The Young Master (1980)

This is one of those all-out classics that must be viewed at any opportunity, a HK box office smash that not only revolutionised the dated traditions of chopsocky cinema, but also assured Jackie Chan's presence as the most prominent kung fu movie maker around: his use of slapstick humour and unconventional fighting hinting at what the ‘new wave' future was to hold. One of two orphans, Jackie plays the underdog hero, disgraced at losing his school the annual lion dance, due to his better brother Wei Pei secretly enrolling and leading the criminal rival class. The s**t hits the fan when Wei Pei's treachery is uncovered, quitting his former school to work for the baddies full time, and Jackie is made to bring him back home. Of the many delights Chan runs into, the stand outs are an infiltration on police inspector Sheck Kin's family, some nifty skirt-foot fighting and one of the best final punch-ups ever recorded – a lengthy one-on-one with criminal mastermind and super bootmaster Whang Ing Sik. As writer, director, choreographer and star, this is a landmark in Jackie Chan history - and even today stands as one of his best pictures.