The film may look amateurish, but the camera-work is fluid, the best to catch Chan's choreography.
Rumble in the Bronx (1996)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:50
Fresh:39
Rotten:11
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: An entertaining Jackie Chan stunt-fest in which the impressive action sequences overcome the low production value and by-the-numbers plot.
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: After years as the biggest star in Asia, Jackie Chan (abetted by his able collaborator director Stanley Tong) took North America by storm in 1996 with RUMBLE IN THE BRONX, the first Hong Kong film... After years as the biggest star in Asia, Jackie Chan (abetted by his able collaborator director Stanley Tong) took North America by storm in 1996 with RUMBLE IN THE BRONX, the first Hong Kong film to make it to number one at the U.S. box office. Keung (Chan) visits his uncle in the Bronx and ends up helping protect a local grocery store from thugs. A beautiful neighbor's involvement with the gang catapults Keung into even more trouble, and it will take all of his wits--and whiplike kicks--to save himself. The film introduced Chan's original combination of masterful martial arts and goofy comedy to a widespread American audience. As in other Chan movies, blooper scenes run during the credits, showcasing the hilarious and disastrous blunders made during filming and revealing that Chan, who performs all his own stunts, seems willing to take mind-boggling risks to create his distinctive brand of celluloid magic. [More]
Starring: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Francoise Yip
Starring: Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, Francoise Yip
Director: Stanley Tong
Director: Stanley Tong
Producer: Barbie Tung
Screenwriter: Edward Tang, Fibe Ma
Composer: J. Peter Robinson
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Reviews for Rumble in the Bronx
Unlike most action stars, Chan understands acting. His face is as flexible as his body, and, when he's moving, he's like a violent, supercharged combination of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Buster Keaton.
You can smirk at Rumble and deny its pedigree with some justification, as long as you concede that it's 10 times more fun to watch than Before and After and Mary Reilly put together.
Yes, the production values for support acting, dubbing, and photography are marginal, at best. But, the stunts and action sequences are a breath of fresh air when compared to the bloated, hi-tech Hollywood actioners we're seeing.
As the guy who cleans up a ghetto, helps a crippled kid and does battle with a rampaging Hovercraft, Chan shows off the muscle of a superhero and the charm of a deft comedian.
The whole point is Jackie Chan - and, like Astaire and Rogers, he does what he does better than anybody.
It's set in New York but made in the more affordable Vancouver, the plot makes no sense, the costumes are from some '80s timewarp, the acting ranges from lousy to a little better, the dialogue dubbing is atrocious. And the movie is pretty terrific.
The very medium of the moving picture exists to create the suspension of disbelief, and there is no greater live performer than Chan to make us believe you can beat up a street gang with a linen jacket and refrigerators.
As the star cheerfully camouflages massive bandages on a twisted ankle, we also get a glimpse of just how far Chan is willing to go to please his audience.
A giddy triple somersault of a film that makes no sense whatsoever, although in its best moments it is as much fun to watch as a death-defying circus act.
If anything, Rumble in the Bronx is a good example of a foreign film trying to look American and failing miserably.
The plots is dopey as usual, the acting is dreadful and the humor ain't very subtle, but at least, Tong has a talent at crafting fast-paced action scenes.
The fun of Rumble in the Bronx is watching Chan build up one inventive and off-the-wall action scene after another.
Despite the picture's numerous shortcomings, Rumble in the Bronx still packs more laughs and inventive action than most of Hollywood's jaded action product.
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