I had to have seen it sometime in the late 90's and I think it was about these kids trying to solve a puzzle that involved taking a metal spiked ball out of a cage.
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The setting might have been a small town in the USA.
I thought that the guy was played by John Travolta, and I recall seeing his name in the credits, but I couldn't find anything listed like that on IMDB or YouTube, and my Google-fu is not strong like Bruce Lee.
Sounds like Cop Out with Bruce Willis Only he wasn't drunk just overly self-confident.
The strangest thing just happened.