Member paimeifist Posted August 19, 2014 Member Share Posted August 19, 2014 Just watched this as recommended by Morgoth. Very solid film that definitely stands out from others from its time. For one, the tone is very gritty and dark, though there is a bit of humor mixed in to decent effect. The fighting is also very realistic looking, fans of Sammo/Jackie would love this movie. Actually, I'd say anyone on this forum would really enjoy this movie. Bruce Li showed some good kicks, and had a decent performance over all actually, I actually want to look into him now, lol. I may not consider this movie one of the greatest, but I am sure it is one of the most under rated. I usually wouldn't watch a movie like this unless it was included in one of those collection DVDs, but I am glad I sought this one out. I haven't tried to get into Bruceploitation yet. While this is not that at all, would it be worth checking that stuff out to see some more Bruce Li? As far as this movie gos, the guy was legitimate! I got the East West DVD that comes with revenge of the fury(yet to watch that, if I do), it is a fullscreen VHS print, the video quality is watchable and the sound is clear enough. There is only a scene or two that are a little too dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted August 19, 2014 Member Share Posted August 19, 2014 Glad you liked this one. It does manage to standout in this genre as something unique. I LOVE this movie. I'd even put it ahead of great movies like SPL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted August 20, 2014 Author Member Share Posted August 20, 2014 Well I don't like rating, but this was a great one for sure! Honestly, having watched SPL just a day before this, there are some similarities here. I will definitely be revisiting this one, solid flick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted August 20, 2014 Member Share Posted August 20, 2014 Glad you liked this one. It does manage to standout in this genre as something unique. I LOVE this movie. I'd even put it ahead of great movies like SPL. Easily. It may be my favorite Bruce Li flick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted August 20, 2014 Member Share Posted August 20, 2014 paimeifist did I throw you off at all with those weird descriptions of the movie from the EVG DVD? Check out Killer Constable from the same director as Iron Dragon. I'm hoping they release this one remastered in the US one day. My favorite Shaw Brothers movie. For more Bruce li check out Return of the Tiger. It has an amazing dojo scene. And the finale is unforgettable. A few more are Bruce and the Iron Finger, Counter Attack, Chinese Connection 2 and The Lama Avenger. I think the only one I haven't seen is Deadly Strike, and I've heard it's a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Bus Posted August 20, 2014 Member Share Posted August 20, 2014 Killer Constable is good. Actually have a really good version a friend put together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted August 20, 2014 Member Share Posted August 20, 2014 Killer Constable is good. Actually have a really good version a friend put together You are a lucky man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yakuza954 Posted August 20, 2014 Member Share Posted August 20, 2014 Bruce Li showed some good kicks, and had a decent performance over all actually, I actually want to look into him now, lol. The final fight between Sze-Ma "Shaking Eagle" Lung and Bruce Li in the Chinese Stuntman is just as epic as The Iron Dragon Strikes Back finale. Definitely check that out, along with The Lama Avenger, Bruce and the Iron Hand and Soul Brothers of Kung Fu. Here's something I wrote about Bruce Li a while back: Yes, I understand the complaints against Bruce Li. One, he made Bruceploitation movies--many of bad quality--and two, he didn't blow you away with his on-screen physical abilities the way someone like Bruce Lee did. However, he was a versatile actor who was able to rise above the Bruceploitation genre and make entertaining movies like The Ming Patriots, The Lama Avenger, The Iron Dragon Strikes Back, or as lead actor and director in The Chinese Stuntman. If there's also one thing that I regret about old school martial arts movies, it was that there were only a small number of films made in a contemporary setting. I always thought the contemporary, urban setting provided a breath of fresh air compared to the seemingly endless number of bland fields used in the period films. I owe it to Bruce Li for making the best films in this particular sub-genre. I mean, who can forget the surreal ending in Bruce Li's apartment at the end of The Iron Dragon Strikes Back in which Philip Ko attacks Bruce Li with an axe? Or later on when the fight has even destroyed the lights in the house and the only form of light during the fight comes through the flash from the camera? How about the finale of the Chinese Stuntman, when after destroying the movie set and fighting for such a long time, the Sze Ma Lung and Bruce Li fight gets more and more sloppy and both start gasping for air? That kind of realism is rare in a 70's martial arts films and his films include many examples like that. Films like The Lama Avenger, The Iron Dragon Strikes Back and The Chinese Stuntman also included unique scenes that parodied the very movie industry they were a part of. In The Chinese Stuntman, there's a hilarious scene where a director's falling asleep on set, and The Lama Avenger feels all-too-real when his character's movie fame grows so much it distances him from his best friends. All these examples show Bruce Li films were much more than just Bruceploitation and in the Soul Brothers of Kung Fu -- rather than rip off Bruce -- his character pays homage by saying he wants to change the martial arts world the same way Bruce did. Okay, so I hope Li is not remembered as the guy who copied Bruce Lee, or fought gorillas in Indonesia (Bruce Li The Invincible, anyone?), but as the guy who in his truly good movie roles went toe toe toe with Chang Yi in The Ming Patriots, fought for his life against an Philip Ko's actor/assassin in The Iron Dragon Strikes Back, and teamed up with his crippled friend to oust Lee Hoi San in The Lama Avenger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted August 20, 2014 Member Share Posted August 20, 2014 i haven't watched this in ages, this is going back to the 80's. Do you rate it better than the chinese stuntman? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted August 20, 2014 Member Share Posted August 20, 2014 It's films like Iron Dragon Strikes Back that make me wonder how Ho Chung Tao's career would have turned out if he'd passed on the Bruce Lee exploitation flicks. Or at least had more control over some of his earlier movies. IDSTB and Chinese Stuntman both deserve a better DVD release with restored picture and sound. I was never a huge fan of Ho Chung Tao but Ive slowly changed my opinion of him over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted August 20, 2014 Member Share Posted August 20, 2014 i haven't watched this in ages, this is going back to the 80's. Do you rate it better than the chinese stuntman? CS has better pacing, and is probably more entertaining. But IDSB is more of a "movie." Love the ending because it's not your typical happy ever after story! That would be cool if they made a "Bruceploitation" Expendables. I guess Clones of Bruce Lee almost counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shukocarl Posted August 20, 2014 Member Share Posted August 20, 2014 I always dreamt of an "Expendables" type film featuring Bruce Li, Wang Yu, Jim Kelly, Ron Van Clief, Ti Lung, Chen Hsing Sonny Chiba, Kurata,,,,all the good guys from the 70's In a great all action battle at the end....sigh....It would have been awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Morgoth Bauglir Posted August 21, 2014 Member Share Posted August 21, 2014 i haven't watched this in ages, this is going back to the 80's. Do you rate it better than the chinese stuntman? Iron Dragon is my favorite Bruce Li movie by far, but there are lots of other good ones. I enjoyed Chinese Stuntman, especially the fight between Shaking Eagle and Dan Inosanto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cognoscente Posted May 1, 2021 Member Share Posted May 1, 2021 In the VCD version of IDSB, there is a detective character played by Chin Chun. This man looks like Dennis Chun, who played Sergeant Duke Lukela in the Hawaii Five-O reboot. Coincidentally, the actress who played Amy in IDSB had appeared in the original Hawaii Five-O. She was in a Season 9 episode titled Nine Dragons (circa 1976). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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