![]() ![]() As Chan writes in his autobiography, “It was a Hong Kong production, but we always had one foot in the international market from the start … Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho had high hopes that this one would finally open the golden door to the West for us.” Was New York City chosen as a recognizable setting for a North American audience, or an exotic locale for an Asian one? Most likely both. The key difference with Rumble in the Bronx would be its location. All of them had worked on previous Chan films. Rumble in the Bronx (or Hung Fan Kui) employed a crew of Chan regulars, including screenwriters Edward Tang and Fibe Ma, and director Stanley Tong. His most notable crossover roles to date were cameos in the Cannonball Run films. ![]() Battle Creek and The Protector had failed to establish Chan in the West. Outtakes, injuries, and behind-the-scenes footage of Chan and his crew preparing a dangerous stunt (or recovering from one): the main character of a Jackie Chan film is Jackie Chan.īy 1995, the persona was well-established, and Chan had been trying for a decade and a half to crack the American market. The gag reel during the credits of a Jackie Chan film adds to the spirit of fun. Who’s the best fighter? is far less important than What is the funniest or most goddamn thing that can happen right now? His dominance as a fighter varies from scene to scene, and the story logic bends to suit the gag. Often compared in the West with those of Buster Keaton, Chan’s films mix martial arts, slapstick, and death-defying stunts. The Police Story and Supercop franchises, along with Crime Story and Operation Condor, established Chan as a megastar in Asia and an original screen presence. Jackie Chan, born Chan Kong-sang and known in China as Sing Lung, worked as an extra in Enter the Dragon and A Touch of Zen before rising to stardom in the late 1970s with Drunken Master and The Fearless Hyena, the latter directed by Chan himself. “And just like that,” Chan wrote in his autobiography Never Grow Old, “I was a big star in America after fifteen years of trying.” The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Rush Hour, Kill Bill-even Kung Fu Panda-all followed in Rumble’s wake. Rumble transformed Jackie Chan from a Hong Kong star into an international one, launched the career of Canadian actress Françoise Yip, and brought Hong Kong–style action and filmmaking to North American shores. ![]() Twenty-five years after its North American release, Rumble in the Bronx marks a minor turning point in film history. “Any attempt to defend this movie on rational grounds is futile.” Roger Ebert praised the athleticism and exuberance of Rumble’s star while cautioning moviegoers not to pay too close attention to anything else. Fridges, pinball machines, glass bottles, canned goods, skis-all employed to exhilarating and comic effect. The acrobatic climb through a shopping cart, the truck pushed off a building, the entire facade of a two-storey market torn away with people inside. The even more dangerous leap from a pillar beneath the Granville Bridge to the deck of a hovercraft. The jump from the roof of a Cordova Street parking garage. All this is usually written to sweep away the obvious so reviews can focus on the action. The Bronx, reviewers assure, does not have a golf course with a mountain range behind it. Skim the reviews for Rumble in the Bronx, and you’ll notice a pattern of both reverence and disdain.ĭisdain for the plot, costumes, overdubbing, and setting. ![]()
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