The deleted scenes from Jackie Chan’s ARMOUR OF GOD (1986)

Filming for ARMOUR OF GOD (1986) began in late August 1985 in Zagreb, then Yugoslavia, and ended prematurely in early September with an almost fatal accident involving Jackie Chan. The scenes that were filmed have not been released to this day. I will try to explain why.

One can still dream, can’t one? Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find out where and when the following photos first appeared, nor whether there is an official statement from Golden Harvest regarding the deleted scenes from ARMOUR OF GOD (1986). My guess is that they appeared in an exclusive Japanese magazine, as Fuji TV was the first interested party at the time, even wanting to charter a special plane for Jackie Chan shortly after his serious accident.

But here is my theory about the deleted scenes from ARMOUR OF GOD:

After May Bannon (Lola Forner) persuades her father to accompany the two friends on their quest to find God’s armour and free Alan’s girlfriend Laura (Rosamund Kwan), the released film shows a montage of the three driving through the countryside in the Mitsubishi. I think the original plan was for May Bannon to prepare the small family plane after the dialogue scene in her father’s house, while the Count discusses the details with Jackie and Alan in a café in Graz. In the following scene, the Count could then drop Jackie and Alan off at the airfield in his limousine, where May is already waiting for them. A short dialogue follows, Jackie says a few last words to the Count on the field, and the plane takes off.

These deleted scenes were originally filmed before* Jackie Chan’s accident on 7 September 1985 in the ruins of Samobor Castle in Croatia (then Yugoslavia), hence his unusual hairstyle. After a break of several months, the script had to be rewritten. Jackie was probably never particularly enthusiastic about his new hairstyle, as he had it cut again during a short stay in Japan shortly before his accident. Superstition did the rest; short hair apparently brought him bad luck. And since his mop had grown back after almost six months of not filming, this would have resulted in a continuity error.

That’s probably why the sequence that was originally filmed was completely deleted and replaced by the road trip montage, which had a cool double bonus: advertising for Mitsubishi, with whom Jackie Chan had a lucrative deal at the time, and a great musical interlude with a few little gags.

Perhaps we will learn the whole story at some point. Until then, I recommend all fans watch the short film by Jackie Chan stunt team member Andy Long and Papillon Rising, filmed at the original movie locations.

* Since there is no official data on when the deleted scenes were filmed, it is commonly believed that they took place before Jackie Chan’s accident. I see things quite differently and will explain this in detail elsewhere.

HIGH UPON HIGH – THE ARMOUR OF FUNK (2016)

Making of: HIGH UPON HIGH – THE ARMOUR OF FUNK

Incidentally, the fan film HIGH UPON HIGH – THE ARMOUR OF FUNK was produced independently in 2016 to mark the 30th anniversary of ARMOUR OF GOD. The story is set in the year 2046. To Andy Long and everyone involved: see you in 20 years for the 60th anniversary of Asian Hawk, for the sequel OPERATION FUNK.