Global Action Star’s Debut 54 Years Ago: Can You Guess Who?

Before ascending to the heights of global action stardom, Jackie Chan began his career at a young age as a stuntman. This role helped him make a name for himself and climb the ranks of Hong Kong cinema.

First Role with Bruce Lee

However, it was in “Fist of Fury,” starring Bruce Lee, that Jackie Chan made his first significant cinema appearance. The year was 1972, and he was just 17 years old! He played one of the students at the Jing Wu school and fought an opponent dressed in blue about 30 minutes into the movie.

Chan also appeared at the end of the film. Indeed, Jackie Chan acted as a stunt double for the character Hiroshi Suzuki (Riki Hashimoto). In the famous scene where Bruce Lee’s kick sends the villain flying across the room, it was Jackie performing the stunt.

In the brief scene where he trains against the woman in blue, Chan is easily recognizable, though you shouldn’t blink. Fans of Jackie Chan will recognize his unique way of moving, his elegance, and his rapid dexterity, which would later make him one of the most beloved action stars globally.

Before achieving solo success, Jackie worked again with the master Bruce Lee in “Enter the Dragon” (1973), before taking off to headline his own martial arts films.

An Iconic Work

For the record, “Fist of Fury” takes us to Shanghai at the beginning of the 20th century. Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) returns to his martial arts school to attend the funeral of his beloved master, Huo Yuanjia. Refusing to believe in a natural death, he conducts his own investigation and discovers that his master had been poisoned.

As tensions between the Chinese and Japanese escalate, Chen clashes with a rival Japanese school that intensifies provocations and humiliations. Determined to avenge his master’s honor and his country, he faces his enemies alone in an increasingly violent spiral of revenge.

His investigations lead him to uncover a conspiracy involving traitors and Japanese officials. But as he gets closer to the truth, Chen himself becomes a hunted man.

Driven by Bruce Lee’s charisma and intensity, “Fist of Fury” combines a revenge film, patriotic drama, and spectacular martial arts demonstrations. It’s no wonder that Jackie Chan was part of this major cinematic work, which has since become a classic of the genre.

Fun fact: the actor starred in his own version of Bruce Lee’s film titled “New Fist of Fury” in 1976. The plot is roughly the same, but this time Jackie plays the leading role, Ah Lung.

The Chong Wu martial arts school is threatened by the Japanese, determined to take control of Chinese establishments. The disappearance of Chen Chu only worsens the situation.

Soon, the school is vandalized, and several of its students are massacred. Among the survivors, a few disciples refuse to give in to fear and organize to resist, hoping to rebuild their school and preserve their master’s legacy.

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