Even though Tom Cruise has found worldwide popularity thanks to him doing insane stunts for his films, there is an actor who did the same before it was popular – Jackie Chan. It’s safe to say that Jackie Chan revolutionized the action genre with his disregard for his own well-being when it came to filming.
The actor has broken over forty bones in his body throughout his career as he delivered one insane stunt after the other. Right now, let’s talk about the stunt he pulled off in Armour of God where he was seen jumping off a cliff onto the top of a flying hot air balloon. Since Jackie Chan had no training in BASE jumping, the team had to get creative with the stunt.
How Jackie Chan Pulled Off the Stunt in Armour of God
According to IMDb, Jackie Chan had no BASE training which is why he had to jump off of a plane to land on top of the hot air balloon in Armour of God. BASE jumping and jumping out of a plane are two completely different things and since Chan did not have the right training, BASE jumping could have ended badly for the action star.
However, in the scene, you can clearly see Chan jumping off a cliff, and not a plane. Well, what you don’t see is that during the jump from the cliff, Chan is rigged to a wire. The crew then added the shot of the actor plummeting through the air which was made possible thanks to him jumping off a plane.
Even though Chan did not actually BASE jump, it does not mean that the stunt was any less impressive. It is not easy jumping onto a moving hot air balloon and climbing all the way down to the basket now is it? What makes it even more incredible is the fact that Chan filmed this scene the moment he returned to the sets of Armour of God after recovering from a near-fatal accident.
Jackie Chan’s Near-Fatal Accident
While Chan is no stranger to getting injured or breaking a few bones, his accident on Armour of God was something enough to send shivers down your spine. During filming, Chan jumped off a tree for a scene but was not quite satisfied with the take. He goes again and the branch snaps, sending the actor down to the ground where he crashed onto a rock. Of course, the result wasn’t positive and the actor was rushed to the hospital. Chan recalled how he almost died because of this.
In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Chan stated,
“I just feel my back’s hurt. Then I get up, but everybody pushes me down because my whole body was numb. By the time the numbness passed, then I feel my ear and I see the blood. We go to the hospital…I almost died.”
At the hospital, it was found that the actor’s skull had cracked and a bone was protruding out of the crack. Luckily, the surgeons were able to perform their magic and Chan was saved. As we all know, this little near-death experience wasn’t enough to deter the actor from performing his own stunts. He came back to the set, stronger and better, and performed the hot air balloon jump.
You can watch Armour of God on Tubi.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment
