- Justin Lee Ford
- May 2
- 2 min read
Updated: May 16
Jackie Chan is a walking, flipping, falling miracle of modern cinema. While most actors leave danger to the stunt team, Jackie is the stunt team. With a staggering list of injuries that includes a cracked skull, broken vertebrae, dislocated pelvis, and more, Jackie has definitely earned his status as a legend.
Here are five of his most insane stunts—ranked by how much they made us scream, “How is he even alive?”
5. Bus Hang – Police Story (1985)
Jackie jumps onto a moving double-decker bus using nothing but an umbrella. He then hangs on as it barrels down the road. Just sheer grit and grip strength. Classic Jackie.
4. Clock Tower Fall – Project A (1983)
An homage to silent film legends like Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, Jackie falls from the top of a clock tower. He crashes through awnings on the way down, slamming into the ground with a sickening thud.
3. Helicopter Jump – Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)
Chan leaps onto a rope ladder hanging from a flying helicopter, which then soars over the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Just good ol’ Jackie dangling hundreds of feet in the air while the wind beats him like a rag doll. This is Supercop, but Jackie was the real superhero.
2. Pole Slide – Police Story (1985)
Yes, we’re back to Police Story—and for good reason. This time, Jackie Chan slid down a pole covered in live electrical lights, which exploded on contact as he passed. With no time for rehearsals and no safety wires, the stunt was performed raw. The result? Shattered vertebrae, second-degree burns on his hands, and a dislocated pelvis from the impact.
But in classic Jackie Chan fashion, the show didn’t stop. He finished Police Story while pulling double duty: filming Heart of Dragon with Sammo Hung by day and returning to the insane action of Police Story at night.
1. Skull Fracture – Armour of God (1986)
This wasn’t just the stunt that nearly ended Jackie Chan’s career—it almost ended his life. The setup seemed simple enough (for Jackie, anyway): leap from a wall onto a tree branch. But on the second take, the branch snapped. Jackie fell headfirst onto a rock, fracturing his skull and requiring emergency brain surgery.
Miraculously, he survived—and in true Jackie Chan fashion, he was back on set just seven days later to finish Armour of God.
Jackie Chan didn’t just raise the bar for action stunts in cinema—he jumped off it, usually headfirst. These weren’t just death-defying; they were death-taunting. And somehow, he keeps bouncing back for more.
