Rumble in the Bronx Reviews

Although Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan's last attempt to crack the US mainstream, THE PROTECTOR (1985), failed dismally, this uneven, Hong Kong-financed, vehicle was a surprise hit at the US box office. Chan plays a good-hearted rube who comes to the Bronx for his uncle's wedding. He runs afoul of local toughs and kicks ass in the name of social responsibility. Filmed in Vancouver (which looks like nobody's idea of the Bronx), the film is a throwback to the hoary chop-socky conventions that gave Hong Kong cinema its shabby reputation. Chan's superb blend of comedy and action -- we're convinced that he's the bastard son of Buster Keaton by way of Jean-Claude Van Damme -- is better represented in his POLICE STORY series (including the third installment, titled SUPERCOP for its American release), his PROJECT A and ARMOR OF GOD films, and DRUNKEN MASTER II.