Based on 8 votes and 3 reviews.
Brilliant old school Kung fu meets the Mob. Back in the day New York city had two fascinating cultural phenomenon that captured the public imagination, one was Kung Fu culture brought by cats like Bruce Lee to America. The other was the new york city mob. In Made in Chinatown you will see the intersection of these two worlds in a hilarious and touching cross over of a classic rock em sock em kungfu Flic paired with an off the wall mob story which ties together all of the major crime families active in the 70s and 80s. If you dig Kung fu and mob comedy, you can't miss this.
I started the film expecting standard action movie fare; uniquely, this time, with kung fu and Mafiosi. But I was soon drawn in to a film about self-identity, culture, the struggles to be an outsider in America, and the tales we tell ourselves about how or why we find love or are worthy of it. Yes, the action is on-point. Yes, the wiseguys are terrific. Raymond Barry stands out as a crooked commissioner with absurd lines. Jay Kwon in the lead is an unexpected gem. And Emmanuel Brown as Lawrence steals all his scenes. Without a doubt this film deserves more attention, and focus on what it is really about. The rest is to entertain our way through eh message.
It wasn't until the 2nd watching that I started seeing all the Easter eggs in this film. Twisted lines from The Godfather, Donnie Brasco, Goodfellas, Bruce Lee, Zen and more. Images and props from other films. The writer did a great job smashing stereotypes by directing fun at them, not playin on them. He actors played their parts straight, with silly dialogue. I think this is the first time these two genres have been mixed, and at the core is a story of self-identity and love. Really good. Not a 10, but sure to be a Cult Classic and a study for film students for decades to come.