"Rumble in the Bronx" is the film that finally popularized Jackie Chan for American audiences. Released in the US over a year later than it's initial Hong Kong release, Rumble is a film that Jackie made on his own terms, as compared to his earlier failed attempts at breaking into the US market (i.e. "Battle Creek Brawl", "The Cannonball Run" "The Protector"). Those film were all made by American directors and Chan's input and control was limited ("Battle Creek Brawl" is probably the best of the lot). With Rumble, Jackie shot the film with his Hong Kong crew and had his usual level of control, and it's his mix of a US setting (though actually shot in Vancouver, B.C. as seen by the very unNYC-like mountains in the background) and being able to deliver his amazing fight sequences and jaw-dropping stuntwork along with his endearing comedy that was finally allowed to make it's way to US theaters and won over American audiences, leading to major roles in Hollywood films where he was given more creative control, such as "Rush Hour" "Shanghai Noon" and "The Karate Kid" remake. Rumble sees Jackie playing the nephew of Bronx grocery store owner, Chan stock company actor Bill Tung, who is selling the business to Anita Mui (a real-life pop singer turned actress known as the "Madonna of Hong Kong"), who's store is plagued by a local street gang. Jackie finds himself at odds with the gang after trying to protect the store as well as protecting the wheelchair bound younger brother of a pretty female gang member, who quickly becomes Jackie's love interest. It's basically "Death Wish 3" but with Jackie Chan.Generally speaking, it's a dumb story that's a recycle of I don't know how many 80s Charles Bronson vigilante films and even by those standards the villains are incredibly silly and a ridiculous approximations of what real street gangs are like, but that's not why you watch a Jackie Chan picture. You watch a Jackie Chan movie for the exciting, creative, and acrobatic fight sequences (the best is a knockout sequence in the gang hideout) and for Chan's insane death defying stunts (here he jumps between buildings without a harness and also gets run over by a hovercraft, though it was his leap off a bridge onto the hovercraft that broke his foot, causing him to perform a significant amount of the film in a cast!). Overall, despite some minor tampering by the US distributor, deleting some of the comedy, completely re-dubbing the film, and adding a new soundtrack, "Rumble in the Bronx" is one of Chan's better films and is very nearly one of his best (though his best films are "Drunken Master II" "Project A" "Dragons Forever" and "Police Story").