Jackie Chan’s Strongest Character Came From One Of His Worst Movies

Jackie Chan is known for playing heroes and champions of the martial arts world, but his strongest character may have actually emerged from one of his worst movies. Jackie Chan has been a stalwart of martial arts movies since his first tentative steps into the genre in movies like 1975's New Fist of Fury. While this picture flopped at the box office, it didn't stop Jackie Chan from rising meteorically to fame with smash hits like Supercop under his belt. But even Jackie Chan's best movies didn't produce his toughest hero.

From Jackie Chan's Kung Fu fantasy movies to his dramas, he played winners who rose from the bottom to the top and mentors to the next generation of star fighters. These characters showed Chan's impressive range and got him where he is today, occupying the spot of arguably the most respected Hong Kong actor since Bruce Lee. But one of Jackie Chan's worst pictures was panned by critics for its slapstick clichés, lack of logic, and numerous plot inconsistencies. Funnily enough, this movie, The Medallion, offered Chan his most powerful fighter yet.

Jackie Chan’s Character Gains Powers And Becomes Immortal In The Medallion

The Medallion Is Confusing But Showcases Jackie Chan Uniquely

Released in 2003, The Medallion is about Eddie, a Hong Kong police officer hired by Interpol, trying to defeat a crime lord known as Snakehead. The Medallion is far from one of Jackie Chan's best martial arts comedies, but Eddie does bring a certain kind of humor to proceedings. Despite the movie's lackluster script, he has more to him than meets the eye. After evading certain death with the help of a magical medallion, Eddie is granted superhuman powers and abilities, leading to him becoming immortal. This impressive trait would help him beat most of the villains in his movies.

The Medallion Has A 17% RT Score And Is One Of Jackie Chan’s Worst Movies

The Medallion Has Many Flaws And Inconsistencies

Jackie Chan may be at full strength in The Medallion, but the surrounding movie could use a power-up. All of Jackie Chan's funniest martial arts movies made good use of universal humor that appealed to audiences in both the East and West, while making light of their own ridiculousness occasionally. Some of the James Bond spoof elements of The Medallion worked, and Lee Evans made all his scenes farcical. But a lot of the jokes in The Medallion fell flat due to what appeared to be a rushed script, appearing more forced than well-acted and spontaneous.

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British comedian Lee Evans brought some lighthearted lines to the movie, but they weren't quite enough to make up for its bizarre pacing and lack of coherent resolution. With 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, most critics agreed with The Medallion's faults, despite the superpowered potential of Jackie Chan's character. The 2000s flick will satisfy a lot of action and comedy fans looking for a quick fix, and even more so those who follow Jackie Chan. However, overall, the various plot contrivances and undeveloped characters make The Medallion hard to seriously adore.