Six classic Jackie Chan films from the early stage of his career are coming to the Criterion Collection, in the form of a fantastic box set cataloging some of his work from the 1970s and 1980s.
The box set, sub-titled Emergence of a Superstar, includes Chan’s early works Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, Spiritual Kung Fu, The Fearless Hyena, Fearless Hyena II, The Young Master, and My Lucky Stars. That group includes the first three movies he wrote (Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, The Fearless Hyena, and The Young Master), the first two he directed (The Fearless Hyena and The Young Master), and one of his movies with childhood friends and long-time collaborators, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao (My Lucky Stars).
Pre-orders are available now for the set, which will be available Nov. 7, for $99.96 on the Criterion site. Just look at the box art!
Image: Criterion Collection
Chan is one of the most important figures in the history of cinema, and his increased recognition by organizations like The Criterion Collection is only a good thing. This is their second Chan box set, following the 2019 release of a Police Story box set, featuring the first two movies in that iconic series. Eagle-eyed viewers can also spot Chan in Criterion’s Bruce Lee box set, as he appears in Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon in minor roles.
