Jackie Chan’s gritty 1980s cop movieThe Protectorwas an attempt to break through to American audiences, but the star himself hated how it tried to turn him into the new Bruce Lee. After Chan received initial success in Hong Kong thanks to martial arts movies likeDrunken Master, it didn’t take long for Hollywood to come calling.Early examples ofJackie Chan’s Hollywood moviesincludeThe Cannonball Runduology and 1980’sThe Big Brawl,his first American lead role.
Chan quickly grew frustrated working on these productions, since they didn’t dedicate the time to crafting the kind of elaborate fights that made him famous. Chan gave up on dreams of American movie stardom in the mid-980s, though he eventually cracked the market with theRush Hourmovies. The film that soured the action icon on Hollywood was 1985’sThe Protector, a violent thriller that tried to make the star into a Dirty Harry-style figure. The film is utterly unlike a traditional Chan feature, and features lots of blood, profanity and characters with a distinct lack of clothing.
Jackie Chan Hated Making The Protector
Chan and The Protector’s director did not get along
While Chan had a small fanbase in America, mainstream movies in the 1980s had yet to catch up to his high-energy mix of martial arts and physical comedy. For some reason, Golden Harvest felt that James Glickenhaus (helmer of the grim vigilante movieThe Exterminator) was the director who could turn Chan into a leading man in the U.S. Famously,Glickenhaus and Chan hated working together, with Chan finding the production sloppy and experiencing difficulty saying dialogue with his limited grasp of Englishat the time.
Glickenhaus wanted to make a more grounded thriller and has claimed Chan and Golden Harvest were aware, based on his past credits, of the kind of film they set out to make. Still, Chan disliked makingThe Protectorso much that he tried to get Glickenhaus removed and even tried to quit the production. Needless to say,Chan also hated the final cut, and later re-editedThe Protectorfor its Hong Kong debut to remove the sleazier elements; he also added in a new subplot.
The Protector is a fascinating curio within Jackie Chan’s filmography, just in the way it breaks from his traditional, family-friendly formula.
Even with the Hong Kong cut leaning closer to his style, Chan has all but disowned the project. He learned some important lessons from it; namely, that making exploitation movies really wasn’t his thing. The film is a fascinating curio within Chan’s filmography, though, just in the way it breaks from his traditional, family-friendly formula.
Jackie Chan Was Right, The Protector Didn’t Suit Him At All
Jackie Chan’s Clint Eastwood impression is lacking
In Chan’s autobiographyNever Grow Up, he went into detail about his experiences onThe Protector, and hated how producers were “trying to turn me into Bruce Lee.” Chan’s Billy Wong is a mix between Bruce Lee and Clint Eastwood, with the star playing things usually straight and tempering down his sense of humor. Instead, it’s his co-star Danny Aiello who gets to ham it up, butwhileThe Protectorhas a guilty pleasure charm to it, Chan is entirely the wrong actor to front it.
He looks downright uncomfortable in certain scenes, and a quick rewrite could have turned it into a Chuck Norris vehicle instead. It’s easy to see why Chan had issues with the end product, since it’s a mean, ugly film compared to the likes ofProject Aor future outings likethePolice Storymovies. It’s a violent B-movie that wallows in its own excess and is constantly fighting against its leading man’s strengths.The Hong Kong edit is a milder experience, but ironically, removing the scuzzier elements only madeThe Protectormore tonally confused.
The Protector Explains Why Jackie Chan Avoided American Movies In The 1980s
Chan was disillusioned with American productions after The Protector
The Protectorwasn’t much of a success either, so despite going through hell making it, it did little to help Jackie Chan’s career. After a solid five years of trying to break through,Chan was disillusioned with the Hollywood machine and its attempts to repackage him as something he wasn’t. For the next decade, the star refocused his efforts on Hong Kong productions. He was still revered as an action god overseas, with stars like Sylvester Stallone trying to lure him back to Hollywood for movies likeDemolition Man.
Jackie Chan and Sylvester Stallone’s only onscreen collaboration to date is the critically lambasted parodyAn Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn.
Still,The Protectorexperience made Chan reluctant to head back to America He eventually tested the waters with 1995’sRumble in the Bronx, which became a sleeper smash. He then followed up withRush Hour, another surprise hit that finally gave him the perfect vehicle to engage with American audiences. In the decades since, Chan has jumped back and forth between his Hong Kong work and American productions such as 2025’sKarate Kid: Legends.
The Protector
Cast
The Protector is an action film starring Jackie Chan as Billy Wong, a New York City cop. After his partner is killed, Billy and his new partner, Danny Garoni, travel to Hong Kong to investigate the kidnapping of a wealthy man’s daughter, suspected to be linked to a drug kingpin.
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and filmmaker known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts. He gained international fame through films likePolice StoryandRush Hour, blending action and humor, and is celebrated for his contributions to martial arts cinema.
