Rumble in the Bronx (1995) [Film Review]

Rumble in the Bronx; or, A Fish Out of Water
     That’s my uncle’s car!
Fresh after the success of Police Story 3: SuperCop (1992) and Project S (1993), the duo composed of director Stanley Tong and action star Jackie Chan continued their fruitful cooperation in yet another bombastic project called Rumble in the Bronx. This movie would go on to prove itself especially important for Jackie’s career because it is often cited as one of the 90s flicks that made the Hong Kong actor recognisable in the United States.

Release Info

Directed by: Stanley Tong Starring: Jackie Chan, Françoise Yip, Anita Mui

Language: Cantonese, English Original Title: 紅番區 Runtime: 90 min

Synopsis
Keung (Jackie Chan) arrives in New York to visit his uncle (Bill Tung) who is going to remarry soon. Uncle Bill sells his grocery shop to a businesswoman called Elaine (Anita Mui). Nevertheless, problems arise when local thugs raid the shop. Keung helps out Elaine, but for his heroic action, he is assaulted and wounded by the bandits. He is looked after by his neighbour Danny (Morgan Lam), a physically-disabled boy, and his sister Nancy (Françoise Yip). In the meantime, a crime syndicate is looking for stolen diamonds in the neighbourhood. In order to fight the syndicate and protect his friends, Keung will have to join forces with the thugs.

Street Fighter
Rumble in the Bronx was made in-between Jackie’s popular Police Story movies, so it comes as no surprise that the team behind this franchise (director Stanley Tong, producer Raymond Chow, and screenwriter Edward Tang) crafted this particular motion picture. What is more, the movie was shot primarily on location in Vancouver, Canada, so the crew had to make sure that the setting would resemble NYC cityscapes.

The narrative premise as well as the fact that the film was shot outside of Hong Kong are reminiscent of Bruce Lee’s The Way of the Dragon (1972). In that film, Bruce plays a well-meaning newcomer from Hong Kong who finds it difficult to operate within Western culture, but who tries his best to protect his friends from baddies. This is exactly what Jackie channels in Rumble in the Bronx and he does that very well indeed. The movie is packed with breathtaking action stunts, meticulously choreographed fight sequences, and a light-hearted humour (mostly coming from Anita Mui’s character).

When it comes to US releases of Jackie’s films, as always there are differences in various cuts. The most popular edition of the Rumble in the Bronx from New Line Cinema runs at 90 minutes and is very much watchable; however, the Hong Kong release actually provides different contexts for the characters through the Cantonese dubbing. For instance, in the original cut, it is said that Keung is actually a cop and he has a girlfriend back in Hong Kong. In the American cut, there’s absolutely no mention of such a thing.

With regard to performances, Jackie as always shines on the screen as the happy-go-lucky everyman who never wants to cause any trouble. For some of his 90s productions, Jackie had this great skill of choosing pretty wooden actors, especially Western ones, but this is not the case with Rumble in the Bronx. Françoise Yip does well as the friend/love interest character, and (that’s only my observation), she reminds me a lot about young Cherie Cheung. It is always great to see the late Anita Mui alongside Jackie, especially in a comedic role. The actors playing thugs, such as the late Marc Akerstream, and Gavin Cross also did quite well, and it is clear that they must have had a lot of fun on the set.

Unsurprisingly, the only person who did not have fun on the set was Jackie himself who badly injured his leg. In the making-of footage during the end credits, you can see that he filmed some of his stunts with a leg in a cast that had a sock coloured to resemble a shoe!

Recommendations
Needless to say, Rumble in the Bronx marks Jackie’s epic entry into the Hollywood showbiz. 27 years after its original release, the movie is still an enjoyable ride. I saw it for the first time on a promo-VHS copy from Imperial Entertainment Home Video and the memories of the hovercraft chase stayed on with me throughout childhood.The DVD edition I have contains the standard Miramax cut and no bonus features, but there is a DTS audio track.

Overall score: 8/10

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New Police Story (2004) [Film Review]

New Police Story: or, The Long Arm of the Law

     There are so many great things waiting for you. Forget the past, turn your pain into your power.
9 years after the previous Police Story instalment, Jackie Chan returns to the series with a complete remake, simply called New Police Story. Directed by Benny Chan, the movie distances itself from the previous entries due to much grittier tone and heavy violence. Is this a decent action flick or yet another refurbished old chestnut? Let’s find out together.

Release Info

Directed by: Benny Chan Starring: Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Charlie Yeung, Charlene Choi

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 新警察故事 Runtime: 123 min

Synopsis
A group of five anonymous youngsters conducts a series of bank heists in Hong Kong. Apart from stealing money, they gained notoriety for violently killing police officers who rushed to the scene. Inspector Chan Kwok-wing (Jackie Chan) is sent together with a squad to track down and arrest the gang. Unfortunately, Chan’s team members fall into a trap and get killed. Chan himself barely makes it out alive. Depressed and ashamed, Chan turns to alcohol, but a transfer cop, Frankie Cheng (Nicholas Tse), suddenly appears and identifies himself as Chan’s new partner. With the help of Frank, Chan pulls himself together and begins the search for ruthless killers.

Death Wish
I clearly remember seeing New Police Story in the mid 2000s on television, but the teenager me just could not handle all the violence (the squad decimation scene). It was only 10 years later when I revisited the movie and I found it to be extremely gripping.

What I like the most about New Police Story is the change in tone. From the opening scene, we see Jackie as a fallen cop. He is no longer “Mr. Nice Guy” who gets himself in trouble only to heroically save the day. His new interpretation of a police officer is that of a vulnerable man who seeks redemption. Indeed, it is a great story arc. In addition, the plot itself about a gang of game-addicted youngsters (no longer gangsters or terrorists as in previous films) is excellent and accurately reflects the high-tech feels of the early 2000s.

In terms of action, there are lots of amazing sequences. We get a new double-decker bus chase, disarming the bomb scene, and final confrontation at a convention centre, to name but a few. Definitely, my favourite action set piece is the building wall drop. The blooper reel at the end of film clearly shows what an arduous sequence it was to shoot (without any CGI!).

With regard to disadvantages, the film tends to be a bit over-melodramatic in places. There are some moments when the viewer wants to catch a breath, but the drama just presses on. Nevertheless, there’s still some space for humour, mostly coming from the characters of Frankie (who in terms of appearance is an obvious rip-off of Detective Aoshima from Bayside Shakedown).

Speaking about performances, New Police Story serves as one of the notable examples which prove that Jackie can be not only a stuntman but also an actor. In addition, I enjoyed the light-hearted performances of Nicholas Tse as Frankie Cheng and Charlene Choi as officer Sa Sa. Charlie Yeung also gives a compelling performance as Chan’s love interest, in spite of limited screen time. Also, Yu RongGuang (who appeared in Project S (1993)) plays the supporting part of Chan’s superior.

Recommendations
All things considered, I’m very fond of New Police Story and I like coming back to it every now and then. I safely recommend it to the fans of Jackie Chan as well as enthusiasts of police drama. This movie is undoubtedly one of the strongest entries in the series. Jackie went in an entirely new direction and it paid off. Stay tuned for my review of Police Story 2013.Overall score: 8/10

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My Lucky Stars (1985) [Film Review]

My Lucky Stars; or, Winners and Sinners 2.0

    Please do not dry your hands with the fax paper.

Two years after the success of Winners and Sinners (1983), Sammo Hung made a semi-sequel called My Lucky Stars. Written by Eric Tsang, the story follows the adventures of the characters from the previous movie, but their names and relations have been changed a bit. Nevertheless, this sequel is just as enjoyable as the original film. 
Release Info

Directed by: Sammo Hung Starring: Sammo Hung, Sibelle Hu, Jackie Chan, Stanley Fung, Eric Tsang, Richard Ng, Charlie Chin, Yuen Biao
Language: Cantonese Original Title: 福星高照 Runtime: 96 min

 

Synopsis

An undercover cop in Japan called Muscles (Jackie Chan) is infiltrating the Yakuza group. However, while trying to catch a corrupt Hong Kong cop (Lam Ching Ying), his partner, Ricky Fung (Yuen Biao), is kidnapped in the process. Muscles calls headquarters for help and they in turn reach out to Muscles’ childhood friend, Kidstuff (Sammo Hung). Not aware of the full details of the mission, Kidstuff assembles his team of small time crooks Rawhide (Stanley Fung), Herb (Charlie Chin), Sandy (Richard Ng), and Roundhead (Eirc Tsang). They are joined by Inspector Woo (Sibelle Hu) with whom they go to Japan…

 

The Team Returns

Apart from obvious continuity errors that are conveniently left unexplained, My Lucky Stars is a well made continuation in the spirit of Winners and Sinners. The gang is doing the funny shenanigans known from the first film and these are sprinkled with decent action sequences. Interestingly, Sammo Hung’s character takes the role of the leader in this picture. While John Shum is evidently replaced by Eric Tsang, Jackie Chan has a surprisingly major role in the story. His character comes off as a bit of a jerk, but he saves the day in the third act.

 

The action scenes which deserve to be mentioned are Jackie’s wild Mitsubishi chase at the very beginning and the final fight involving all the characters at the end of the film. In addition, all the scenes in which the guys try to seduce Inspector Woo are extremely hilarious.

 

I particularly appreciated that fact that actress/stuntwoman Michiko Nishiwaki has a small supporting part in the film and that she faces off against Sibelle Hu (Girls with Guns for life!). Yuen Biao also shows up (he did the action choreography as in the case of Winners and Sinners), but his character is, unfortunately, absent for the whole second act. Additionally, Bolo Yeung has a funny cameo as an enraged millionaire.

 

Recommendations

If you liked Sammo Hung’s Winners and Sinners, then you will like My Lucky Stars as well. Worth seeing for the cast, humour, and the action. Now, I’m off to check out another entry in the series called Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars…

Overall score 7/10

Police Story 4: First Strike (1996) [Film Review]

Police Story 4: First Strike; or, The Manhattan Project

     Killing me won't bring him back. Give me the bomb, and I'll give you the money. I promise. And then you'll never see me again.

Police Story 4: First Strike punched its way to the big screen on the 10th of February, 1996. It is the fourth entry in Jackie Chan’s successful Police Story franchise and also the second movie, after Police Story 3: Super Cop (1992), directed by stuntman/filmmaker Stanley Tong. Interestingly, many online sources often omit First Strike together with a spin-off film, Project S (1993), from rundowns of the series. Even though First Strike may be a forgotten Police Story sequel, it is still part of the franchise and deserves to be discussed.
Release Info

Directed by: Stanley Tong Starring: Jackie Chan, Jackson Lou, Wu Chen-chun, Yuriy Petrov

Language: English, Cantonese, Russian Original Title: 警察故事4之簡單任務 Runtime: 110 min (U.S. cut: 80 min)

 

Synopsis

Officer Ka-kui (Jackie Chan) is sent by uncle Wong (Bill Tung) on a mission to follow a Ukrainian woman. It turns out that she serves as the middle man in a transaction between an elusive spy Tsui (Jackson Lou) and the Russian mobsters who want to buy nuclear warheads. Ka-kui interrupts the transaction, but he gets badly injured in the process. He is rescued by the FSB agency and the Russian authorities send him to Australia so that he can track down Tsui. Ka-kui’s only lead is Tsui’s younger sister, Annie (Wu Chen-chun).

Never Say Never Again

Police Story 4: First Strike is yet another 90s action-packed comedy filled with Jackie’s breathtaking stunts. The storyline must have been inspired by Bond movies, particularly GoldenEye (1995), due to espionage vibes and the nuclear weapons plot. However, as in many Jackie Chan’s movies, the screenplay serves only as an excuse to present a sequence of elaborate action set pieces.

 

In my opinion, First Strike lacks a bit in terms of action when compared to the previous three films. Indeed, there are some great scenes (for example, a ski chase, fight on parapets of a hotel, or a showdown at an aquarium), but none of these surpass Jackie’s mall jump in the first movie or train fight in Super Cop. Nevertheless, I appreciate beautiful locations shot in the city of Brisbane, Australia.

 

That is not to say that First Strike is not enjoyable. On the contrary, it is an entertaining action flick, but its main disadvantage is caused by the fact that there are two versions of the film available out there: The original uncut version (which runs at 110 minutes) and the American cut (with 80 minutes of runtime). First Strike is one of the rare Jackie’s productions that I prefer to watch in an altered form.

 

The uncut version has atrocious multi-national dialogue (caused by amateur actors playing foreigners), bad pacing, and the music score that is basically a looped tune. The American cut, on the other hand, has extended opening credits, brand new English dubbing, and catchy music score composed by J. Peter Robison. This cuts trims a bit the prologue sequence and the aquarium fight. The only scene which, I believe, was fully deleted features Jackie begging for money to make a phone call. In addition, the title was altered as well. Instead of being called a Police Story, the film was released in the U.S. as Jackie Chan’s First Strike.

 

Recommendations

Ironically, Police Story 4: First Strike serves as an example presenting that a movie can be either broken or improved in the editing room. Do I recommend it? Yes, but go for the American version. In consequence, you will not be disappointed. Interestingly, First Strike remains (to date!) Jackie Chan’s Hong Kong highest grossing picture. I wish that Jackie could keep making Police Story sequels throughout the 90s. Eventually, he did make New Police Story and Police Story 2013, but these were much more serious in tone.

Overall score: 6/10

Winners and Sinners (1983) [Film Review]

Winners and Sinners; or, Here Come the Lucky Stars

     From now on, we must stick together.

Winners and Sinners (1983) marks the first instalment in Sammo Hung’s successful Lucky Stars franchise. Hung conceived the idea of a light-hearted comedy with an ensemble cast after watching a TV programme about police officers using specific skills to crack down a case. The end result is an entertaining flick harking back to such classics as The Marx Brothers or The Three Stooges films.
Release Info

Directed by: Sammo Hung Starring: Sammo Hung, Stanley Fung, John Shum, Charlie Chin, Richard Ng,
Jackie Chan, Cherie Chung

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 奇謀妙計五福星 Runtime: 101 min

 

Synopsis

The movie tells the story of five petty criminals who end up together in a jail cell. Teapot (Sammo Hung) is a chubby and clumsy burglar, Curly (John Shum) is a workers’ rights activist, Wind Pipe (Richard Ng) steals car parts, Vaseline (Charlie Chin) specialises in stealing jewellery, Ranks (Stanley Fung) is the eldest member with an unknown past. The cellmates befriend each other and, after their release, they decide to set up Five Stars Cleaning Company. They are joined in their endeavour by Curly’s attractive sister, Shirley (Cherie Chung). Everything goes smoothly until one day someone accidentally throws a suitcase into their van. The Lucky Stars have found themselves in the middle of a financial trade between gangsters. They have to use their wits and fists in order to clean their names. 

 

Five Lucky Stars

Winners and Sinners may be nearly 40 years old, but it is still an enjoyable comedy. I was actually surprised at how much I liked it. Sammo Hung can really make a feel-good actioner and elicit some strong laughs at the same time. I particularly liked the scenes in which Richard Ng’s character tries to learn invisibility or when the team members fumblingly try to seduce Shirley.

 

Apart from recognisable stars in the leading roles, the film is filled with great supporting parts. For instance, Jackie Chan plays a hot-headed cop who always ends up causing trouble for himself. He has an awesome chase sequence halfway through the film and it is a shame that it is not mentioned very often whenever Jackie’s amazing stunts are recapped. Interestingly, Yuen Biao choreographed action for this movie and he has a funny cameo in one of the scenes. Perceptive viewers can also spot cameos from Moon Lee, Mars, and Wu Ma.

The success of Winners and Sinners led to the creation of whopping six(!) sequels. Please refer here for the full list. Unfortunately, Sammo Hung did participate in the making of every film, but he often served either as a director, producer, or actor on the sets. In fact, the only actors from the original cast who appeared in all seven Lucky Stars films were Richard Ng and Stanley Fung. I hope that I will be able to review every entry in the series.

 

Recommendations

If you are in the mood for a light, kung-fu oriented comedy that does not rely on swearing or clichés, then Winners and Sinners is the choice for you. It is a great action comedy flick that will not disappoint you. I wish that Sammo Hung could keep making these even today.

Overall score: 7/10