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48 reviews in total

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15 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Standard story but great martial arts action, 15 February 2002
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

Jake Lo lives in America having seen his father killed in Tiananmen Square during protests. He is embittered about taking a stand for anything and believes his father died for nothing. However while at a fund raiser he sees mobster Serrano kill a Chinese drug dealer and finds himself in the witness protection programme with the FBI. However when `FBI' agents try to kill him he finds himself on the run not knowing who to trust. He eventually finds himself with a Chicago cop Ryan who will do anything to get to Serrano's boss Tau.

This is an excellent little martial arts film mainly due to the involvement of the late Brandon Lee. The story never really gets above the usual B-movie fare of guns and gangsters. There is some clever stuff with occasions where we and Lee never know who to trust, but for most of the way the story is simply an excuse for a huge amount of fight scenes. Lee has plenty of skills, he doesn't rely on wire work for spectacle but here he has a mix of his father's style and Chan's ability to use everyday items. The fights are well handled and all his moves are clear to see, making it all the more interesting to watch.

Lee is excellent here, he's really fit and has movie star looks. His performance is perhaps more thoughtful than you'd expect, but the real skill is his fight scenes which he handles well. Of the rest of the cast Powers Booth and Tzi Ma stand out.

A great little martial arts film. Not a fantastic story but the fight scenes are really well handled.

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14 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Brandon Lee: Arse-kicking under-grad, 12 May 2005

Author: AwesomeWolf from Australia

'Rapid Fire' goes down as one of my favourite Brandon Lee movies, joining 'Showdown in Little Tokyo', 'Laser Mission', and 'The Crow'. Oh wait. Yeah, I'm just a Brandon Lee fan boy. Brandon was awesome. 'Rapid Fire' is awesome.

Brandon plays Jake Lo, a college student majoring in arse-kicking. Jake witnesses the murder of a drug-lord by mafia boss Antonio Serrano (Nick Mancuso). Jake is put under the Witness Protection Program for a whole of five minutes before discovering that the agents supposed to protect him are, in fact, on Serrano's payroll. Jake has no choice but to team up with Chicago cop Mace Ryan (Powers Boothe) and kick some gangster arse. Awesome.

Right from the start, 'Rapid Fire' is pretty much a showcase for Brandon Lee's martial-arts abilities. He was awesome on-screen in this, as in his other movies, and could pull off some really cool action scenes. Apparently Brandon was a fan of Jackie Chan, and it shows in this: Brandon uses easily recognizable stunts and fights from 'Police Story' (among other movies) and does them just as well as Jackie Chan did originally.

You won't find any semblance of a plot in this. 'Rapid Fire' is an action movie, the only difference between this and any other action movie is that Brandon played a college student instead of any usual action hero type. Naturally, this college student also knows how to kick butt, so there goes any developed plot, in favour of Brandon Lee kicking arse. Awesome.

Simply, 'Rapid Fire' is an awesome action movie. Brandon Lee rocked, may he rest in peace - 9/10

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15 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
Showcase, 29 August 2004

Author: dee.reid from United States

We'll never know what Brandon Lee, who was the son of the late martial arts legend Bruce Lee, would be capable of in Hollywood since he, like his father, died before the peek of his fame, and subsequently a mass following has been built in his memory.

Bruce Lee died just weeks before the American premiere of his last completed film "Enter the Dragon" in 1973. Consequently, Lee had also been working on the "Game of Death" before his passing, which we would later see, meticulously reconstructed (as Lee had intended), in John Little's touching and poignant documentary "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey."

Brandon was slain by a stunt gun while filming a scene in his last movie, 1994's "The Crow." Using careful CGI techniques, the filmmakers were able to successfully gather enough footage of Lee's performance to complete the film. Lee haunted every frame of Alex Proyas' dark and deeply affecting film, which was the adaptation of James O'Barr's popular comic book character.

Brandon, like his father, was also a talented performer - actor and martial artist. However, if one were looking for Brandon's acting talents, look at "The Crow," as you will not see much of him using martial arts. If one were looking to see him using those martial arts talents, and the best showcase for those talents, look no further than 1992's "Rapid Fire."

"Rapid Fire," from the beginning, has a very flimsy plot, as Lee plays a Chicago art student who witnesses the gangland murder of a South Asian drug lord by Italian mobsters. Lee can't trust anyone, as he's forced to go on the run from gangsters (Asian and Italian), cops, and other corrupt law enforcement officials. It seems that he can only find comfort and protection through his martial arts skills and an independent Chicago police unit headed by a grizzled cop (Powers Boothe).

As stated before, you should only watch "Rapid Fire" for Brandon Lee's martial arts skills, as this is really the best place to see them; you're not going to find them in "The Crow." Brandon did the best that he could with this role and just went with it.

Brandon, like his father, passed on before true success would reign in on him. Like Bruce and "Enter the Dragon," Brandon and his last film "The Crow," will be forever remembered by fans and cinema-goers alike in years to come.

I'm not really sure where "Rapid Fire" would stand in Brandon's short-lived career, other than it was a showcase for his fighting talents. "Rapid Fire" is decent, certainly not perfect, but very fun to watch nonetheless.

7/10

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11 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Brandon's star rises, 22 May 2000

Author: Neo-212 from Kentucky

This was Brandon Lee's second american made movie (Showdown In Little Tokyo was the first) and the film where you could see Brandon was starting his ascent up the action hero ladder. With each film Brandon's martial arts skills improved and in this movie he really shines. Not to mention his acting ability as well. He proved in this movie that he had what it takes to be a star. He incorporated some Hong Kong style action similar to Jackie Chan's films into this movie. An example is a terrific sequence in a small apartment where Lee takes on several bad guys armed with guns and he takes them out with his hands, feet, kitchen utensils, refrigerator doors, etc. Powers Boothe also does a great job as tired cop and Nick Mancuso plays the main villain very superb. The Crow was Brandon Lee's best movie but Rapid Fire displays his fighting skills the best. Definitely a must for action fans!

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12 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Brandon's best martial arts picture, 14 April 2002
Author: abentenjo from Swindon, UK

Bruce's son gets the Hollywood B-movie treatment in this all-out action fest that stands as one of his better pictures, featuring a roguish yet charming Brandon fighting like his father in scenes that frankly appear out of place in an American action picture of its time. Thankfully, Brandon neglects the deadly stares and patriotic words of his father and offers us a totally different image altogether: Brandon is hip-talking, cool, equipped with an attractive physique and razor-sharp kung fu. He plays Jake Lo, a bike-riding Chinese-American who gets himself caught up in a plight to bring to justice a mighty drug trafficker after he witnesses him murder a client. Soon Jake is enlisted to be used as bait in the police's attempts to root out the drug lord. Throw in a load of gunfights and fisticuffs and we have quite a meaty actioner on our hands, complete with Hong Kong-style choreography supervised by Brandon himself (the best example being a classy little battle with midget-stuntman Al Leong). Rapid Fire did prove to be Brandon's big break, and it's through his uniquely charismatic and exciting performance here that makes us acknowledge his early death with an even greater tinge of sadness.

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9 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Fast Kung Fu Action, 29 January 2005

Author: mjw2305 from England

Jake (Brandon Lee) gets caught up between feuding drug lords and witnesses a killing, making him Mace Ryan's (Powers Boothe's) new best friend.

While helping the cops with their investigations, he becomes more than a witness, he becomes the man to save the day.

Packed with Gunfights and Great Kung Fu, this movie is a must for fans of the genre. After Showdown in little Tokyo and preceding the Crow, this was sadly Brandons pen-ultimate movie and he is, like his father a big loss to the movie world.

For Brandon Lee fans, or indeed Kung Fu Movie Fans, this is a must see.

Rest in peace Brandon, your public misses you.

7/10

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Good movie with great action!, 5 June 2004

Author: Movie Nuttball from U.S.A.

One of Brandon Lee's best films is Rapid Fire! Powers Boothe, Nick Mancuso, Tony Longo, Tzi Ma, Kate Hodge, Al Leong also star! The action is very good in this movie and in fact in My opinion its some of the neatest fighting action in a movie! The music is by composer Christopher Young which it is a very different score! The acting in the film is solid. Brandon Lee did a lot in this film and his fights with Tony Long and Al Leong were very good! I think that Lee had a potential to be a huge star because this film proves it! If you like big time action in a film with martial arts and are a fan of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean Claude Van-Damme, Bolo Yeung, Michel Qissi, and Jet Li and want to see Brandon Lee and Powers Boothe in different performances then Rapid Fire is a good one to watch!

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
An amazing action movie, 6 February 2001

Author: Mason-24

I saw this once when I was about 10 years old and ever since that I have been a huge Brandon Lee fan, and since the first time I watched it I have seen this movie over and over again and I never seem to get bored of it. Everything about this film is good, especially the seemingly non-stop action and Brandon Lee's amazing martial arts skills which he displays very well. Another part of this movie is the incredible acting.....both from Brandon Lee and the supporting actor Powers Boothe(Mace Ryans) . This is one of those films that stick out and it's one of those films which you can just watch over and over again and never get bored of. When you see a normal action film you notice that the acting and the plot are rather weak however in Rapid Fire everything is strong and enjoyable....the plot, the acting and of course the action. Many people have said that Rapid Fire is slightly tacky and corny, well all I can say is what do you expect from an action movie made in 1992?

This is an amazing film which really sticks out and leaves a mark, and Brandon Lee is excellent and not to mention funny and his sarcasm and strange sense of humor is a fresh change from the usual wooden and hollow action heroes. This is one of my favorite movies of all time and if you're a Brandon Lee fan such as myself this is truly unmissable.

9 out of 10

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
THE SON ALSO RISES., 26 August 1999
Author: ALAN MOUNT from CARDIFF, WALES

Brandon Lee is nothing short of electric in this movie and I suspect that had he lived he would have alternated movies like this with more esoteric fare like "THE CROW." He had the potential to be a bigger star than his father as he was a better actor and was more vulnerable in his portrayal of a fighting hero therefore making him appeal to both sexes.Women tend not to be great Bruce Lee fans. The action in this movie is explosive and well choreographed and for this credit should go to Lee's friend Jeff Imada whose name you will find on the credits of most movies and t.v.shows that feature martial arts action.Powers Boothe is his usual reliable self in his cop role and if faults are to be found with "RAPID FIRE" they are that the villains are not memorable nor do they offer a great threat to Lee and the leading lady is just used as window dressing.However,Dwight Little as director delivers the goods here and the film is an good companion piece to his exhilarating Steven Seagal actioner "MARKED FOR DEATH." made the previous year.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
An Example Of Lee's Potential Exemplified Here, 21 January 2008

Author: waiching liu from London, England, UK

It was a huge blow when the news of Brandon Lee's death made headlines in the mid 1990s. The fact that the guy never managed to fulfil his opportunities as a successful action movie star and follow in the footsteps of his dad in that particular sense was tragic, considering just how good he was on screen. Showdown In Little Tokyo was a C-list martial arts epic, whilst The Crow- Brandon's very last movie he had starred in, was a horror movie, which whilst his martial arts skills were relatively limited, he still manage to display his acting graft as well as to show that he can act, in addition to kicking arse.

Rapid Fire came out in 1992 amidst his previous effort, his collaboration with Dolph Lundgren entitled: 'Showdown in Little Tokyo', which was released the year before. In this movie, Brandon plays art student Jake Lo, who witnesses a murder and afterwards, finds himself on the run from a gang of evil drug lords, as well as a bunch of two-faced, backstabbing cops, of whom are enlisted and supposed to protect Jake but who turn out to be doing the dirty work for the bad guys. Thankfully, he has a good cop on his side and together, the pair, despite their dislike for one another, work together to bring them to justice.

American martial arts films tend to be rather forgettable, run-of-the mill type of movies compared to the Hong Kong, Kung Fu-based flicks, but Rapid Fire in contrast is one of the much better efforts. It is action-packed, explosive and Brandon is not that bad of a fighter. He is exceedingly good and manages to combine his late father's trademark moves and aggression with Jackie Chan's athleticism, and his fast and frenetic movements. Another leaf he has taken out of his text book is when he takes an object and smashes it on his opponents head, for example.

This is a good martial arts movie; alas, it is a glimpse of how great Brandon was and how great could have been and how far his career might have gone- had he still been alive today

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