I've read reviews from a number of people who were fans of Jackie Chan before he was well known in the west, that express disappointment that Rumble in the Bronx is the film that finally made Chan a household name in America, because they feel the film is quite a come-down from the "Police Story" films that formed the main link between Chan and his past before making this film.
I must strongly disagree. Yes - the Anglo actors aren't very good; the plot is silly at times; the dialog is weak, some of the characters are unbelievable.
But there's seems no question that the stunt-work is excellent, and the fight scenes are excellent - these really form the reason for making the film in the first place.
Furthermore, I think that, of all the protagonists he's played, Chan's character here is the closest to being a true hero of the highest caliber - incorruptible, unstoppable, compassionate, smart - if all our heroes were like this, this would be a different world; if we were all like this, it would be heaven.
And I'm not getting all that ironic here - I sincerely mean that Chan returns a kind of virtuous character to the silver screen, that hasn't been seen for a very long time.
Consequently, despite occasional violence, I would not stop children from seeing this film - I would encourage them to do so. They can learn a lot about ethics and character from watching this film - and that is actually quite remarkable, to be able to say that of a Martial Arts film.
