Rumble In The Bronx MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +3 Content: -2

The martial arts antics of Jackie Chan infuse humor and action into RUMBLE IN THE BRONX. Chan plays Keung, who has just arrived in New York City to attend his uncle's wedding in the Bronx. When a motorcycle gang roars up and down the street below his uncle's apartment and even ride their cycles over parked cars, Keung runs the thugs off with the aid of police. Later the same gang appears at the uncle's market, stealing merchandise. Keung swings into action, using every Karate move he knows to drive them away. The rest of the film focuses on the gang's attempts at revenge and Keung's spectacular stunts to thwart their attacks. By the film's end, however, Keung has earned the respect of the troublemakers. "Time Magazine" has described Chan as part Clint Eastwood, part Gene Kelly, a bit of Jim Carrey and a lot of silent movie clowns. Although not a family film, RUMBLE IN THE BRONX will delight audiences through Chan's comedic, ingenious martial arts style.

Unfortunately, the film uses violence to entertain, some of it made to appear humorous. In one frightening scene, cyclists throw glass bottles at Keung in a blind alley. In a spectacular episode, a hovercraft drives out of the water, down through city streets, flattening everything in its pathway. The thugs destroy the uncle's market as they tear down shelves and destroy goods, then pull the building apart with chains and a truck. A man is fed into a grinding machine and many fights erupt, some with guns. Although the dialogue includes several obscenities, it is fairly subdued in comparison to other R rated movies. Neither does the movie have any sex or homosexual conduct. However, a man bares his buttocks once and a go-go dancer performs suggestively in a brief costume. In fact, New Line Cinema is appealing the film's R rating. No doubt they want a PG-13 rating because of Chan's teenage fans. Why didn't they consider that during production and tone down the violence?

Preview Reviewer: Bonnie C. Harvey
Distributor: NewLine Cinema, 575 8th Avenue, 16th Flr, NY, NY 10018