It’s Jackie Chan’s 61st birthday today, so we’ve picked six of his most kick-ass moments to honor him. And in case you get inspired, don’t try these at home. Or at work. Or anywhere, really.
The Legend of Drunken Master
When Chan combined fighting with chugging alcohol, frat bros everywhere finally understood high art.
City Hunter
Every video game fan will appreciate this Street Fighter-inspired scene from City Hunter. If you’re not a video game fan, well, just appreciate that Jackie Chan goes above and beyond for his movies, and that includes putting on a dress to fight as Chun-Li.
Who Am I
He’s not destroying a person in this scene so much as destroying the souls of anyone with a fear of heights as he leaps and tumbles down the sloped side of a tall building and teeters precariously on the edge before saving his own life. Then he punches glass. It looks like it hurts a lot, but we’re still too terrified to really notice at that point.
Crime Story
Pretty much every person in this scene receives a violent welcome that makes me want to curl into a ball and never stick my hand into a vat of boiling water for fun ever again. I really mean that. [Video no longer available, sorry!]
Winners and Sinners
(Skip to 2:40 in the video.) Thought roller-skating was dorky, did you? Well, it still kind of is. But who cares how you look when you’re sailing over cars and ducking under tractor trailers? He also causes a huge, multi-car crash. Huge.
Police Story
There’s an epic bus stunt in this film, but the final fight redefines the word “epic.” Chan beats people up in a mall using an escalator, display cases, clothing racks, more display cases, a mannequin, a mirror, another display case—you get the idea. It’s one of the most kick-ass moments ever, let alone in the Chan oeuvre. [Video no longer available, sorry!]