|
 umble in the Bronx" wasn't Jackie Chan's first
attempt to break into the western market. Fifteen years earlier,
Hollywood's search for the next Bruce Lee brought Chan to American
screens via "Battle Creek Brawl", more commonly known as "The Big
Brawl", a martial arts/comedy film that pitted Chan against a
variety of fighters, including a Mongolian, an overweight "child" in
overalls, and a boxer straight out of a fictional "gag" newsreel.
While Chan's American debut doesn't come close to ranking as one of
his best films, it's still a fairly entertaining movie from one of
the premier talents in the martial arts genre.
In "Battle Creek Brawl",
Jackie plays Jerry Kwan, the son of an immigrant Asian grocer in
Chicago circa the 1930s. After a scuffle in an alley with some
gangsters demanding protection money, Jerry's martial arts skills
attract the attention of a local gangster named Domenici (Jose
Ferrer), who, as it happens, is looking for a ringer to compete in a
no-holds barred fighting match taking place in the titular Battle
Creek Brawl. Jerry is reluctant at first, having sworn to his uncle
that he won't fight again, but when the mobster kidnaps his
brother's fiancée, Jerry is forced to travel to Battle Creek and
fight in the last man standing bout.
"Battle Creek Brawl" was directed by Robert
Clouse, best known for his work with Bruce Lee ("Enter
the Dragon" and the much labored "Game
of Death"), who manages a decent job despite the film having an
uneven feel to it. Some scenes are overplayed for laughs, while
other, potentially humorous moments are inexplicably just passed
over when more should have been made of them. Clouse's screenplay is
also weak, coming across like a collection of vignettes involving
people with the same names rather than a coherent, narrative story
that stretches from the beginning of the film to the end.
And then there's the anachronistic vibe of the
film. Parts of the movie just don't make any sense, like the
modern-style clothes being worn by people in the 1930s, and a roller
derby being held years before it was popular in mainstream America.
Another complaint is the film's setting. The cast supposedly travels
to different cities during the course of the movie, but the
locations make it seem as if they've barely gone around the block,
with Chicago looking suspiciously like Texas.
While "Battle Creek Brawl" has some problems,
it also has some strong points that rescue the film. A young Jackie
Chan, sans many of the bumps and bruises he would later inflict on
himself during his Hong Kong heyday, gives an appealing performance
as Jerry. Chan's Jerry is one of those guys who are so likeable you
can't help but root for. Chan also choreographed the movie's many
fight sequences, infusing his brand of kung fu comedy into the
action, making the fights sometimes seem almost like violent ballets
rather than standard fisticuffs.
Alas, this was 1980, and if Jackie Chan's
English is poor now, it was downright awful back then. As a result,
Jackie's dialogue is occasionally obscured by his thick accent,
making whatever he's trying to say a mystery to the viewer.
(Although characters in the film seem to understand him just fine,
probably because they read the script.) Of the supporting cast,
veteran actor Mako turns in a good performance as Jerry's martial
arts instructor, and Jose Ferrer, before his days as Emperor Shaddam
IV in David Lynch's "Dune",
is serviceable as gangster Domenici. Another highlight is the score
by Lalo Schifrin, which adds a nice dose of atmosphere to the
proceedings.
"Battle Creek Brawl" is one of those rare
instances in which an actor practically saves a picture all by his
little lonesome. Although the movie have problems so big you'd have
to be Helen Keller to miss them, Chan nevertheless makes them easy
to ignore with his affable performance and natural athleticism.
While "Battle Creek Brawl" was considered a commercial failure in
the West, it still gave Joe Q. Public an introduction to a unique
martial arts talent, one that would have to wait almost two decades
to finally find mainstream acceptance in the States.
|
