Rumble in the Bronx Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Rumble in the Bronx Blu-ray Movie Review

Coming to America.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 11, 2021

If you live anywhere outside of Hong Kong and consider yourself a fan of Jackie Chan, your first introduction to the living legend was probably by way of Stanley Tong's Rumble in the Bronx. It broke box office records in its homeland but didn't reach international and domestic theaters until 1996, when everyone who didn't go the import route was able to catch a glimpse of the charming, charismatic Chan in action. As far as plots go, Rumble in the Bronx is a lightweight: our hero plays Keung, who's watching his Uncle Bill's (Bill Tung) Bronx apartment while he's on honeymoon. Having just sold his grocery store to the lovely Elaine (Anita Mui), Bill's got one foot out the door when a local biker gang stirs up trouble -- they almost wreck his luxury car and shoplift from the store without batting an eyelash. Damn, son.

Not surprisingly, the good-natured Keung doesn't take their behavior lying down, even decimating a few bikers with his formidable hand-to-hand combat skills. Elaine is grateful for the help... but his biggest fan is young Danny (Morgan Lam), who's raised by older sister Nancy (Francoise Yip). Once Keung realizes she's part of the biker gang -- which takes a little longer than you'd think -- the situation gets even more complicated. Naturally, Keung eventually tries to get Nancy back on the right path, both for her own benefit and Danny too. But eventually, these differences don't matter for two reasons: (1) Keung, Nancy, and the bikers have a common enemy in the White Tiger syndicate thanks to a bag of missing diamonds, and (2) everyone only likes Rumble in the Bronx for its awesome fight scenes.

Jackie Chan has starred in better films than this, but it's still a lightweight and enjoyable romp that offers a great introduction to what makes most of his performances so enjoyable to watch. He often looks outmatched in number or size, but Chan's tremendous gift for stunt work and physical comedy make even the biggest David-and-Goliath brawl feel downright believable. Still, the plot of Rumble in the Bronx occasionally works against it: the end product feels like all five Die Hard films rolled into one, from the good good (grounded action at first, a charismatic lead, cat-and-mouse chases) to the bad good (a finale and chief bad guy more ridiculous than Live Free or Die Hard). Still, there's a certain base-level enjoyment in watching the White Tiger boss get run over by a hovercraft before finishing his birdie putt... and as long as you end up laughing between the jaw-dropping action scenes, does it really matter why?

Rumble in the Bronx was trimmed by almost 20 minutes for its domestic theatrical release in 1996, resulting in a slightly less intelligible plot that, pound for pound, serves up more action than its original Hong Kong counterpart. Additionally, the music score was changed and extensive dubbing was also added for almost every speaking character, with Chan even performing his own English dialogue similar to the American cut of Drunken Master II, better known around here as The Legend of Drunken Master. A very thorough list of version differences can be found at the always reliable Movie Censorship database which, blurry screenshots aside, paints an extremely detailed picture.

Either way, the trimmed version is what we get on Warner Bros.' Blu-ray edition... which, yes, was released all the way back in 2015, so apologies for the clickbait. Since that review slipped way through the cracks, Warner Archive's recent release of Jackie Chan's previous film Drunken Master II seemed like the best reason to finally get this one out there. Whether you're new to the film or saw it in theaters 25 years ago, this is a decent enough catalog release that, while essentially barebones (and lacking the longer Hong Kong cut), at least has decent A/V specs and a very affordable price tag. With any luck, Warner Archive might revisit Rumble in the Bronx and other Jackie Chan productions in the near future... but until then, it'll have to do. Simply put, those who fondly remember their first American introduction to the stuntman extraordinaire will appreciate this flawed but fun production in all its butchered domestic glory.

Rumble in the Bronx Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Six years is a lot of time in the world of home video releases, but Warner Bros.' 2015 Blu-ray edition of Rumble in the Bronx holds up pretty well. Surprisingly well, even. This is a fairly film-like 1080p transfer that doesn't seem to suffer from nearly as much digital noise reduction as other New Line titles, especially even earlier Warner Bros. Blu-rays such as A History of Violence and Pan's Labyrinth. And while this film isn't exactly filmed in exotic locales, many interiors offer a decently vibrant color palette -- the store interior, Nancy and Danny's apartment, the nightclub Keung visits, etc. -- that the Blu-ray replicates nicely, offering punchy primaries that look bold without feeling too heavily saturated. As mentioned earlier, film grain is obviously present but hardly intrusive, while contrast levels and shadow detail run fairly deep without succumbing to excessive crush or blooming. That said, this 1080p transfer does show its age slightly in a general sort of of way, though hardly a fault of its own -- we've become so accustomed to boutique labels like Arrow Video and Warner Archive routinely delivering top-tier catalog transfers that even a solid effort from 2015 doesn't have quite the same shine or luster as it once did. I'd love to see what the latter could do with this film -- especially the longer Hong Kong cut -- but until then, Warner Bros.' dual-layered disc makes a fine alternative.

Rumble in the Bronx Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Yes, the post-production English dubbing is a mess...but this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix represents Rumble in the Bronx's American theatrical audio and sounds fine on Blu-ray. Channel separation is strong at times with punchy background effects and the sporadic music cues also blend in nicely. It's worth noting that a few stray scenes, including Uncle Bill's wedding, sound much thinner and less defined than others, with some moments that barely escape the front channel. This appears to be a source material issue and has been an issue on past releases. Overall, it's a good-sounding mix whose only other oddity is an almost overwhelming amount of bass at times. A lossless Spanish 2.0 dub is also included, as well as English (SDH), French, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, and Thai subtitles.

Rumble in the Bronx Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This dual-layered, region-free Blu-ray is packaged in a standard keepcase with attractive cover artwork. No inserts or slipcovers are included, and the bonus features are disappointingly slim as well.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:30) - This entertaining promo is more of a trailer for Jackie Chan than the actual movie, as it contains almost no real hints of what the story might be. Not that you're here for the story, of course.

Rumble in the Bronx Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rumble in the Bronx is still ridiculously entertaining for (mostly) the right reasons, serving up tons of terrific action, hokey but memorable characters, just the right amount of non-story, and a third act that goes completely over the falls in a barrel. Sure, the dubbing is horrible and the original 106-minute Hong Kong cut would've been nice to have... but for those with nostalgic memories of seeing it in theaters 25 years ago, Warner Bros.' Blu-ray is still a decent catalog disc whose 1080p transfer and lossless audio hold up well enough. Although I'm surprised this Blu-ray still hasn't been made into a double feature with First Strike (released simultaneously in 2015) and the Hong Kong cut is still MIA, it's currently cheap enough at $10 to make Rumble in the Bronx a decent impulse buy for Chan fans.