Terremoto nel Bronx

Jackie Chan is, without a doubt, one of the greatest action stars of our time - but that is not all he does, by far. He is the only actor I can think of who has so seamlessly blended heartstopping action with rolling-on-the-floor comedy. However, having seen some of his later work, I must say that in certain respects this movie did not live up to the expectations I had set for Jackie Chan.

While the action sequences were excellent, they were a bit sparse, and there was too much plot between them. Normally that wouldn't be something to complain about too much, but in this case the plot was almost nonexistent. I've decided that the movie was basically an excuse for two big scenes: the kung-fu battle with the gang, and the hovercraft scene.

There were several scenes in the movie which had me laughing out loud - the kind of clever humor and subtlety that has become Jackie Chan's trademark. But during a great portion of the movie, I was scratching my head wondering where that refreshing humor had gone. Some scenes were just too serious for a Jackie Chan movie.

All that said, I really did enjoy the movie, and would give it 6 stars out of 10. The action sequences did have me on the edge of my seat, and the funny parts did have me laughing. I won't say that it was Jackie Chan's best work, but it was certainly enough to get him onto the American radar, and I'm very glad that that's where he is now. So I would recommend seeing this movie, but if someone were seeing their first Jackie Chan movie, I would recommend something else, possibly starting with a newer, non-dubbed American film first.

"Rumble in the Bronx," released in 1995 (though a 1996 release in the US), isn't just a movie; it's arguably the pivotal moment for Jackie Chan's mainstream breakthrough in North America. It represents a complete thought in the sense that it successfully translated the unique charm and exhilarating action of Hong Kong cinema for a global audience, proving that Chan's blend of martial arts, physical comedy, and death-defying stunts had universal appeal.

The film's plot, while flimsy and often serving as little more than a vehicle for the action, follows Keung (Jackie Chan), a Hong Kong cop visiting his uncle in the Bronx, New York. When his uncle's supermarket becomes the target of various street gangs and later a larger criminal syndicate involved in a diamond heist, Keung is inevitably drawn into the fray. He finds himself battling thugs, forming unlikely alliances, and delivering justice in his inimitable style.

What made "Rumble in the Bronx" a sensation was its unyielding commitment to practical stunts and Jackie Chan's signature blend of comedy. Unlike the heavily wire-worked or CGI-laden action films that would become prevalent, every jump, every fall, every improbable use of everyday objects as weapons or tools in a fight felt real because it was real. The infamous outtakes reel at the end of the film, showcasing Chan's numerous injuries, cemented his legendary status as a performer who literally put his body on the line for entertainment. This was a direct, visceral experience for audiences, a stark contrast to the often generic action heroes of Hollywood.

The film's setting, ostensibly the Bronx, added to its quirky appeal. While famously shot in Vancouver, Canada (leading to numerous humorous continuity errors like mountains in the background of "New York City"), this geographical disconnect became part of its charm for many viewers. It highlighted the "fish out of water" aspect of Chan's character and the cultural translation efforts, albeit sometimes clumsy, that made the film feel distinct. The English dubbing, often criticized, also contributed to its unique, almost B-movie cult status for some.

Critics, including the influential Roger Ebert, lauded "Rumble in the Bronx" not for its narrative depth or acting prowess, but for the sheer spectacle of Jackie Chan's physical genius. Ebert famously stated that "Any attempt to defend this movie on rational grounds is futile. The whole point is Jackie Chan - and, like Astaire and Rogers, he does what he does better than anybody." This encapsulates the film's complete thought: it was a showcase for an unparalleled talent, an action maestro whose creativity in choreography and willingness to take risks transcended conventional cinematic expectations.

Commercially, "Rumble in the Bronx" was a resounding success. With a budget of approximately $7.5 million, it grossed over $32 million in the domestic US box office, a remarkable achievement for a foreign-produced film at the time. This financial success was a clear signal to Hollywood that Jackie Chan was a marketable star in North America, directly paving the way for his later Hollywood productions like "Rush Hour." Beyond the numbers, the film left an indelible cultural mark. It introduced a generation of Western audiences to the Hong Kong action aesthetic, characterized by fast-paced editing, inventive stunt work, and a more playful approach to violence. "Rumble in the Bronx" solidified Jackie Chan's persona as the endearing, slightly clumsy underdog who always finds a way to win, often with a smile. It was a complete, vibrant, and utterly entertaining package that changed the landscape of action cinema and firmly established a global icon.

Well here we go once again with the undisputed king of action comedy. The one and only Jackie Chan. While this is nowhere near Chan's best movie we can be grateful for the fact that this is the film that finally gave Chan his much deserved break in the USA. This is the story on Chan's character Keung who comes to the Bronx for his uncle's wedding and ends up caught up in a series of events that involve biker gangs, and diamond robbers. But really none of this matters this is just an excuse for Jackie to show of his amazing action skills (in the fight scenes which he also choreographed), and this he does to his usual amazing standards. There seems to be more edits in the fight scenes that is normal for Jackie but I suspect this might be down to one of two things. One making the film more palatable for a western audience. Or two that Jackie broke his ankle in the filming of this movie. Still tell me the last time you saw a western movie star leap from a roof on to the fire escape of the next building!!! Truly amazing stuff. On the down side the western characters and acting are very wooden but hey just enjoy Chan and hopefully then go seek out his Hong Kong movies.

Jackie Chan had never had a box office hit in America despite starring in Hollywood films such as 'Battle Creek Brawl' and 'The Protector' in the 1980s. 'Rumble in the Bronx' was a Hong Kong made film, but they wanted it to have international appeal and achieved this through its New York setting and American background characters. The film intended to introduce Jackie Chan to the West, and that's exactly what it did - but they didn't expect it to be a number one box office hit.

The story involves Keung (Jackie Chan) coming over to America to visit his Uncle who owns a grocery store in the Bronx. Soon enough a biker gang turns up and causes havoc at the store, so it's up to Keung to fend off the bad guys, uncover police corruption, and generally save the day in style.

This is a high energy film and the pace never lets up, there isn't one big set piece in this film there are many big set pieces, but the most impressive stunt has to be the one where Jackie jumps from the top of a multi-storey car park onto a small balcony across the road. The multiple camera set up shows us that there is no safety netting or use of wires - just Jackie entrusting his own life in his own abilities.

Naturally there are countless fight scenes where Jackie shows us his own brand of kung fu comedy, including the process of making inanimate objects become very animated indeed. Only he can turn pinball machines, trolleys and fridge doors into weapons! The only slight criticism I would have is that the fights are over edited, people like Jean Claude Van-Damme and Steven Segal might need a lot of cuts to put a fight scene together, but Jackie doesn't - he's an expert choreographer, and the cuts are needless. I'm not saying that the fight sequences are under par, because they're not, they are still very impressive - especially to people who haven't seen the man in action.

When the American audiences saw 'Rumble in the Bronx', they saw the real Jackie Chan not the shadow of a man struggling to gain artistic input under a Hollywood studios control. They were wowed by the death-defying stunts, frenetic fight sequences, and the sheer energy of the film from start to finish got word-of-mouth working overtime.

'Rumble in the Bronx' was the surprise box office hit of 1996, it made the West sit up and take notice of an exceptional talent they had long overlooked. The next time Jackie Chan would star in a Hollywood film he would be given the respect he had always deserved - and another box office hit.

I'd guess you'd have to call 'Rumble in the Bronx' an extreme example of a guilty pleasure. Though back in the 1990s, it was not my first introduction to Jackie Chan (the inferior 'Supercop' was) it was the one that got me hooked on his work. All the way through this viewing – the first in many years, the word "silly" kept popping up in my mind. It's dialogue, acting, stereotypes and shoddy cop work was so hilariously bad, I could only think this had to be written by someone who's only contact with the U.S.A. involves watching old 1970s cop hour-long dramas. And while some scenes were actually funny (SEE: the wrench threat) some were downright unintentionally funny (SEE: the toddler-toss and the entire closing on the golf course.) Leaving all that negative behind, it was an extreme joy watching Chan perform his own stunts in many, many inventive ways while simultaneously creating a very human and good-hearted character. The stunts were simply amazing and if one were to watch today for the first time, they need to know: he did them all himself, without a green screens, cables, etc. As arrogant as Chan is – I've read his biography, it's dripping with arrogance, he does have great gifts in originality, showmanship, pride in his work and making sure he never uses traditional American trickery/stunts. (This changes later in his work, when he was forced and got older, but this work and ones around it were all pure Chan.) Synopsis: Good-natured nephew Chan visits NYC and gets thrown in extraordinary circumstances: fighting both gangs and mob bosses while helping 2 women, his Uncle and a handicapped child. All that's irrelevant; what matters is once the action starts, it never lets up. And with an open-mind, what a fun rumble you'll have.

Side Note: Wow.. not only was it painful for all the actors to get hurt during production (not to mention the roughly 16 dozen vehicles) it was also gut wrenching to watch the closing credits that showed mostly the unintentional crashes, broken bones, etc. You really have to hand it to the devotion of the crew, cast and Chan. Definitely Chan. My comments about his arrogance does not mean I don't admire the man, especially his extremely poor and underprivileged beginnings to the entertainer he became. He's one of the very few actors/action stars that no matter how incredibly silly his movies look to me – it has to be a culture thing, it's always a rush to see how long his fight scenes last, how inventive he becomes and simply how exciting they are.