Jet Li made his big-screen debut in the 1982 Chinese–Hong Kong martial arts film ‘Shaolin Temple,’ directed by Chang Hsin Yen. The film was a massive box office success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films in China. In 1984, he starred as ‘Jet’ in the 1986 Hong Kong action film ‘Born to Defence.’ The film also marked the directorial debut of Jet Li. He next appeared in films like ‘Martial Arts of Shaolin’ (1986), ‘Dragon Fight’ (1989), ‘Once Upon a Time in China’ (1991), ‘Once Upon a Time in China II’ (1992), ‘Swordsman II’ (1992), ‘Tai Chi Master’ (1993), ‘Kung Fu Cult Master’ (1993), and ‘Once Upon a Time in China III’ (1993). In 1994, he starred as ‘Chen Zhen’ in the Hong Kong martial arts film ‘Fist of Legend’ directed by Gordon Chan. The film opened to wide critical acclaim, scoring a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While the film did not do well in Hong Kong, it did decent business overseas.
In 2000, Jet Li starred as ‘Han Sing’ in the American action film ‘Romeo Must Die,’ directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak. The film was panned by critics but was a financial success, grossing over $91 million on a budget of $25 million. The following year, he appeared in the French action thriller film ‘Kiss of the Dragon,’ directed by Chris Nahon. The film opened to mixed reviews and was a moderate box office success. In 2002, he appeared in the role of ‘Nameless’ in the Chinese wuxia film ‘Hero.’ The film earned wide praise from critics and was a massive box office success, grossing over $177.4 million on a budget of $31 million. He next acted in ‘Cradle 2 the Grave’ (2003), ‘Unleashed’ (2005), ‘Fearless’ (2006), and ‘War’ (2007). He starred as ‘Han the Dragon Emperor’ in the 2008 American action-adventure fantasy film ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ directed by Rob Cohen. The film was panned by critics but did decent business at the box office.
Jet Li's other films credits include ‘The Founding of a Republic’ (2009), ‘Ocean Heaven’ (2010), ‘The Sorcerer and the White Snake’ (2011), ‘Badges of Fury (The One Detective)’ (2013), ‘League of Gods’ (2016), and ‘Gong Shou Dao’ (2017). In 2020, he appeared in the American fantasy action drama film ‘Mulan,’ directed by Niki Caro. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.