The Big Brawl (1980) on Netflix
In 1930s Chicago, Jerry Kwan fights back when mobsters shake down his father's restaurant. The gang then seizes his brother's fiancée to force him into a no-rules street tournament in Texas.
- Netflix3.1/5
- IMDb5.7/106,451 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes67%
Trailer
Plot summary
Jerry Kwan, a martial artist, lives in 1930s Chicago with Nancy, his girlfriend, and the rest of his family. His father runs a restaurant, and when mobsters arrive to demand a cut of the takings, Jerry chases them down and brawls with them in the street. Word of his fighting reaches the mob boss Dominici, who needs someone to beat Billy Kiss, the champion of his rival Morgan. Dominici's men abduct the fiancée of Jerry's brother to make him compete in the Battle Creek Brawl, an all-in street fighting competition held in Texas. The gang offers to release the woman and hand over the prize money if Jerry comes out on top. Jerry's uncle Herbert, an eccentric chiropractor, trains him for opponents who are bigger and stronger.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Big Brawl (1980)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Jackie Chan took The Big Brawl during a self-imposed exile in America, after director Lo Wei, who was said to have Triad connections, threatened him for breaking a contract. Triad-linked actor Jimmy Wang Yu interceded to settle the dispute, and Chan resumed his Hong Kong career in 1982.
- Robert Clouse rejected Jackie Chan's idea to flip out of a car for a scene, wanting him to simply walk from the car to his father's restaurant. Chan protested that no one would pay money to see Jackie Chan walk, and blamed his lack of freedom to choreograph for the film's failure.
- To help American audiences warm to Jackie Chan, producer Weintraub filled the cast with American actors: José Ferrer, Mako, Playboy Playmate Kristine DeBell and The Godfather actor Lenny Montana. It backfired, because Chan's weak English left him struggling to find chemistry with his co-stars.
