Rapid Fire

Jake (Brandon Lee) gets caught up between feuding drug lords and witnesses a killing, making him Mace Ryan's (Powers Boothe's) new best friend.

While helping the cops with their investigations, he becomes more than a witness, he becomes the man to save the day.

Packed with Gunfights and Great Kung Fu, this movie is a must for fans of the genre. After Showdown in little Tokyo and preceding the Crow, this was sadly Brandons pen-ultimate movie and he is, like his father a big loss to the movie world.

For Brandon Lee fans, or indeed Kung Fu Movie Fans, this is a must see.

Rest in peace Brandon, your public misses you.

7/10

We'll never know what Brandon Lee, who was the son of the late martial arts legend Bruce Lee, would be capable of in Hollywood since he, like his father, died before the peek of his fame, and subsequently a mass following has been built in his memory.

Bruce Lee died just weeks before the American premiere of his last completed film "Enter the Dragon" in 1973. Consequently, Lee had also been working on the "Game of Death" before his passing, which we would later see, meticulously reconstructed (as Lee had intended), in John Little's touching and poignant documentary "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey."

Brandon was slain by a stunt gun while filming a scene in his last movie, 1994's "The Crow." Using careful CGI techniques, the filmmakers were able to successfully gather enough footage of Lee's performance to complete the film. Lee haunted every frame of Alex Proyas' dark and deeply affecting film, which was the adaptation of James O'Barr's popular comic book character.

Brandon, like his father, was also a talented performer - actor and martial artist. However, if one were looking for Brandon's acting talents, look at "The Crow," as you will not see much of him using martial arts. If one were looking to see him using those martial arts talents, and the best showcase for those talents, look no further than 1992's "Rapid Fire."

"Rapid Fire," from the beginning, has a very flimsy plot, as Lee plays a Chicago art student who witnesses the gangland murder of a South Asian drug lord by Italian mobsters. Lee can't trust anyone, as he's forced to go on the run from gangsters (Asian and Italian), cops, and other corrupt law enforcement officials. It seems that he can only find comfort and protection through his martial arts skills and an independent Chicago police unit headed by a grizzled cop (Powers Boothe).

As stated before, you should only watch "Rapid Fire" for Brandon Lee's martial arts skills, as this is really the best place to see them; you're not going to find them in "The Crow." Brandon did the best that he could with this role and just went with it.

Brandon, like his father, passed on before true success would reign in on him. Like Bruce and "Enter the Dragon," Brandon and his last film "The Crow," will be forever remembered by fans and cinema-goers alike in years to come.

I'm not really sure where "Rapid Fire" would stand in Brandon's short-lived career, other than it was a showcase for his fighting talents. "Rapid Fire" is decent, certainly not perfect, but very fun to watch nonetheless.

7/10

Jake Lo lives in America having seen his father killed in Tiananmen Square during protests. He is embittered about taking a stand for anything and believes his father died for nothing. However while at a fund raiser he sees mobster Serrano kill a Chinese drug dealer and finds himself in the witness protection programme with the FBI. However when `FBI' agents try to kill him he finds himself on the run not knowing who to trust. He eventually finds himself with a Chicago cop Ryan who will do anything to get to Serrano's boss Tau.

This is an excellent little martial arts film mainly due to the involvement of the late Brandon Lee. The story never really gets above the usual B-movie fare of guns and gangsters. There is some clever stuff with occasions where we and Lee never know who to trust, but for most of the way the story is simply an excuse for a huge amount of fight scenes. Lee has plenty of skills, he doesn't rely on wire work for spectacle but here he has a mix of his father's style and Chan's ability to use everyday items. The fights are well handled and all his moves are clear to see, making it all the more interesting to watch.

Lee is excellent here, he's really fit and has movie star looks. His performance is perhaps more thoughtful than you'd expect, but the real skill is his fight scenes which he handles well. Of the rest of the cast Powers Booth and Tzi Ma stand out.

A great little martial arts film. Not a fantastic story but the fight scenes are really well handled.

Brandon Lee, late son of legendary martial arts king Bruce Lee is Jake Lo, a college student fighting for his life against the forces of good and evil! The last thing Jake for was trouble. So trouble found him. After witnessing a bloody gangland murder he finds himself on the run and caught in the blazing crossfire between the Chicago police force and mafia butchers. With an inferno of terror all around him Jake has only one chance of survival- to fight back with the only weapon he has left.... his lethal bare hands. Brandon Lee isn't the greatest of actors and this film doesn't have to much of a story line but if your looking for a film with excellent action scenes and thats a good watch then choose this. **** out of *****

This was Brandon Lee's second american made movie (Showdown In Little Tokyo was the first) and the film where you could see Brandon was starting his ascent up the action hero ladder. With each film Brandon's martial arts skills improved and in this movie he really shines. Not to mention his acting ability as well. He proved in this movie that he had what it takes to be a star. He incorporated some Hong Kong style action similar to Jackie Chan's films into this movie. An example is a terrific sequence in a small apartment where Lee takes on several bad guys armed with guns and he takes them out with his hands, feet, kitchen utensils, refrigerator doors, etc. Powers Boothe also does a great job as tired cop and Nick Mancuso plays the main villain very superb. The Crow was Brandon Lee's best movie but Rapid Fire displays his fighting skills the best. Definitely a must for action fans!