Battle Creek Brawl (1980)

Battle Creek Brawl was Chan's first film in America. Along with The Protector, it didn't really bring much success for Chan in America, which was his intention. They were both considered flops (I think). But still, the duels and matches are great fun. The setting is also nicely done. 3.0.

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If you've seen some of Chan's films, this is quite a disappointment. The story isn't bad, just the kind of entertainment we see in many films by Van Damme, Stallone, Seagal, and co. It's all about the action, of course. With Chan, that's combined with the necessary humor. The humor works reasonably well. The fight scenes, however, are a bit less impressive. The majority of it is just American Wrestling, and that's not exactly my thing. It's a shame Chan wasn't allowed to direct his own action scenes. Still, there are quite a few scenes with typical Chan elements, like fighting with equipment around him. The man had already worked his way up well in Hong Kong, and we get even more top-notch material in the 80s. Anyone wanting to get to know Chan certainly shouldn't do so through his American films. It wasn't until 1995 with Rumble in the Bronx that he would definitively break through in the US. Also highly recommended, but definitely watch his Hong Kong films. Battle Creek Brawl is a fun B-movie. Good for the fans, but not representative of his work.

Translated from Dutch · View original

Revised on Blu-ray by 88Films. His first attempt to break through in Hollywood, after he had to go into hiding there more or less following his breach of contract with Lo Wei, who sent the Chinese Mafia (Triads) after him. Moreover, he was fed up with Wei wanting to portray him as the new Bruce Lee. Ironically, American director Clouse was also only familiar with Bruce Lee. Many of the Enter the Dragon crew were called upon, from producer Weintraub and stunt coordinator Pat Johnson to composer Lalo Schifrin.

As usual, the story is nothing special; in fact, it ends with a plot hole because, after the tournament, you don't even find out whether the kidnapped bride-to-be has actually been freed. The 1930s gangster vibe in Chicago is nice enough, although little is done with it. The fights don't come across well either; Chan had to constantly hold back because the wrestlers (Hard Boiled Haggerty as Billy Kiss was already 55 here) and Western stuntmen weren't used to the speed, timing, and rhythm of Hong Kong, resulting in everything looking like it was in slow motion. The roller skating competition was a fun addition; three years later, he put his roller skates back on in Winners and Sinners. The soundtrack wasn't my cup of tea—a lame 70s tune with a whistle.

In terms of the cast, we see quite a few familiar faces. Lenny Montana reprises his role as Luca Brasi from The Godfather, we know Mako as the wizard from the Conan films, Kristine DeBell starred in Alice in Wonderland and also posed nude for Playboy, and Pat Johnson was one of the debt collectors who attacked Roper on the golf course in Enter the Dragon.

All in all, a rather weak film from Chan's career; he also rightly prefers to avoid this subject in interviews.

Translated from Dutch · View original