This week, with The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor hitting theaters, we thought it would be a great time to take a close look at the filmography of star Jet Li, one of the most dynamic and successful martial arts performers of recent years.

Born in Beijing, Li Lianjie was wushu champion at an absurdly young age (he was dubbed "Jet" because of his quickness and power). Retiring from competition at 17, he utilized his formidable martial arts skills in a series of epic films based upon Chinese legends. But it isn't just his athletic grace and power that has impressed audiences; Li exudes a hard-to-quantify stoicism and intensity in his performances that lend a greater level of emotional heft than your typical martial arts master. Although his Western films haven't enjoyed the level of popularity he received in Hong Kong, he's still a draw, as this year's The Forbidden Kingdom proves. Without further ado, we present Li's best-reviewed films.

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10. Once Upon a Time in China 3 (1992, 67 percent) The third time was definitely not the charm for this venerable series. Li is back as Wong Fei Hung, and this time he's embroiled in a whole mess of drama: he's participating in a brutal kung fu competition, he has to stop an assassination attempt on the president, and he has to keep a whole lotta gangsters from ripping him to shreds. Critics found OUATIC 3 to be a serious letdown after the dazzling inventiveness of the first two films, and some of that might have been because of on-set tensions; Li and director Tsui Hark, who had helmed the first two installments, acrimoniously parted ways after III (they've since made up). Still, even at the ebb of their collaboration, Hark's visual flair and Li's athletic prowess elevate III above most martial arts fare. The film has a "strong blend of humor, action and drama," wrote Doug Pratt of DVDLaser.com.