Probably the most impressive thing about "Rumble in the Bronx" is the choreography involved in Jackie Chan's fight scenes and general stunt work. Besides his acrobatic fighting style, one bears witness to the incredible use of props Jackie puts to use in the way he takes down bad guys. The other thing that's quite noticeable in the picture is how Chan gets to take his share of lumps as well as dishing it out. That's kind of commendable for an action star, who's ego isn't so large that he can't be shown messing up or getting beat up in a situation where he's overwhelmed. The scene that really floored me was when the black suit gang rigged up the New Wa Ha Supermarket with chains to tear the whole place down; that was quite outrageous. But probably no more outrageous than that hovercraft scene that seemed to come out of nowhere for a resounding finale. If you get a chance to watch the movie, stick around for the after credits that include some of the 'stunts gone bad' footage. You'll see Jackie Chan missing some of his marks and winding up hurt for real. What can you say about the guy, he puts every effort into making things look as realistic as possible.

Typical mid '90s Jackie Chan production, relocated to America to coincide with the first US cinema release for a Chan movie. The fairly basic plot sees newcomer Chan struggling with the culture gap between the US and China and also falling foul of a roving street gang, who ride the streets in buggies and dress like they're extras in MAD MAX 2. Things become more serious when a local mafia deal goes wrong and Chan accidentally finds himself in possession of some priceless stolen diamonds which the mafia want to get back at all costs. Eventually Chan must team up with the street gang, his former enemies, to combat the deadly serious foe. Yep, basically the same old story.

The plot is simplistic in the extreme and doesn't need to be anything else. As is usual for a Jackie Chan film, the movie is littered with comedy, some of which works and some of which is a bit silly. But what counts is the action, and the fight scenes here are up there with the best of Chan. The best action comes when Chan fights members of the street gang and uses multiple props to defend himself; my favourite fight occurs in their base where he fights with fridges, tables, trolleys and the like. Chan is on top form with his super-fast martial arts skills and the action comes thick and furious just like in the old days. The finale involves a ludicrous speedboat chase through the streets of New York which makes for some fine spectacle, although I was kind of hoping Chan would get to fight some of those huge mafia guys but alas they are captured all too quickly.

The acting is nothing special but perfectly serviceable where it counts. Chan himself is fine in the part but it can hardly be called a stretch for the actor, basically he just plays himself again, an innocent fighting for the cause of good. Chan here surrounds himself with some able Chinese beauties including the sweet Anita Mui and the feisty Francoise Yip, a Cat III star back in Hong Kong. The bad guys strive to be threatening but - despite speaking English - their dubbed voices don't really work all that well. Look out for a welcome cameo from Bill Tung, one of Chan's oldest co-stars. Director Stanley Tong once again invests his movie with plenty of dynamism and exciting situations, making this a solid feature from Chan. While it doesn't rank as one of his best there are no major errors with this movie and fans will be perfectly satisfied, as I was.

Keong (Jackie Chan) from Hong Kong attends his uncle Bill's wedding in NYC. Keong works at Bill's market while he's away on his honeymoon. Keong befriends wheelchair bound local kid Danny. Bill plans to sell the market to Elaine and retire. The neighborhood is overrunned by motorcycle gangs. Keong ends up interfering with them stopping Nancy from ruining uncle Bill's expensive borrowed car. Keong defends the store against the gang. It turns out that Nancy is Danny's sister.

There are basically no professional American actors. These are very very broad characters played by stuntmen. I love Jackie Chan as a comedic action star. There are some amazing stunts. However the ridiculous villainous gang ruins this for me. It's not simply that I can't take them seriously. I can't take them at all.