Jackie Chan: Inside the Dragon by Clyde Gentry III (1997)

A Boy and His Heroes

Every little boy needs a hero, and sometimes celebrities fit the bill. Growing up, I had two celebrities I looked up to. One was Cal Ripken Jr.—”The Iron Man”—both for his awesome baseball cards and his dedication to the sport. Later I’d also recognize his leadership both on and off the field.

The other was Jackie Chan, not only because he brought humor to his action movies, but because he genuinely seemed like a “Nice Guy” who had earned his celebrity through hard work and shared his joy with others. I liked him so much that I did several projects about him in high school. Now as an adult, I still enjoy his films, and even read a few years ago his full-length biography, I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action (1998).

I recently came across a small stash of my earliest book reviews—written long before I created this blog—and came across one from 1999. I’ve edited it down somewhat, but have also preserved my old style and spiritual conclusion. I’ve got the book here in front of me as I write and have perused it again for old time’s sake. It’s filled with amusing black-and-white photos from Chan’s extensive career and was actually a joy to look over again!

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An Early Review (1999) of Jackie Chan: Inside the Dragon

This book contains the true story of my favorite Martial Arts star and how he defeated all odds to become an international film icon.

Jackie’s Early Start

Born into a poor family in 1954, Jackie was sent by his father to a Chinese Opera Institute from age seven to seventeen. Under the watchful eyes of Master Yu Jim-Yuen, Jackie learned the skills of Kung Fu, acting, and singing. When the Institute closed down in 1971, Jackie and his fellow student-friends were forced to search for a new occupation. Kung-Fu films seemed a likely choice for these otherwise uneducated teens.

Jackie’s Rise to Fame

Jackie joined the film industry in 1962 as a stand-in and stuntman, and people soon noticed his talents in both fighting and acting. His first starring role came in New Fist of Fury (1976), though both the film and Jackie were considered mere “Bruce Lee wannabies.” Lee’s death three years earlier had threatened the entire Martial Arts film industry, since he alone—as the “Unbeatable Hero”—had been carrying it on his shoulders and there seemed to be no replacement in sight. Many young actors had attempted unsuccessfully to fill his void, and at first, twenty-three-year-old Chan seemed to be yet another run-of-the-mill nobody. But his potential helped him land several more starring roles, and soon, people considered him capable of taking over Lee’s position of “King of Kung Fu Films.”

Chan eventually became as important to the industry as Lee had been—if not more so—though he viewed himself as a completely different type of hero. When asked to compare himself to Bruce Lee, Chan would reply, “Bruce Lee kick high. I kick low.” He was his own person with his own moves. He was not Bruce Lee, the “Unbeatable Hero.”

Jackie’s Characters

Even Chan’s characters display something totally different from Lee. Whether a detective, a delivery boy, or a cook, Chan plays the underdog, a man who ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Interestingly, both Jackie Chan’s character choices and his acting style resemble those of American silent-film star Buster Keaton, a professional inspiration to Chan. Keaton often played the common man in his films, very often a victim of circumstances. Keaton would also use his own body as a prop in his films, constantly performing stunts that kept audience stunned and happy. Clearly Jackie Chan has done the same and more.

Chan eventually desired to go bigger than just Hong Kong. He landed his first international starring role in the 1980 American film, The Big Brawl. Then five years later, he starred again in The Protector.

Jackie’s Own Character

After watching the American version of the second film, however, Chan was disgusted by its “Hollywoodized” feel—sexual inuendoes, full nudity, and certain four letter words (that were neither “Chan” nor “Hong” nor “Kong”). Determined to keep his respectable name, Chan took a completely cleaned-out version of the film back to Hong Kong, removing the cuss words, the perverted scenes and wise cracks, and the nudity. So if you watch the film in Chinese, you won’t see a naked woman mixing up some heroine—you’ll see a fully clothed woman mixing up some heroine (which is much better).

Through this unique desire to make clean films, Jackie Chan proves to be the type of hero Hollywood needs. But it’s more than that. Jackie’s kind and joyful face is not just a show for the cameras, but is part of his own personality. He’s known to put others above himself. For example, whenever a stuntman on his set gets injured, Jackie personally makes sure that he’s taken care physically and financially, which is not at all how things are done in Hollywood!

“But This One Thing He Lacks…”

No hero is a perfect hero, however, and this is true of Jackie Chan as well. Chan acknowledges that he does not believe in God, saying that, since the only thing that comes out of religion is war, he wants nothing to do with it. Psalm 53:1 is clear:

The fool hath said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

Though Jackie Chan is probably one of the nicest movie stars you’ll ever meet, Being Mr. Nice Guy doesn’t erase the foolishness of the heart. It reminds me of Matthew 16:26, where Jesus asks:

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Conclusions from 1999 and 2026

I really appreciated how this book showed Jackie Chan as more than just a well-known movie star with a huge paycheck. He’s a real person with a history of hard work and dedication, heroes of his own, and care for the people he works with. It makes me want to watch more of his movies—though I promise I’ll only look for “the Chinese versions” of his dirty films.

And I’ve kept that promise, lo, these 27 years! I really enjoyed rehashing this adventure and looking through this illustrated biography again. While such biographies become quickly outdated—and few if any fans are looking for a review of it—I’m glad to have had the pleasure.

©2026 E.T.

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