Jackie Chan's Breakout Hits! (Arrow Video) 4K Blu-ray Review + Packaging Shots

In 2023, Arrow Video gave us the ultimate Bruce Lee box set with their Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest 4K Blu-ray release. Have they been able to do the same with this Jackie Chan set?

Studio: Arrow Video
Release Date: February 3rd, 1994 (theatrical) (Drunken Master II) / January 21st, 1995 (theatrical) (Rumble in the Bronx) / August 5th, 1995 (theatrical) (Thunderbolt) / February 10th, 1996 (theatrical) (Police Story 4: First Strike) / January 31st, 1997 (theatrical) (Mr. Nice Guy) / January 17th, 1998 (theatrical) (Who Am I?) / June 30th, 2026 (4K Blu-ray)
Run Time: 1 hour 42 minutes 7 seconds (Hong Kong Version), 1 hour 41 minutes 3 seconds) (International Version), 1 hour 42 minutes 33 seconds (US "Legend of Drunken Master") (Drunken Master II) / 1 hour 46 minutes 1 second (Hong Kong Version), 1 hour 29 minutes 38 seconds (US Version) (Rumble in the Bronx) / 1 hour 50 minutes 40 seconds (International Cut), 1 hour 37 minutes 6 seconds (Japanese Cut) (Thunderbolt) / 1 hour 47 minutes 20 seconds (Hong Kong Cut), 1 hour 23 minutes 56 seconds (Police Story 4: First Strike) / 1 hour 37 minutes 17 seconds (Japanese Cut), 1 hour 35 minutes 34 seconds (Hong Kong Cut), 1 hour 28 minutes 23 seconds (International Cut) (Mr. Nice Guy) / 2 hours 20 seconds (Hong Kong Cut), 1 hour 48 minutes 1 second (International Cut) (Who Am I?)
Region Code: FREE

Disc Count: 10 (BD-100)

HDR: HDR10, Dolby Vision
Picture: 2160p (2.39:1 aspect ratio) (all films), 1080p (2.39:1 aspect ratio) (Japanese Version) (Thunderbolt)

Sound: Cantonese LPCM 1.0 (original theatrical mix), Cantonese LPCM 1.0 (alternate video mix), Mandarin LPCM 1.0, English LPCM 1.0 (Hong Kong version), English LPCM 1.0 (International cut), English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (US "Legend of Drunken Master") (Drunken Master II) / Cantonese/English Hybrid LPCM 2.0, English LPCM 1.0 (Original Hong Kong Version), English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (US Version) (Rumble in the Bronx) / Cantonese LPCM 2.0, English LPCM 2.0 (Export Dub), English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (New Line Cinema Dub), Cantonese Dolby Digital 2.0 (Japanese Cut) (Thunderbolt) / Cantonese/English LPCM 2.0 Stereo, Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Stereo (Hong Kong Cut), English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM 2.0 Stereo (International Cut) (Police Story 4: First Strike) / English/Cantonese/Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English/Cantonese/Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Stereo (Hong Kong and Japanese Cuts), English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM 2.0 Stereo (International Cut) (Mr. Nice Guy) / English/Xhosa DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English/Xhosa LPCM 2.0 Stereo (48kHz/24-bit), English/Xhosa/Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (Hong Kong Cut), English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM 2.0 Stereo (International Cut) (Who Am I?)
Subtitles: English SDH (all films), English (Drunken Master II, Rumble in the Bronx, Thunderbolt, Police Story 4: First Strike)
Slipcover: Yes
Starring: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Ti Lung, Felix Wong, Lau Kar-leung (Drunken Master II) / Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Françoise Yip, Bill Tung, Marc Akerstream (Rumble in the Bronx) / Jackie Chan, Anita Yuen, Michael Wong, Thorsten Nickel (Thunderbolt) / Jackie Chan, Jackson Lou, Annie Wu, Bill Tung, Yuriy Petrov (Police Story 4: First Strike) / Jackie Chan, Richard Norton, Karen McLymont, Miki Lee, Gabrielle Fitzpatrick (Mr. Nice Guy) / Jackie Chan, Michelle Ferre, Mirai Yamamoto, Ron Smerczak, Ed Nelson, Washington Sixolo (Who Am I?)

Written by Edward Tang, Tong Man-ming, Yuen Chieh-chi (Drunken Master II) / Edward Tang, Fibe Ma (Rumble in the Bronx, Mr. Nice Guy) / Gordon Chan, Chan Hing-Kai, Philip Kwok (Thunderbolt) / Stanley Tong, Nick Tramontane, Greg Mellott, Elliot Tong (Police Story 4: First Strike) / Jackie Chan, Susan Chan, Lee Reynolds (Who Am I?)

Directed by Lau Kar-leung (Drunken Master II) / Stanley Tong (Rumble in the Bronx, Police Story 4: First Strike) / Gordon Chan (Thunderbolt) / Sammo Hung (Mr. Nice Guy) / Jackie Chan, Benny Chan (Who Am I?)
Rating: Not Rated (martial arts violence) (Hong Kong and International Versions), R (violent content) (US "Legend of Drunken Master" version) (Drunken Master II) / Not Rated (language and violence) (Hong Kong Version), R (some language and violent sequences) (US Version) (Rumble in the Bronx) / Not Rated (violence) (Hong Kong Version), Not Rated (violence) (Japanese Version) (Thunderbolt) / Not Rated (violence) (Hong Kong Version), PG-13 (plentiful action/violence) (US Version) (Police Story 4: First Strike) / Not Rated (strong violence and sexual content) (Hong Kong and Japanese Versions), PG-13 (pervasive action violence, some sensuality and drug content) (Mr. Nice Guy) / Not Rated (violence) (Hong Kong Version), PG-13 (martial arts action violence) (US Version) (Who Am I?)

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Poster(s)

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What's It About?

A young martial artist is caught between respecting his pacifist father's wishes or stopping a group of disrespectful foreigners from stealing precious artifacts. (Drunken Master II)

A young man visiting and helping his uncle in New York City finds himself forced to fight a street gang and the mob with his martial arts skills. (Rumble in the Bonx)

In order to rescue his kidnapped sister, sports car mechanic Chan Foh To (Jackie Chan) has to beat a supercriminal street racer. (Thunderbolt)

Jackie, a cop, participates in a sting operation on an international spy ring. But when one of them (Tsui) gets away, Jackie is ordered to apprehend him. This leads Jackie all over the globe starting with Tsui's sister in Australia. The story follows him as he tries to stay alive and capture the villain. (Police Story 4: First Strike)

A Chinese chef accidentally gets involved with a news reporter who filmed a drug bust that went awry, and is now being chased by gangs who are trying to get the videotape. (Mr. Nice Guy)

A Secret Agent loses his memory after falling from a crashing helicopter. He is then chased by several other agency operatives, but he has no idea why. (Who Am I?)

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Video/Audio

Up until this year 2026, it looked like Warner Brothers wasn't going to do very much with the film Golden Harvest films they hold the rights to. They allowed Criterion to a few for their ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA COLLECTION from a few years ago, but that was about it. Thankfully, Arrow Video convinced the Brothers Warner to give them a shot at bringing the Jackie Chan films they hold the rights to and the results are beautiful. Each film has been restored by Arrow Video, to their original theatrical versions, along with the multiple different versions each film featured. Arrow Video has gone the extra mile with each film. Every film and all their different versions have been given the 4K restoration treatment, something fans never would have thought would ever happen for a few of the films in this set. DRUNKEN MASTER II was given a regular Blu-ray release back in the late 2000s by Disney that looked fine for the time. It had its problems but the film was completely watchable. This release only featured the ever so slightly cut version Dimension Films did in 2000. That version redid the score, the opening credits and lopped off the final shot of the film that shows the effects of all the industrial strength alcohol Chan drinks during the climatic fight scene. This the version of the film that features Chan's real voice instead of another actor. Warner Archive did another release a few years later that looked a lot better but wasn't perfect. The version is complete but does not feature the Dimension Films dub with Chan's voice. This 4K Blu-ray release is the first time we have gotten all of the official tracks (original and English) along with all the different versions. The film looks great although there has been a little bit of DNR applied during the restoration process. We knew this was coming because the Warner Archive Blu-ray is the same way. The DNR does not take away from any of the other qualities of this transfer, including great, deep blacks, wonderful colors especially during the final scenes, and the proper balancing of the whites, which had been more blown out in previous releases.

RUMBLE IN THE BRONX has seen a bunch of releases over the years with the 2015 being the last major release here in the States. The picutre quality was decent there but nothing all that impressive. It got the job done. The 4K restorations of both cuts (the first time the original Hong Kong cut has been officially released in the US) give the film a new lease on life. The film looks great with nice colors and high levels of detail. 

I have never seen THUNDERBOLT so I have no reference for how the film has been treated on home video before, but I can say that the film looks great. There is some soft focus used in a few scenes that resolves very nicely and the film grain is light but present. Colors can be strong when they appear but the film is shot in mostly darker colors. The blacks are deep and inky.

POLICE STORY 4: FIRST STRIKE looks equally great in 4K. The film had been released on Blu-ray here in the States back in the mid-2010s and it looked fine. Here, the picture has a lot more room to breathe which gives us a much healthier quality. Detail is nice and the characters all look great. The film's scope feels even grander given the bump in resolution.

MR. NICE GUY had been on Blu-ray before, released through as part of the WB's Warner Archive Collection. That release was taken from a 4K restoration of the film and it looked great. I did a Screenshot Saturday on it and I can say that those screenshots are close to how this transfer looks like, just in 1080 instead of 2160. Colors are very strong here as is detail across the board. The red of the journalist's hair is nicely done.

WHO AM I? was only given a DVD release here in the US, which was released more than 25 years ago. It was a great DVD for the time but not so much anymore. Australia got a Blu-ray within the last ten years but it was ok at best. It featured the international cut of the film in HD but the picture is cropped from its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 to 1.78:1. This, of course, destroys the fight scenes and makes the film far less watchable. The original Hong Kong cut is there as well, but only in standard definition. 

Each film comes with a multitude of audio options. Every film gets at least one English language track with many of them receiving two. All of these tracks are well done and sound great. I do appreciate getting the export and US English dubs. I really don't think any other company other than Arrow would have gone the extra mile like that. This is the first time we are getting both versions of the film in both their original aspect ratios AND proper resolution. Of course, WHO AM I? looks good no matter which version you prefer. 

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Extras/Packaging

Disc 1: Drunken Master II (1994)

Commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto

Before the Breakout (8m 50s, HD, 1.78:1) 

Breakout! Part1: Drunken Master II (9m 28s, HD, 1.78:1) A new featurette produced in 2026, in which stuntman Mars, academic Dr. Wayne Wong and critics David West and James Mudge look back at Drunken Master II.

Deadly When Drunken with Yuen Kai-Chi (12m 17s, HD, 1.78:1) A new interview with the co-writer of Drunken Master II, filmed in 2025

Tipsy Tribulations with Mars (10m 47s, HD, 1.78:1) A new interview with Mars, stuntman and former member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, filmed in 2025

Period Postures with Dr. Lars Laamann (12m 17s, HD, 1.78:1) A new interview with Dr. Lars Laamann on the historical context behind Drunken Master II, filmed in 2025.

Drunken Defiance with Ricky Baker (10m 22s, HD, 1.78:1) A new appreciation of the film by martial arts cinema expert Ricky Baker, filmed in 2025.

Behind the Master (6m 40s, SD, 1.33:1) An archive interview with Jackie Chan filmed to promote the US release of the film in 2000. This interview has appeared on every Miramax Home Video release of the film. It's a pretty standard promo piece but I love that its here.

Mandarin Version Excerpts

• Mandarin Opening Credits (1m 18s, HD, 2.39:1)
• Alternate Mandarin Drinking Scene (2m 9s, HD, 2.39:1) In the Mandarin-language version of the film released in Taiwan and other countries, alternate footage was used during the scene in which Wong sings about his father. The footage switches from HD to standard definition for the portions exclusive to this version of the song. The aspect ratio changes as well.

Textless Outtakes (2m 27s, HD, 2.39:1) When the outtakes play at the end of the film, the film's closing credits play. These are those outtakes without the credits.

Chinese New Year Messages (42s, SD, 2.39:1/1.85:1) These two short messages were filmed by Jackie to precede screenings of Drunken Master II in Taiwan and Malaysia to commemorate the Lunar New Year.

Theatrical Trailers

• Cantonese (4m 4s, HD, 2.39:1) in Cantonese with English subtitles
• English (2m 28s, HD, 2.39:1)
• USA (1m 50s, SD, 1.33:1) I have a love for this trailer but it is really awful. Just shows that the evil Weinsteins weren't always right.

Image Gallery (29 images)

Disc 2: Rumble in the Bronx (Hong Kong Version)

Commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto

Breakout! Part 2: Rumble in the Bronx (14m 32s, HD, 1.78:1) A new featurette produced in 2026, in which stuntman Mars, stuntwoman Kathy Hubble, martial arts cinema expert Ricky  Baker and critics David West and James Mudge look back at Rumble in the Bronx.

Rumble Recollections with Kathy Hubble (18m 44s, HD, 1.78:1) A new interview with stuntwoman Kathy  Hubble, filmed in 2025.

Textless Outtakes (3m 33s, HD, 2.39:1) When these outtakes are shown in the film, they are shown underneath the closing credits. Here, we get to see them without the credits.

Alternate Footage

• Additional Footage from US Cut (55s, HD, 2.39:1) These short additions to the film are exclusive to the North American release version re-edited by New Line Cinema
• Alternate "Kiss My Ass" Shot (31s, SD, 1.78:1) This alternate take of Angelo mooning Keung was included in some censored prints of the film.

Image Gallery (71 images)

Disc 3: Rumble in the Bronx (International Version)

Additional Scene from TV Version (5m 24s, HD, 2.39:1) These two scenes were added and re-dubbed for the network television version of the film.

EPK Interview with Jackie Chan (2m 55s, SD, 1.33:1) There's nothing really here. It's just snippets of a bigger interview. I love that it's here, but it's only here for completionists.

US Theatrical Trailer (1m 9s, SD, 2.00:1) This is vertically stretched. It is very apparent it's in the film's original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, but it is presented here stretched so everyone looks skinnier than they normally do. I am sure this is the file Warner Brothers gave to Arrow Video and it is a shame because this is the trailer of all us saw that made us go see the film.

TV Spots

• US TV Spot 1 (1m 3s, SD, 1.33:1) This is just the US Theatrical Trailer in fullscreen.
• US TV Spot 2 (32s, SD, 1.33:1)
• US TV Spot 3 (1m 2s, SD, 1.33:1) This one plays to the Jackie Chan song that plays over the closing credits in the US Version of the film.
• US TV Spot 4 (1m 2s, SD, 1.33:1) They got Ben Stein to be in this one? I don't remember this one but I love it!
• US TV Spot 5 (32s, SD, 1.33:1) Features quick clips from Police Story and Police Story III - Supercop.
• US TV Spot 6 (32s, SD, 1.33:1) I loved TV spots like this were they would tout the film being number one at the box office while providing some positive critcal reviews from the likes of Siskel and Ebert.
• Canadian TV Spot (1m 4s, SD, 1.33:1) This is the first US TV Spot with the Alliance logo at the front instead of the New Line Cinema logo. It even had the US R-rating screen at the end with the narrator saying its rated R.

Disc 4: Thunderbolt

Commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto

Play Japanese Version 1h 37m, HD, 2.39:1) This shortened version of the film also contains a slightly different version of the Cantonese sync-sound audio, including some redubbed dialogue for the character of Cougar.

Breakout! Part 3: Thunderbolt (12m 21s, HD, 1.78:1) A new featurette in which stuntman Mars, critics David West and James Mudge and dubbing supervisor Paul Clay look back at Thunderbolt.

A Thunderous Presence with Paul Clay (8m 32s, HD, 1.78:1) A new interview with English dubbing director Paul Clay on his collaborations with Jackie Chan, filmed in 2025. He began his dubbing career with the New Line Cinema dub of Police Story 2. He said the English language scripts were difficult to use because they were straight translations, which means they wouldn't fit the lengths of the characters' mouths moving. Some of the sound had to be redone because it was sync sound instead of being done after the fact. He had to rewrite most of the translations to fit each scene. He talks about how Chan is a very busy man so he doesn't have much time to do the redubbings. Chan did not do the dubbing for Thunderbolt. He speaks very highly of Chan who he has worked with on many films.

Textless Outtakes (4m 1s, HD, 2.39:1) Just like the previous films, these are the outtakes that appear during the closing credits of the film, minus the actual credits.

Alternate Export Credits (5m 30s, HD, 2.39:1)

International Trailer (1m 30s, SD, 1.33:1)

Japanese Jackie Chan Trailers

• Drunken Master II (1m 51s, SD, 1.90:1)
• Rumble in the Bronx (1m 28s, SD, 1.90:1)
• Thunderbolt (1m 26s, SD, 2.00:1)
• Police Story 4: First Strike (2m 4s, SD, 2.00:1)
• Mr. Nice Guy (1m 49s, SD, 2.10:1)
•  Who Am I? (2m 13s, SD, 1.33:1)

Image Gallery (95 images)

Disc 5: Police Story IV: First Strike (Hong Kong Cut)

Commentary by Frank Djeng and FJ DeSanto

Breakout! Part 4: First Strike (7m 33s, HD, 1.78:1) A new featurette produced in 2026, in which critics David West and James Mudge look back at Police Story 4: First Strike.

Textless Outtakes (3m 32s, HD, 2.39:1) There are no subtitles so the dialogue goofs won't make any sense to English speakers.

Image Gallery (95 images)

Disc 6: Police Story IV: First Strike (International Version)

Additional Scenes from TV Version (10m 22s, HD, 2.39:1) For the US network television version of the film, sixteen scenes from the Hong Kong cut were reinstated, some with new dubbing. I wish Arrow had done a proper TV Version of the film like they have done with so many other films, but having the scenes here is the next best thing.

Striking Out with Frank Djeng (11m 49s, HD, 1.78:1) A new appreciation of the film by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng, filmed in 2025. Points out that this is the film that starts calling Chan's characters "Jackie" when dubbed into English. He also talks about how the film looks like a big budget international film while also still feeling like a Hong Kong film. He also points out how this is an actual sequel to POLICE STORY 3: SUPERCOP in Hong Kong but not in the US.

US Theatrical Trailer (1m 36s, SD, 2.00:1)

Disc 7: Mr. Nice Guy (Japanese and Hong Kong Cuts)

Commentary by James Mudge

Breakout! Part 5: Mr. Nice Guy (8m 24s, HD, 1.78:1) A new featurette produced in 2026, in which stuntman Mars and critics David West and James Mudge look back at Mr. Nice Guy

Nice Thoughts (11m 56s, HD, 1.78:1) A new appreciation of the film by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng, filmed in 2025. Points out that the films Chan made that focused on the Western market had more of a focus on stunts than fight scenes. The jokes are more physical in nature too as Chan wanted his films to be understood worldwide.

Alternate English Credits (1m 20s, HD, 1.78:1)

Textless Outtakes (4m 19s, 2.39:1)

HK Theatrical Trailer (2m 24s, HD, 2.20:1)

Image Gallery (156 images)

Disc 8: Mr. Nice Guy (International Version)

US Theatrical Trailer (1m 38s, SD, 1.33:1) I LOVE how the song that New Line Cinema chose to play during this trailer is Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind, which is a song about crystal meth addiction. You know, the PERFECT song to sell a Jackie Chan film with.

Disc 9: Who Am I? (Hong Kong Cut)

Commentary by James Mudge

Breakout Part 6: Who Am I? (9m 48s, HD, 1.78:1) A new featurette produced in 2026, in which critic James Mudge, actor Glory Simon, and second unit cinematographer Ray Wong look back at Who Am I?

From Drunk to Slam Dunk!: Jackie Chan in the New Millennium (20m 7s, HD, 1.78:1) A new featurette in which critics James Mudge, David West, and Ricky Baker, actor Glory Simons, academic Dr. Wayne Wong, and stuntpersons Kathy Hubble, Wang Yao, and Mars look at Jackie's career in the years since the making of Who Am I?

The Making of Who Am I? - These all-access behind-the-scenes documentaries were made by Golden Harvest to promote the film in 2000.

• Part 1: Jackie's On-Set Diary (27m 10s, SD, 1.33:1)
• Part 2: A Leap of Faith and Sweat (33m 28s, SD, 1.33:1)
• Part 3: Heroes Revealed (28m 31s, SD, 1.33:1)

Alternate English Credits (6m 54s, SD, 2.39:1/1.33:1, 4x3) This is taken from a crappy VHS copy of the film that looks like, from the burnt-in subtitles, its a German VHS copy. The quality pretty bad but not nearly as bad as the HK trailer below.

Textless Outtakes (3m 39s, HD, 2.39:1)

HK Theatrical Trailer (2m 27s, SD, 2.20:1) WOW. This is a terrible-looking trailer. It looks like it was taken from a YouTube video of an old VHS bootleg of the trailer. I can not believe Arrow Video included this in the condition that its in. I get they included it because people would have said shit if they didn't but man, it's that bad.

Image Gallery (45 images)

Disc 10: Who Am I? (International Cut)

Who, When, and Where with Ray Wong (8m 15s, HD, 1.78:1) A new interview with second unit cinematographer Ray Wong, filmed in 2025.

Jostling with Jackie with Glory Simon (8m 32s, HD, 1.78:1) A new interview with actor Glory Simon, filmed in 2025.

US Video Trailer (2m 2s, SD, 1.33:1)

The special features package Arrow has included in this set is pretty impressive. Every film gets a commentary track that gives each film and its history a lot of depth. There are even some stories I haven't heard before along some tidbits I didn't know. There are a few interviews with various cast and crew members giving us stories about working with Chan and his team. Frank Djeng, who provides commentary tracks for the first four films, gives us a few featurettes about his views on Chan's films. Every film gets a "textless outtakes" feature that removes the credits from the outtakes that play during the closing credits. 

I liked all of the special features here but I didn't love them (besides the Frank Djeng commentary tracks). When these films were releasing, I was an up and comming Jackie Chan fan. This meant I devoured every bit of information about these I could as they were coming out, so 95% of the information and stories presented here are not new to me. In fact, I didn't learn all that much going through this set. I am not mad at anyone for this. I am quite happy about it because it means that they are doing their job right. What I mean is, they are covering the right ground. They are digging as far as there is to dig. I like that because it means that someone is going to get the info I have known for decades. While I would have loved to learn something new, I am glad there are people out there who are going to be able to go into this set with fresh eyes. This IS a great set, despite the lack of new knowledge I gained from it.

Packaging wise, this thing is a beast, but there are still some things I don't like about  it.

Let's go over what we get: We start with a thin slipcover that goes over the hard box, The slipcover is fine but nothing all that great. Its way too loose for my taste. One of the cool things about Arrow's slipcovers has always been they were always tight on the box but not too tight. I never had any problem removing a slipcover from any release from Arrow. The slipcover here is far too loose. It bows out a bit and it doesn't look all that great on the shelf. Of course, Chan is the main image on the slipcover with him punching through the cover.

The hard box underneath is all white and features Chan from the US THE LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER poster. This image too makes it look like Chan is busting through the packaging. On the back, we get the iconic (I used the word correctly unlike many who think anything memorable is "iconic") Golden Harvest logo.

Inside we get 6 black 4K Blu-ray cases, one for each film in the set. Each case features double-sided artwork with one side featuring new artwork from Sam Hadley while the opposite side features the film's original Hong Kong theatrical poster art. I do wish we had gotten the US poster art for each film but we didn't so...

There is also one double-sided poster featuring the original Hong Kong poster art for DRUNKEN MASTER II on one side and the US "Anatomy of a Hero" poster for RUMBLE IN THE BRONX that features Chan performing a jump kick with arrow pointing to different parts of his body (feet, hands, arms, etc) with text explaining an injury he sustained on one of his films. Out of all of the artwork created for the US releases of the Jackie Chan films released after RUMBLE IN THE BRONX, this one is by far the best one.

There are also 24 postcards featuring shots from each film. There is also 160-page "perfect bound" book that features an interview with Chan along with writings on the various films in the set from authors Thorsten Boose, Peter S. Bruce, Matt McAllister, Elaine Chung and Jialu Zhu. Also included in the book are cast and crew credits for each film, plenty of color screenshots and poster art for each film, and two pages of notes on the transfers used in the set.

So what don't I like about the packaging? First, the slipcover. It is way too big and loose for the set. It fits but comes off way to easily. If you were grab the set wrong, the hard box might slip out of the slipcover. I wish they had used the same kind of packaging they used on their BRUCE LEE AT GOLDEN HARVEST set from a few years ago. I know that people complained about that packaging because it was more easily damaged during shipping but those complaints weren't as widespread as you would think. They could have used the same outer box while keeping the inside stuff the same. 

The second problem I have is: why only one poster? There are six films in this set and we only get one poster? That sucks. Arrow could have easily cut back, or out completely, on the post cards and given us more posters. I don't know anyone who likes this post cards but I do know a bunch of people who love, and use, the posters. I find myself hanging more and more of the posters and I would have loved to have had the option of representing the other four films in this set on one of my walls.

That being said, I like the packaging. One of the complaints I had with the Bruce Lee set was the use of the cardboard disc holders. While I don't have a problem with them as I find them very appealing, I don't like that they used the new artwork and not the original poster art, which was relagated to the inner flap of each case. Here, we get six case, one for each film along with the choice of artwork. The book is nice but I also could have done without the post cards. I guess they are cheap to produce but they don't offer anything to me unless they are recreating lobby cards from back in the day.

Each disc is REGION FREE

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Overall

The run of films in this collection was a lot of fun to go through. I had seen every film except for THUNDERBOLT and I liked most of them. I thought THUNDERBOLT was a bit lacking with the fight scenes being decent. The pachinko parlor fight scene, choreographed by Sammo Hung and Corey Yuen, is the best in the film but it is very obvious when Chan is being doubled (he shot this after breaking his ankle on RUMBLE IN THE BRONX. The addition of the original Hong Kong versions of all the films in the set was a masterstroke because many of these versions have never been officially released in the US. Many of these films were cut down significantly for their US releases so seeing these original versions was a hoot. I have to say, RUMBLE IN THE BRONX might be the most different in its original form as it seems a bit darker at times. I mean, Anita Mui is treated way worse in the original version than she is in the New Line Cinema version. You feel bad for her more in that version. 

If I have any complaint about this set its that I already know most of the information found here. I started watching Jackie Chan films in the mid-90s (thanks to RUMBLE IN THE BRONX), so I was learning about the films as they were being released. I have heard all of the stories and whatnot. I did learn a thing or two from the audio commentaries but the rest I had known for three decades. This isn't the set's fault. It's just that there isn't much beyond what is already out there. Plus, outside of DRUNKEN MASTER II, I wouldn't say any of these films are classics and they don't have the lasting impact that Chan's 80s work has.

That being said, this is a great set. The films all look and sound great and the special features are worth the time, especially if you are newer to the filmography of Jackie Chan. If you get nothing else out of the set, know that each film looks and sounds just about as perfect as they can be. I wasn't all that fond of the packaging but that is more of a personal gripe. It just doesn't fit what I feel it should have.

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Packaging