Rumble in the Bronx (1995)

Movie Info

That’s not a knife…wait, yes it is!

Ma Hon Keung (Jackie Chan) has just come to America for his uncle’s wedding and the sale of his store in the Bronx.  When he agrees to stick around to help Elaine (Anita Mui) get the store up and running, Keung finds himself involved in a turf war by the local gang.  Befriending a young wheelchair bound boy named Danny (Morgan Lam), Keung learns Danny’s sister Nancy (Françoise Yip) is part of the gang.  A jewelry heist in Manhattan leads to a member of the gang getting the stolen diamonds and makes everyone the target of the White Tiger (Kris Lord).  Now, Keung must find a way to stop the gangsters and free his kidnapped friends which might mean becoming an agent of the FBI.

Jackie Chan…come out and play-aie!

Directed by Stanley Tong, Rumble in the Bronx (with Cantonese title of Hong faan kui) was a breakout role for Jackie Chan in America.  The movie was a big success both financially and critically and helped propel the longtime Chinese star to success in America.  The American cut of the film is considerably shorter than the original version.

I had heard of Jackie Chan for years in the United States but besides small cameos and even video games (like Jackie Chan’s Action Kung Fu for the NES), the actor never really made it here.  With a big advertising push and tons of commercials, I couldn’t wait to see Rumble in the Bronx…and it was worth the trip.

It was so cool of the authorities to let us drive this expensive hovercraft into a dangerous situation together, guys!

A trend of Jackie Chan films is a lot of humor.  The movie doesn’t take itself seriously, but it also isn’t like something like Die Hard which is even more serious than this.  The plot is ridiculous and loaded with clichés of action…I particularly like the ending which has the police allowing Jackie Chan and his friends to take the hovercraft to go take out White Tiger personally on the golf course.  It is stupid but it still manages to be fun.

The movie really revolves around the charm of Jackie Chan.  He gets the humor and he just seems to have fun with it.  As it is well known, Chan does his own stunts and that just adds credence to his character.  It might be rehearsed and choreographed, but it is still “real”.  In this film, Chan broke his ankle in the hovercraft scene (which compared to other scenes wasn’t that tough), but like the trooper he is, Chan keeps going.

I am still waiting for the sequel…the adventures of Danny and his wheelchair cushion

The movie also is supposed to be in the Bronx.  Despite a few cover shots of New York and the area, most of the movie was shot in Vancouver.  The crews had to apply and take off the graffiti and there are numerous scenes where the mountains can be seen (like the rooftop jump shot and the wood chipper scene).  It just adds to the humor of the situation.

Rumble in the Bronx is a fun film.  You should definitely check it out if you like fun fighting movies.  It is the type of movie that keeps you going to the end…literally by showing Jackie’s flubs and laughs.