Miracles (1989)

Miracles (1989)

10/10

Starring

Jackie Chan

Anita Mui

Gua Ah-leh

Ko Chun-hsiung

Wu Ma

Directed by Jackie Chan

I won’t deny that The Legend of Drunken Master (1994) is my favorite Jackie Chan movie, but Miracles is definitely up there as one of my top picks. Depending on the region, this movie is known by many other names, including Mr. Canton and Lady Rose, Black Dragon, and The Canton Godfather.

This action-comedy features Jackie Chan as Kuo Cheng-Wah, an unlikely crime boss. He stumbles into this position after the leader of a criminal crew dies and names him as the new boss. What makes this so entertaining is that Cheng-Wah is a total stranger to both the crew and the former boss. How he ends up taking over is something you’ll have to watch to find out.

Cheng-Wah is a kind-hearted, naive man whose streak of luck will leave you laughing. The movie kicks off with his innocence getting him into trouble—he loses all his money and is left broke, with nowhere to go. While wandering aimlessly, he meets a woman selling red roses. She claims the rose will bring him luck, and thinking “why not,” he buys one. Almost immediately, his fortune turns, and he ends up becoming a crime boss.

Life as a crime boss, however, doesn’t come easy for Cheng-Wah. Things get even more chaotic when singer Yang Luming (Anita Mui) enters the picture. He hires her, but instead of helping him maintain his cover, she adds to his problems. To top it all off, a rival gang wants to encroach on his territory, forcing him to defend it. Meanwhile, Yang Luming encourages him to stick to his good-hearted nature.

Thanks to the rival gang, the movie delivers some fantastic kung-fu sequences.

Miracles was the first collaboration between Jackie Chan and the late Anita Mui. The duo would go on to star in two more films together: The Legend of Drunken Master (1994) and Rumble in the Bronx (1995).

The film is packed with amazing stunts, and the decision to lean more toward comedy than pure action adds a lot of charm to the story. That said, Chan didn’t hold back on the action—there are plenty of impressive stunts throughout.

Chan adapted this movie from Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles (1961), setting his version in the 1930s. He added his signature action style, expanded the backstories of the lead characters, and stayed relatively close to the spirit of the original film.

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you’re missing a key piece of Jackie Chan’s filmography.