Rapid Fire

The kicks and jinks are high in this jolly martial arts movie. Jake Lo (Lee), brought up in the States, is briefly at Tiananmen Square when his Chinese father, working for the US Government, is run over by a tank. Back at college in the States, he angrily refuses to endorse the Democracy movement (the depiction of Chinese immigrants is thoughtful and unstereotypical), then witnesses a Mafia hit against a Chinese drug baron. He chops his way outta that one, but the FBI want him to testify, and suddenly everyone's on his tail... The fight scenes are brilliant, and though Lee lacks the animal grace of his father Bruce or the comic skills of Jackie Chan, he has cheerful wit and timing, plus the bod of a Chippendale. Like a good spring roll, this is crisp, tasty, and full of good things.