Jackie Chan: My Story

"The name's Chan. Jackie Chan." Hong Kong's Bond-meets-Buster Keaton immodestly tells his story in this loving self-tribute which pairs commentary from the 44-year-old renowned action hero and a bounteous collection of kick-em-in-the-face film clips. Born August 7, 1954, Jackie Chan was sold by his parents to the Chinese opera school at an early age. Under the guiding hand of Master Yuen, little Jackie learned a plethora of graceful acrobatic moves (which would later help to make his action sequences some of the best choreographed in film), as well as got his bare butt beat with unfortunate regularity. Appearing in his first film at the tender (his backside for sure) age of seven, Chan would eventually go on to appear in over 40 films. Jackie Chan: My Story chronicles the long, hard road to the top, which included such temporary career setbacks as a dishwashing stint in Australia in the ‘70s. A legend in Hong Kong (stateside, Burt Reynolds received top billing in the forgettable 1980 flick The Cannonball Run, which featured Chan in a bit part; in Hong Kong, however, Chan was listed first in the ads), Jackie Chan finally found success in the U.S. with action hits like Rumble in the Bronx and First Strike. Today, recent home video releases, such as Mr. Nice Guy and Police Story, are popular with action fans, while his new film Rush Hour, with Chris Tucker, is expected to bring in the highest boxoffice yet (also look for the video release of Operation Condor 2: The Armour of the Gods on Nov. 17). While there's nothing critical whatsoever in Jackie Chan: My Story, fans will enjoy Chan's over-the-top cop-socky fight sequences, and be intrigued by the clips of as-yet-unreleased-stateside Chan films (particularly, Miracles, a high-budget period action film modeled on the great Hollywood musicals). Sure to be popular. Recommended. (R. Pitman)