Trailer
Synopsis
In 1860, twelve bronze heads depicting the signs of the Chinese zodiac were looted from the Summer Palace in Beijing. Today, a businessman with flexible ethics hires JC, a treasure hunter known as Asian Hawk, to track down the six heads still missing. From Paris to a pirate island, JC and his crew cross paths with a Chinese art expert who does not share their view of the mission.
Why watch it
The third Armour of God
Chinese Zodiac, original title Shi Er Sheng Xiao (CZ12), closes the series that began with Armour of God (1986) and Armour of God II: Operation Condor (1991). Jackie Chan, 58 at release, directs, writes, produces, shares the cinematography credit and plays the lead, which earned him a Guinness World Record for the most credits on a single film. Shooting ran from 5 June 2011 to 8 May 2012, from Paris (the Seine quays, the Trocadéro, the Château de Chantilly) to Vanuatu, with stops in Latvia, Taiwan and China.
Stunts first, fights second
At Cannes in May 2012, Chan announced this would be his last "big action movie", then clarified that he was not retiring. The film opens with a downhill run in a roller suit developed with Jean-Yves Blondeau, inventor of the "buggy rollin'" rig, and ends with a free fall rehearsed in the Aerodium wind tunnel in Jelgava, Latvia. Chan performed most of his own stunts, which brought him a second Guinness record, for the most stunts performed by a living actor.
The fights are there, and they won awards: Best Action Choreography at the 2013 Hong Kong Film Awards (Jackie Chan and He Jun) and at the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei the same year. Practitioners will recognise the JC Stunt Team trademarks: props become weapons, timing is comic, and the fight in a sofa workshop turns every piece of furniture into an obstacle or a shield. Zhang Lanxin, a former member of the Chinese national taekwondo team and 2004 national champion at under 55 kg, makes her film debut with a duel of her own; she won Best Newcomer at the Huading Awards.
A hit in China, a shrug elsewhere
On a 26 million dollar budget, the film grossed 171.3 million dollars worldwide according to Box Office Mojo, around 145 million of it in China, where it ranked among the year's biggest domestic hits. In Hong Kong it took only HK$11.7 million. In the United States, a version cut by about twenty minutes opened on 18 October 2013 in AMC theatres only. In France it skipped cinemas and went straight to DVD and Blu-ray on 10 June 2014. Critics were harsh: 25% on Rotten Tomatoes, 29 on Metacritic.
Who it's for
For anyone who wants to see Jackie Chan's last big physical performance and measure the distance travelled since Armour of God. If you want ground-level fights timed to the millimetre, Police Story or Drunken Master II remain better choices.
Where to watch
Availability checked on November 12, 2026.
Written by our monitoring agent from the sources cited.