Li Lianjie, better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a producer, actor and martial artist who became a naturalized Singaporean in 2009. He was born on April 26, 1963 in Beijing. He retired at the age of 17 from Wushu, a Chinese martial arts discipline in which he won 15 gold medals and retired undefeated. He debuted as an actor in the feature film Shaolin Temple (1982). His first Hollywood role was as the villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998). However, his first film as a leading man in the U.S., which brought him worldwide fame and recognition, was undoubtedly Romeo Must Die (2000).

We compile his 10 best movies as an actor, ordered from worst to best according to IMDb and where to watch them online.

The Forbidden Kingdom

Starring Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Collin Chou, Liu Yifei and Li Bingbing. It had a budget of US$55 million and grossed over US$127 million. The action scenes of the movie were choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping. Yuen is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the world of Hong Kong action films as a director and choreographer. As a matter of fact, this movie is the first time that the two biggest stars of the martial arts cinema of the moment, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, come together.

Kiss of the Dragon

Starring Jet Li, Bridget Fonda and Tchéky Karyo. It had a budget of $25 million and grossed over $64 million. The film, distributed by 20th Century Fox, was nominated for 2 awards at the Teen Choice Awards in the categories of Best Movie of the Summer and Most Destructive Fight starring Jet Li.

Also tied for the highest score was the feature film Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), in which Jet Li starred as the villain Wah Sing Ku. Another tied movie with a 6.6 score was The Expendables 2 (2012), in which Jet Li starred as Yin Yang.

Once Upon a Time in China III

Starring Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Max Mok Siu-Chung, Shun Lau and John Wakefield. It is the third part of the 6 movie series. As a fun fact, did you know that the character played by Rosamund Kwan as Wong Fei Hung’s cousin appears in all three movies, but with a different name?

Unleashed

Starring Jet Li, Morgan Freeman, Bob Hoskins and Kerry Condon. It had a budget of $45 million and grossed over $50 million at the box office. The film was shot in Scotland, specifically in Glasgow. The soundtrack for the feature film was provided by the British trip-hop group Massive Attack.

The Warlords

Starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Xu Jinglei. It grossed $43 million at the box office from a budget of $40 million. It is an epic movie set in the 1860s. Specifically, during the Taiping Rebellion at the end of the Qing Dynasty in China and centers on the sworn brotherhood of three brothers.

Once Upon a Time in China

The cast includes Jet Li, Rosamund Kwan, Biao Yuen, Yen Shi-Kwan, Kent Cheng, Jacky Cheung, Jonathan Isgar, Mark King, Jimmy Wang Yu and Colin George. This is the first of the movies that gave way to the series released in 1991.

Once Upon a Time in China II

Starring Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan. The cast was completed by Max Mok Siu-Chung, Xiong Xin-Xin, Yen Shi-Kwan, William Ho Ka-Kui, Zhang Tielin, Paul Fonoroff, Dion Lam Dik-On, Donnie Yen and David Chiang Da-Wei. Sequel to the 1991 feature film, this time set in 1895 in Imperial China.

Fist of Legend

Starring Jet Li, Chin Siu-ho, Shinobu Nakayama, Billy Chau, Yasuaki Kurata and Paul Chun. Grossed more than $3.9 million at the worldwide box office (HKD 30.7 million at the exchange rate). It is a feature film that has served as inspiration for several productions. In our case, we highlight the Wachowski sisters, who hired choreographer Yuen Woo-ping for the fight scenes in Matrix.

Or, for example, also in 1996, an unofficial sequel called Fists of Legends 2: Iron Bodyguards, starring Jet Le (not to be confused with Jet Li). Finally, we highlight Hitman, which contains a scene in which the main character uses a belt as a weapon, as seen in Fist of Legend.

Fearless

Starring Jet Li, Dong Yong, Nakamura Shidō II, Collin Chou and Betty Sun. It started with a budget of US$37 million and grossed over US$68 million at the box office. The movie is based on the life of Huo Yuanjia, a legendary Chinese martial artist who challenged foreign fighters. According to Jet Li, Fearless was his last martial arts epic.

Hero

Starring Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Daoming and Donnie Yen. It is a Chinese martial arts drama feature film of the Wuxia genre directed by filmmaker Zhang Yimou. Wuxia is a Chinese genre that means “heroes of martial arts” or is also known as “gentlemen of martial arts”. In the recognition section, we highlight the film’s Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category.