Over a decade ago, I was sitting down with a girlfriend trying to explain to her why I loved Jackie Chan films so much. The woman I was dating had no love of punch-'em-up films, no familiarity with US-made brawlers like The Warriors and Bloodsport...
So how was I going to explain the appeal of Mr. Chan's work? What would I use to display his monkey-like climbing skills (it wasn't called Parkour at the time)? The way he'd engage 4 attackers at once? Or the way that he would inventively use anything in the environment - a chair, a desk, or hanging laundry - to give his fights so much ingenuity, humor, and grace?
Luckily enough, the day my love of Chan came up was also a day that one of his films was on cable at that exact time, so instead of telling her what it's like, I got to show it all in one great scene. Specifically, this scene:
And the amazing thing about it is that First Strike is not one of Mr. Chan's best films, either. It's just one among many gem-studded works - not exceptional, while still being entertaining and impressive. In this case, it's more like jaw-dropping, but I sincerely hope you got my point. I remember not having to explain his appeal to that gf again...
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