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Jackie Chan's life represents a success story in almost every sense of the phrase.
Truly an international superstar, the 53-year old actor, director, stuntman and entertainer extraordinaire is as recognisable in Hong Kong (where he was born) as he is in Paris (where his latest movie, Rush Hour 3, takes place).
In fact, for all intents and purposes of this article, it is probably unnecessary to regale you with the various exploits and eccentricities of the man's career to date. After all, in Singapore, Chan is as much a superstar as he is anywhere else in the world.
But the generation who grew up with Jackie Chan, Hollywood franchise conqueror, may not be familiar with the story of the Peking Opera school graduate who grew up poor and eked out a living as a stuntman because of his fearless and willing-to-try-anything attitude.
Similarly, the gongfu aficionados who swear by Drunken Master may not know Shanghai Noon from Shanghai Knights.
So, to bridge the gap...
Upon graduation from the opera school, Chan found work as a stuntman and quickly moved up the ranks in the Hong Kong film industry.
Bit parts which allowed him to show off his considerable gongfu skills and athletic talent, combined with his natural (and groundbreaking) humour, led to Chan starring in blockbusters like Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, the aforementioned Drunken Master (which propelled him into mainstream consciousness), and the beginning of his Police Story franchise, perhaps his greatest success.
American success would not come as quickly, however. A small part in 1981's The Cannonball Run (with American luminaries like Burt Reynolds and Dean Martin) did not spawn further success. It wasn't until 1995's Rumble in the Bronx attained cult status, when American doors truly opened to Chan.
"I explained that I knew why his experiences with The Cannonball Run hadn't worked in the US and had alienated his core Asian audience," Rush Hour director Brett Ratner says in Rush Hour 1 2 3: Lights, Camera, Action, a pictorial movie book about the trilogy. "I told him I knew how to make a film that would deliver to the American audience and keep his Asian fans satisfied."
In 1998, Rush Hour hit theatres with much aplomb. Audiences loved the fish-out-of-water story, coupled with Chan's fighting prowess and physical comedy, and sprinkled with a liberal dash of Chris Tucker's fast-talking, wise-cracking persona. The movie went on to gross US$130 million ($196 million) in the US alone and Chan was officially certified as a household name.
"Before the first Rush Hour, I really had lost confidence in the American market," recounted Chan in the same book. "I didn't think an American audience would accept my kind of English, my kind of action. But my manager pushed me, and I said, 'Okay, this is my last try'."
His brand of comedy both thrilled and delighted audiences and despite having never really mastering the English language, Chan went on to release a slew of American movies over the next decade, consisting of hits (2000's Shanghai Noon which spawned a sequel) and misses (The Tuxedo and Around the World in 80 Days).
Through it all, Chan remained steadfast to his tried-and-true talents; he performed his own stunts, thrilled audiences with well-choreographed fight scenes, and made them laugh.
"There were a lot of failures and I spent a lot of money," said Chan in a recent interview with a local newspaper, referring to flops in both Hong Kong, like Mr Nice Guy (1997) and the US, like The Medallion (2003). "Then I learned my lesson."
While he has not forgotten his Asian audiences (2004's New Police Story continued his famed franchise and was both a critical and box office hit), it is the Rush Hour franchise that has truly cemented Chan's status as a film legend and superstar.
The three movies in the franchise have successfully become part of pop culture (the image of the two stars singing "War! What is it good for?" is a classic) and moviegoers have flocked to cinemas, and in all likelihood will continue to for the third movie.
Countless awards (including once being voted The World's Most Popular Movie Star by Time magazine), his very own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, his handprints immortalised at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and a host of ambassadorships and film awards, Chan has indeed accomplished all that needs to be accomplished in his movie career.
Having conquered both American and Chinese audiences, and gaining new fans everyday, it seems the ceiling for him can only keep on rising.
Rush Hour 3 is now showing in cinemas. - TODAY/fa
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