Jackie Chan is the most entertaining action hero ever. His moves are graceful, funny and entrancing, and that usually compensates for thin plot lines. Pretty much any Chan film is worth watching on some level, but here are my ten favorites.

1. Miracles

This film is the best narrative story of any Chan film, with a comedy of errors when Chan inadvertently becomes a Mafia boss. The situational comedy is wonderful, the story has touching moments, and the fight scenes are incredibly, especially the climax in a rope factory.

2. Drunken Master II

This is Chan’s physical tour de force as he turns the staggering of inebria into beautiful choreography. The non-drinking scenes incorporate tons of prop use, but the highlights are when Chan drinks the hard stuff to improve his drunken boxing style. This was re-titled The Legend of Drunken Master for U.S. theatrical release.

3. Who Am I?

The climactic rooftop fight is one of Chan’s best ever. It goes on forever incorporating props, high-building stunts and pure one-on-one encounters. Other clever scenes include the sideways car chase and the street fight in an exotic marketplace. The story of the amnesiac secret agent is compelling and comparable to any American spy story.

4. Armor of God 2: Operation Condor

This Indiana Jones style adventure is just crazy. Chan incorporates three women into the action against enemies from angry natives to corrupt soldiers. The motorcycle chase, fight in the abandoned warhead factory and wind tunnel climax are cinematic highlights. This was simply called Operation Condor for U.S. theatrical release.

5. Project A

This, the first real assemblage of incredible choreography and stuntwork within a non-chopsocky storyline, still holds up today with the bicycle chase, clock tower drop and all of Chan’s wonderful acrobatics. The sequel has more of the same too.

6. First Strike

The ladder fight – enough said. Also, a great prop fight in a hotel room, snowboarding chase and underwater fighting. Make sure you see the Hong Kong version for the full underwater fight. It’s horribly cut in the American version. The story is a convoluted political thing, but the action is amazing.

7. Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow

An honorable mention for the chopsocky movie in which Jackie first developed the idea of humorous fighting. Of course, it’s still a schlocky kung-fu movie, but the origins of the comic master are clearly evident. DO NOT accidentally buy the fake sequel. There was only one. Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow 2 is a cheap repackaging.

8. Police Story

This film is more about stunt work than martial arts, with Chan hanging from a double-decker bus and sliding down wires of Christmas lights. There’s some intense fighting as well as light slapstick in this movie that became a prototype for many of Chan’s future projects.

9. Rumble in the Bronx

This was my first Jackie Chan movie and it was the perfect introduction. A silly story about neighborhood thugs and diamond thieves supports prop fights in a convenience store and packed warehouse, plus chases around the city and a climax involving a hovercraft. You can see the mountains of Vancouver in the background but it doesn’t matter.

10. Shanghai Noon

This is Chan’s best American film to date because it actually allowed him to develop the extended fight scenes we love. It still doesn’t hold a candle to his Hong Kong work, but the forest fight, bar fight, rope trick and bell tower climax are great, and this one is actually a good American western story.

Samet Bilir a freelance writer who writes about online shopping products. You can read more about his work at www.azframes.com, a website for digital photo frame reviews.