The Big Brawl

The Big Brawl, (Chinese: 殺手壕) also known as Battle Creek Brawl, is a 1980 martial arts film[1][2] which marked Jackie Chan's first attempt to break into the American movie market. A joint Hong Kong and American production, it was directed by Robert Clouse and featured much of the crew from Enter the Dragon.

The Big Brawl
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Clouse
Produced byRaymond Chow
Fred Weintraub
Written byRobert Clouse
StarringJackie Chan
José Ferrer
Kristine DeBell
Mako
David Sheiner
Rosalind Chao
Music byLalo Schifrin
CinematographyRobert C. Jessup
Edited byGeorge Grenville
Distributed byGolden Harvest (Hong Kong)
Warner Bros. (U.S.)
Release date
  • 10 September 1980 (1980-09-10) (U.S.)
  • 16 October 1980 (1980-10-16) (Hong Kong)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryHong Kong
United States
LanguageEnglish
Box officeUS$20.6 million (est.)

The film is set primarily in Chicago, Illinois in the 1930s (although it was shot in Texas) and follows Chan's character, a Chinese American martial artist, as he single-handedly takes on the Mafia. The film featured an appearance from Lenny Montana, who had famously played Luca Brasi in The Godfather.

While a moderate success in North America and Hong Kong, The Big Brawl was a disappointment as it performed below expectations in these markets, though it went on to have more success in other Asian and European markets. The film's disappointing performance in North America, however, led to Chan being advised to try supporting roles such as the Japanese racing car driver in The Cannonball Run. Chan later made another attempt to break into the American market with 1985's The Protector, which suffered the same fate as this film. It was not until 1995 with Rumble in the Bronx that a Chan film showcasing his signature humor and stunt-work was a hit in American theaters.

Plot

Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Jerry Kwan (Jackie Chan) leads a very easy-going life with his girlfriend, Nancy (Kristine DeBell), and his family. His father owns a restaurant, and one day, he is threatened by the mob to pay a part of his profits. As the mob exits, Jerry enters the scene and rushes out the door to catch up with them. He answers back by taking them on and eventually catches the eye of the mob for his unique and talented fighting abilities. In effect, he is forced to join the Battle Creek Brawl fight in Texas. The mob promises to return his brother's fiancèe and give him the prize money as long as Jerry wins the tournament. He gets help from his uncle, a kung-fu teacher, to train him for the Battle Creek Brawl. They focus on Jerry's speed and agility as he must fight very tough opponents, one of them including Billy Kiss (H.B. Haggerty), the big, bulky, unbeatable winner from previous battles who kisses his opponents after they are defeated.

Cast

Production

In an interview with Chan on the region 2 DVD, Chan discusses the differences between Chinese and American styles of action. In his early US films, The Big Brawl and The Protector (1985), Chan had to perform the typical American fight sequences involving punches, kicks and doing few takes, all the way to the end of the action scene. It was not until Rumble in the Bronx (1995) that Chan was allowed to use more of his preferred action style, in which he works together with his stunt team and co-stars. It was also then that he was able to do as many takes as he needed in order to capture the sequences adequately.[3]

In his autobiography I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, Chan relates one scene in the production in which Robert Clouse was not interested in Chan's idea, which was to flip out of a car. Clouse wanted Chan to simply walk from the car to his father's restaurant. Chan responded, "No one will pay money to see Jackie Chan walk!", and felt that the lack of freedom to choreograph sequences the way he wanted underlined the reason for the film's failure.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 67% based on reviews from six critics.[4] Variety magazine gave it a generally favorable review at the time, calling it "an amusing chopsocky actioner whose appeal is not limited to the usual audience for this genre."[5]

Box office

The Big Brawl opened on August 29, 1980, on 231 North American screens. In its opening weekend, it grossed US$1,108,025 ($4,792 per screen), topping the weekend box office.[6] By October 1980 (upon its release in England), the film had grossed US$9 million in the United States, making it a commercial success there.[7] It ranked among the year's top 40 highest-grossing films in North America,[8] and its US gross is equivalent to US$29 million adjusted for inflation in 2018.[9] However, it was ultimately a disappointment to distributor Warner Brothers, who were expecting an Enter the Dragon sized hit.

In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$5,776,530[10] (US$1,160,878).[11] This made it the year's second top-grossing film at the Hong Kong box office, and was higher than Enter the Dragon which had grossed HK$3.3 million in Hong Kong.[12] However, the film's performance in Hong Kong was considered a disappointment to Golden Harvest.[13]

The film had more success in other international markets. In Taiwan, it grossed NT$8,546,008 (US$212,587) from 296,931 admissions, becoming the second top-grossing film of 1980.[14][15] In South Korea, it was also the second top-grossing film of 1980 (behind Jackie Chan's The Young Master), with 233,674 admissions in Seoul,[16][17] equivalent to an estimated ₩467,348,000[18] (US$769,931).[19] In Japan, it grossed ¥940 million[20] (US$4.3 million).[21] In France, where the film released as Le Chinois on February 18, 1981, it was the 24th highest-grossing film of 1981 with 1,510,009 admissions,[22] equivalent to an estimated €4,077,024[23] (US$4,688,376).[24] In Germany, where it released on March 1, 1981, it was the 43rd highest-grossing film of 1981 with 174,967 box office admissions,[25] equivalent to an estimated €437,418[23] (US$479,574).[26] Combined, the film's total estimated worldwide box office gross was approximately US$20,611,346 (equivalent to US$64 million adjusted for inflation).

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See also

References
  1. "The Big Brawl (1980)". www.allmovie.com. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  2. "The Big Brawl". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. Battlecreek Brawl, Jackie Chan interview (DVD featurette) (DVD). Hong Kong Legends, UK.1980 (film), 2001 (DVD)
  4. "The Big Brawl (Battle Creek Brawl)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  5. "The Big Brawl". Variety. December 31, 1979. Retrieved 2012-05-31.
  6. "Weekend Box Office Results for August 29-September 1, 1980". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  7. Sally, James (11 October 1980). "Jackie Chan Interview". Tiswas. Event occurs at 2:24. ITV. London, England. Retrieved November 29, 2018. Now, you got a film out, The Big Brawl. It opens in England next week. It's already taken $9 million in America. Were you surprised at that success? It's incredible.
  8. "1980 Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  9. "Jackie Chan Movie Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2019-05-09. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  10. "The Big Brawl (1980)". Hong Kong Movie DataBase. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  11. "Official exchange rate (HK$ per US$, period average)". World Bank. 1980. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  12. Magnan-Park, Aaron Han Joon; Marchetti, Gina; Tan, See Kam (2018). The Palgrave Handbook of Asian Cinema. Springer. p. 351. ISBN 9781349958221.
  13. Cowie, Peter (1982). International Film Guide. Tantivy Press. p. 157. Golden Harvest's success with Security Unlimited put its international fare, like Battle Creek Brawl (U.K.: The Big Brawl), somewhat to shame with disappointing takings locally.
  14. "1980 Taiwan Box Office". National Chengchi University. 12 April 2001. Archived from the original on 21 April 2001. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  15. "Historical exchange rates (TWD)". fxtop.com. 1983. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  16. "【ジャッキーチェン興行成績】 第10回：韓国での興行収入". KungFu Tube (in Japanese). 5 September 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  17. "영화정보" [Movie Information]. KOFIC (in Korean). Korean Film Council. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  18. Park, Seung Hyun (2000). A Cultural Interpretation of Korean Cinema, 1988-1997. Indiana University. p. 119. Average Ticket Prices in Korea, 1974-1997 [...] * Source: Korea Cinema Yearbook (1997-1998) * Currency: won [...] Foreign [...] 1980 [...] 2,000
  19. "Official exchange rate (KRW per US$, period average)". World Bank. 1980. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  20. "【ジャッキーチェン興行成績】 第12回：日本での興行収入". KungFu Tube (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  21. "Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) - Japan". World Bank. 1980. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  22. "The Big Brawl (1980)". JP's Box-Office. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  23. "Cinema market". Cinema, TV and radio in the EU: Statistics on audiovisual services (Data 1980-2002). Europa (2003 ed.). Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. 2003. pp. 31–64 (61). ISBN 92-894-5709-0. ISSN 1725-4515. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  24. "Historical exchange rates (EUR)". fxtop.com. February 1981. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  25. "The Big Brawl (1980)". JP's Box-Office. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  26. "Historical currency converter (EUR)". fxtop.com. 1 May 1980. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
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