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

A well-made, well-executed action thriller which has more than enough violence, shooting, and explosions for the average male movie fan. While the plot may be a clichéd and familiar one, along with the characters and the senseless sentimentalising (they even throw in a couple of flashbacks),a better cast than usual makes this film more enjoyable than most and the extended action scenes are slick and never less than exciting.

There are plenty of amazing stunts, car crashes, and shoot-outs to keep the casual viewer occupied, but this film really comes into its own with the hand-to-hand combat scenes involving Lee and various opponents. These are well-shot and choreographed (by Lee himself),fast moving but not so fast that you can't see what's happening. Weapons, poles, knives, guns, motorbikes, and even fridge doors are brought into play during this film's course. The timing is just right. The fights are all in varied locations, ranging from the typical (office, factory) to the unusual (kitchen, train track).

As for the acting, well, it's not brilliant but it'll pass. The best of the bunch is Powers Boothe, who is pretty good as a sympathetic cop (love that scene where he takes out a speeding car). Brandon Lee is okay as the hero, but still wooden, even if he is less wooden than pals Lundgren or Van Damme. The actors playing the bad guys are wonderfully evil in an over the top way. The little bearded Chinese guy from DIE HARD, Al Leong, turns up as a chief villain and has an excellent martial arts battle with our hero at the end. If you're a fan of B action movies, then you're in for a treat with this one, as rarely are they as well polished as this is (check out any of Chuck Norris' movies if you want a clear example). When a film has more action and excitement than plot, you know you're on to a good thing, so check it out!

Nice guy college art student and ace martial artist Jake Lo (an extremely likable and charismatic performance by Brandon Lee) finds his life in considerable jeopardy after he witnesses ruthless and flamboyant Mafia kingpin Antonio Serrano (deliciously played with lip-smacking hammy aplomb by Nick Mancuso) bump off a Chinese rival. Tough renegade cop Mace Ryan (Powers Boothe in peak brooding and rugged form) and his feisty partner Karla Withers (a wonderfully spunky turn by the lovely Kate Hodge) use Jake as bait so they can nab Serrano. Ably directed by Dwight H. Little, with a nonstop snappy pace, fluid, glossy cinematography by Ric Waite, gritty urban Chicago locations, plenty of exciting and well-staged fights and shoot-outs (Lee's fierce chopsocky confrontation with the ubiquitous Al Leong rates as a definite thrilling highlight),a smidgen of tasty female nudity, a roaring trashy rock soundtrack, some steamy soft-core sex, a rattling, rousing score by Christopher Young, an amusing line in welcome sarcastic humor, and loads of gloriously excessive bloody violence, this gleefully ridiculous actionfest may be wildly far-fetched and implausible from the get-go, but it's still a great deal of over-the-top loony fun all the same. Best of all, Lee not only displays real charm and appeal in the lead role, but also shows remarkable skill and agility in his numerous rough'n'tumble fight set pieces. The supporting cast likewise impresses, with especially praiseworthy work from Mancuso (his blithely evil villain almost steals the whole show),Boothe, Hodge, Raymond J. Barry as crooked fed Agent Frank Stewart, Tzi Ma as vicious drug lord Kinman Tau, and Tony Longo as Serrano's brutish bodyguard Brunner. A real bang-up flick.