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Audio Format: DD 2.0 Stereo Video Format: Widescreen 1.85:1 Languages: Mandarin Subtitles: English, Chinese (T) Region Code: ALL Year Made: 1980 Running Time: 85
Set in the USA in the 1930s, the Battle Creek Brawl is an all-out, no-holds-barred fight contest which offers a huge cash prize to the winner. Jerry Kwan (Jackie Chan) must fight in the contest in order to free his brother's fiancee who has been kidnapped by the mob. To win, he must defeat the opposing mob's best fighter, Les Kiss.
As an avid Jackie Chan fan who had yet to see Battle Creek Brawl, it came as a pleasant surprise to see that his first Hollywood crossover, which had been a box office failure was filled with Jackie's distinctive physical humor, great fights (considering who his opponents were), and an easily digestible story.
Not so convincingly set in the 1920's, Battle Creek Brawl begins with a vicious prize fight that a hulking leftover from the early eighties professional wrestling circuit wins. Kiss, named for kissing his "victims" after beating the life out of them is being groomed for the Battle Creek Brawl, a no-holds barred slugfest held in Texas. We're then introduced to Jerry Kwan (Jackie Chan), a free-spirited young bruiser in Chicago who successfully fends off mobsters attempting to extort money from his father, a restaurant owner. He's noticed by the mob boss who decides to use Jerry as his fighter for the Brawl. Jerry's reluctance to sign up is quelled when his brother's girlfriend, fresh off the boat from China is kidnapped by the gangsters. To get her back, he has to win the competition, so he enlists the aid of his wily master, played with flair by the delightful Mako. Jerry is a sure winner as the Brawl begins until a minor plot by a rival mobster threatens to turn Jerry into cutlets. Of course, he ends up on top and finishes off Kiss, appropriately with a kiss.
This was Jackie Chan's first film produced in the United States in cooperation with Raymond Chow of Golden Harvest. It was a rough time for Jackie who was not adjusting to Hollywood filmmaking while Robert Clouse and his "slow" moving stunt team were not providing the best venue for Jackie's unique skills. In addition, he was waiting for trouble with director Lo Lieh and the triads to blow over back in Hong Kong. Actor Jimmy Wang Yu would come to his aid. In the meantime, Jackie was working on his English and trying his best to create a Hollywood breakthrough. Battle Creek Brawl did not provide this opportunity, but it can't be blamed on Jackie. The only thing that makes it work is his bubbling charm and potent skills which shine through the improbable circumstances found within the film.
Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon) makes a mockery of the period setting by paying very little attention to costumes and props. You'll have no problem spotting bellbottom jeans or "modern" roller skating gear. The plot is thinner than most Taiwanese kung fu pics and most noticeably glosses over the kidnapping of the Chinese girl. This is the whole reason Chan goes to fight and he ends up giving the mobster responsible a thumbs up at the end, before he's even set her free! At least Lalo Schifrin's Ennio Morricone-inspired score both compliments the intended era and adds an appropriate tone to Jackie's high jinx.
  
  
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