The Protector Chinese Photo Poster

The greatest Asian action ace of the modern era is Jackie Chan. Reel East is proud to present the first of our themed collections celebrating this legendary icon: Jackie Chan : First West.

After Jackie Chan gained superstardom with his films ‘Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow’ and ‘Drunken Master’, he signed with Golden Harvest, the house that Bruce Lee built.

Producer Raymond Chow was keen to launch Jackie Chan in the international market. He hired B movie Hollywood action director James Glickenhaus to make a gritty cop thriller named ‘The Protector’.

Shot in New York and Hong Kong, the film cast Chan opposite Hollywood veteran Danny Aiello and introduced karate champion Bill Wallace as the villain’s henchman. After Glickenhaus had wrapped his shoot, Jackie insisted on filming extra comedic and action scenes for the Chinese release version. These included scenes featuring actress/singer Sally Yeh, who does not appear at all in the international print.

Though it failed to launch Jackie as a Hollywood star, ‘The Protector’ paved the way for Chan’s successful ‘Police Story’ series and his eventual breakthrough in another cop actioner, ‘Rush Hour’.

As part of our Jackie Chan : First West Collection, Reel East are proud to present this theatrical poster, printed by Golden Harvest to promote the Chinese version of ‘The Protector’: