there been rumors that Chan himself may have been cast in the role of Zheng Zu in the past, but the film has actually hired Andy Cheng to work on the action in the movie. Cheng is a long time collaborator and choreographer to Jackie Chan, so his career is clearly very much in Marvel’s mind.

9 John Wick (2014)

John Wick is often used as an example of a film that changed modern action movies. The fast-paced choreography and intense focus on the action were all thanks to the fact that the director behind all three films was actually a stunt man previously.

Chad Stahelski is a major reason why the action sequences are so incredible, alongside the stunt team and choreographers. Inspired by the heroes of the genre, Stahelski has mentioned Jackie Chan as a huge part of the foundation of the John Wick combat.

8 The Matrix (1999)

Bruce Lee is often cited as one of the inspirations in Jackie Chan’s career, but it’s difficult to ignore the role of Yuen Woo-Ping in the actor’s story. Woo-Ping directed Drunken Master, Chan’s breakout role, and has contributed hugely to other major actions pictures, including Kill Bill.

As someone who has worked alongside Jackie Chan and learned from his martial arts style, it’s not surprising that Woo-Ping’s work on The Matrix as the action choreographer is heavily influenced by Chan amongst other martial artists.

7 Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Although it may seem ridiculous to suggest, even an animated movie has to have its fight scenes choreographed. That job went to storyboard artist Rodolphe Guenoden, who has actually studied martial arts for many years himself. In many ways, Kung Fu Panda is a love letter to this style of combat.

As both a comedy and a martial arts movie, whose sequel happens to be turning 10 this year, Guenoden had to draw from greats of the industry. Jackie Chan’s influence over the film didn’t stop there though. Alongside dumpling fighting scenes, inspired by his work, he was also cast in the film to provide the voice of Monkey.

6 Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Directing action is hard enough as it is. Trying to create comedy within that action is even more of a challenge. Then, bringing in an actor that has very little stunt experience at all makes the task almost impossible. That was the problem Kingsman was facing.

Luckily for star Colin Firth, Jackie Chan’s own team came in to work with him on the fight sequences. Setting the bar incredibly high for future sequels, the result was an incredible mix of comedy and action beats, with two hugely memorable fights from Firth in the Church and the Pub.

5 The Raid: Redemption (2011)

The Raid has really come to define modern action movies and what can be done in the martial arts genre. Created and directed by Gareth Evans, The Raid managed to accrue much critical praise for its well-choreographed and action-packed scenes.

But there may be a specific reason for this. Evans has spoken about his love for classic martial arts movies many times and admitted that he loved to watch pretty much anything with Jackie Chan in it. The choreography and fighting style in the film, therefore, owes a huge amount of credit to Chan’s own filmography, especially in terms of its pacing.

4 Harley Quinn: Birds Of Prey (2020)

Cathy Yan absolutely thrived behind the camera when it came to putting together action sequences. Birds Of Prey features a huge variety of heavy-hitting action beats, each of which is amazingly choreographed and expertly timed.

Ironically, not only was part of the action inspired by The Raid (a Chan inspired the film in its own right) but Yan also sites Jackie Chan as being one of her heroes. In fact, she notes that the movie was heavily linked to his work, especially the action sequence in the Gotham PD headquarters.

3 Atomic Blonde (2017)

Speaking of kick-ass women, it’s difficult to deny the action-heavy work of Atomic Blonde. With such up close and gritty beats throughout, it’s not that uncommon to look for similar projects to draw movement from. In particular, the use of objects in combat.

Chan is known for using random objects as part of his fight scenes and director David Leitch noted how each time they came across a moment in the film like this, they approached it as if it was a page from a Jackie Chan script.

2 Black Panther (2018)

There’s plenty of intense action sequences and hand to hand combat within Black Panther, although none of it feels like something that would be found in a Jackie Chan film. The influence here runs a lot deeper though. The fight coordinator for the film was Jonathan Eusebio.

Interestingly enough, Eusebio also held the same role for DC’s Birds Of Prey. The talented coordinator has mentioned just how much Jackie Chan has had an impact on his own work in many interviews. When it comes to how Chan tells a story through movement, the influence of his work can very much be seen in the combat of the Wakanda king, especially when fighting for the throne.

1 Extraction (2020)

It’s actually easy to see the hand-to-hand combat sequences in Extraction, but director Sam Hargrave is incredibly inspired by Jackie Chan’s work. In fact, he has gone on record saying that he actually based his career on Chan’s.

Chan was first a stuntman, before becoming an actor and then a director. The same has happened for Hargrave, who is best known for his work on the Marvel movies, before joining up with Chris Hemsworth and Anthony and Joe Russo for this major Netflix blockbuster.

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