Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted April 24, 2020 Moderator Share Posted April 24, 2020 12 hours ago, Drunken Monk said: One more thing to add: what makes a film Bruceploitation? Technically, Bruce vs The Iron Hand has nothing to do with Bruce Lee other than having Bruce Li in it. If it didn’t mention the name Bruce at all, would it be a “normal” kung fu movie? That my friend, is one of life's great existential questions. Along with - I'd say starting with 'The Gold Connection/Iron Dragon Strikes Back' Bruce Li really made a concerted effort to move away from the Bruce Lee image. The western marketing material of course, didn't. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted April 24, 2020 Moderator Share Posted April 24, 2020 For anyone who's had it up to here with @Drunken Monk's Bruce Li love fest , I recently weighed in with a review of an early effort from everyone's favourite Korean Bruceploitation star, Dragon Lee, in the form of 'Dragon Lee Vs. the 5 Brothers'. Check it out via the link - https://cityonfire.com/dragon-lee-vs-the-5-brothers-aka-the-five-disciples-1978-review-kim-si-hyun-godfather-of-the-korea-kung-fu-movie-bruceploitation/ 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted April 24, 2020 Member Share Posted April 24, 2020 I did post links here to my reviews of Bruce & the Five Brother's, The Big Boss 2, Exit The Dragon Enter the Tiger, Bruce King of Kung Fu and Bruce & Jackie to The Rescue among other's. I think the links and some of the reviews are long gone after the forum black-out?. I've got these all saved, but I feel there's more than enough Bruceploitation write-ups at the moment, with the content other's are posting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted April 24, 2020 Member Share Posted April 24, 2020 Those irked by my girlish excitement over Bruce Li can breathe a sight of relief today as this morning I decided to Enter the Game of Death with Bruce Le. Sadly, things did not go well. So let’s get it out of the way: this film is shit. Now that that’s been said I can kind of understand how some people may find it to be enjoyable shit. I didn’t. I can forgive the hilariously silly plot but it doesn’t make up for that with good action. Sure, there are some enjoyable fights here and there but I found them to be repetitive and yawn worthy. Also, they overdo the Bruce Lee gimmick so much here. Bruce Le does ten times the noises Bruce Lee ever did. It’s actually quite annoying. Lee Hoi San and Chiu Chi Ling are underused and don’t even get me started on the snake dude. Kung fu cinema animal cruelty at its most insane. This one just didn’t do it for me. Would I watch another Bruce Le film? Yes. I don’t think he’s terrible. I think he was just forced into a shtick that doesn’t allow for him to truly shine. I’ll give another one of his a try soon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted April 24, 2020 Moderator Share Posted April 24, 2020 3 hours ago, Drunken Monk said: Those irked by my girlish excitement over Bruce Li can breathe a sight of relief today as this morning I decided to Enter the Game of Death with Bruce Le. No way buddy, keep them coming! 3 hours ago, Drunken Monk said: Would I watch another Bruce Le film? Yes. I don’t think he’s terrible. I think he was just forced into a shtick that doesn’t allow for him to truly shine. I’ll give another one of his a try soon. Moving onto Bruce Le is like taking the risk to go into the next layer of Inception, you're deep into the rabbit hole now, so just make sure you're confident you can get back. A word of advice with Mr. Le - stick with his post-1980 work. His 70's stuff spent wondering around the Philippines and South Korea can get fairly painful. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member saltysam Posted April 24, 2020 Member Share Posted April 24, 2020 I watched Return Of Bruce the other week-by Bruce Le standards i thought that one was ok.I think he only actually played Bruce Lee once i Bruce Lee King Of Kung Fu with Shih Kien- hilarious ending to this one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted April 24, 2020 Member Share Posted April 24, 2020 Fists of Bruce Lee - If every member of this forum offered to Venmo me $500, I still couldn't tell you what this movie was about. I was genuinely confused the entire time. On top of that, I was watching the horribly cropped version on Prime Video which resulted in a good amount of the action being off screen. All in all, it wasn't terrible. I think I might enjoy a widescreen version when I wasn't running on three hours of sleep. The choreography was, at times, on point. Then Lo Lieh comes in at the end to spice things up a little more. Other than it's name and the Enter the Dragon score playing throughout, this is definitely one of Ho Chung Tao's least Bruce Lee-ish efforts. If you want bonkers, try to find something more crazy than a grown woman that plays with dolls. And if you squeeze one of the dolls, it fires metal darts out of its head. At the end of the day, I kind of wanted everyone to shut up and fight in this one. The plot was so convoluted and at not point was it justified. Less chat, more kung fu please. A surprising lack of boobs in this one resulting in the most offensive thing being Robert Kerver's haircut. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted April 24, 2020 Member Share Posted April 24, 2020 Return of the Tiger - How can a film that starts off so strongly wither and die like this!? We open on Angela Mao kicking the shit out of a gymnasium of henchmen. It's beautiful stuff. The ol' Ho Chung Tao pops up and starts talking about hotels, Amsterdam and revenge. After that, we're treated to a painful hour and a half of who's paying who what to kill who when? When the action rolls around (which isn't frequent enough), it's pretty solid. There's even some pretty nifty motorcycle stunt work roughly halfway through. But, once again, it's not enough to make up for the dull plot. On top of that, Angela Mao is criminally underused. While the endings of Hong Chung Tao films usually bring the heat, this one fizzles out. There's really not much to see here, sadly. I mean, it's okay but why settle for okay? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted April 25, 2020 Moderator Share Posted April 25, 2020 8 hours ago, Drunken Monk said: Return of the Tiger - How can a film that starts off so strongly wither and die like this!? Dude I love the fact that your take on the Bruceploitation genre is almost completely the opposite from what most of us experienced. In my experience most fans have to wade through a pile of crap, give up, then years later realise there's actually some decent flicks amongst the rubbish that were written off without a viewing. You're doing things in reverse, starting off with what appear to be the best of the bunch, but are only now beginning to step on the many land mines that litter the genre. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShaolinMapache Posted April 25, 2020 Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 I just watched The Iron Dragon Strikes Back with Bruce Li. I normally don't go for kung fu films with more modern settings but this one was pretty good. Bruce Li and his friends happen into some gold while diving and one of the friends takes it despite Bruce Li's character saying that was a bad idea. The rest of the movie is them being chased by a bunch of thugs. The final fight was amazing with some of the most creative lighting I've seen in a kung fu movie. The thug attacking Bruce Li even has an ice pick and an ax and they show you it's a real ax by slicing a papaya in half with it. His apartment gets totally devastated and it's great to watch. I don't think I'd consider this one a Brucesploitation movie because it had nothing to do with Bruce Lee, just a really enjoyable one that I recommend, it can be found online pretty easily. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member saltysam Posted April 25, 2020 Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 Dragon Dies Hard,He's A Legend, Goodbye Bruce Lee, Bruce Lee Superstar,Bruce Lee Story are early Ho Chung Tao efforts you probably wouldn't be impressed with. I think they are well worth watching though ,if for nothing else to see how much his movies improved in such a short space of time. His WTF movie is Bruce Lee Vs Supermen, another very good movie is the spaghetti western vibe Deadly Strike, 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted April 25, 2020 Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 2 hours ago, saltysam said: Dragon Dies Hard,He's A Legend, Goodbye Bruce Lee, Bruce Lee Superstar,Bruce Lee Story are early Ho Chung Tao efforts you probably wouldn't be impressed with. I think they are well worth watching though ,if for nothing else to see how much his movies improved in such a short space of time. His WTF movie is Bruce Lee Vs Supermen, another very good movie is the spaghetti western vibe Deadly Strike, I intend on watching his earlier stuff, definitely. I just know I might be in store for some lackluster efforts. Now I’m knee deep in Bruceploitation, I want to go all the way to my neck. I’ve heard insane things about Bruce Lee vs Supermen and I’m sure I’ll either love or hate it. I have my fingers crossed it’ll be the former. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted April 25, 2020 Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 10 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: Dude I love the fact that your take on the Bruceploitation genre is almost completely the opposite from what most of us experienced. In my experience most fans have to wade through a pile of crap, give up, then years later realise there's actually some decent flicks amongst the rubbish that were written off without a viewing. You're doing things in reverse, starting off with what appear to be the best of the bunch, but are only now beginning to step on the many land mines that litter the genre. Haha! Yeah, I consider myself lucky to be able to jump into a fresh sub genre after being a fan of kung fu cinema for over twenty years. I’m super thankful for these forums too. Without them I’m sure I’d be watching more duds than gems. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member saltysam Posted April 25, 2020 Member Share Posted April 25, 2020 4 hours ago, Drunken Monk said: I intend on watching his earlier stuff, definitely. I just know I might be in store for some lackluster efforts. Now I’m knee deep in Bruceploitation, I want to go all the way to my neck. I’ve heard insane things about Bruce Lee vs Supermen and I’m sure I’ll either love or hate it. I have my fingers crossed it’ll be the former. Bruce in New Guinea is absolutely bonkers, it's so mad you need a sense of humour to take it for what it is. Terrible comedy, a fighting gorilla, Chen Sing, Bolo,Larry Lee , complete madness. Bruce The Invincible with Chen Sing disguised as Mars is not as mad but still pretty wild. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted April 27, 2020 Member Share Posted April 27, 2020 Another day, another Bruceploitation movie. This time, Bruce Li the Invincible. This movie is absolute dynamite! The pacing is a little off as after the first fight it slows down a lot. But once it kicks into gear it simply does not let up. Fight after fight after fight. Chan Sing, Michael Chan Wai Man and even Mars pops up (via the Shaolin disguise technique) for a few scraps. Then, towards the end, the film goes absolutely bonkers. Ho Chung Tao and Chan Sing fight gorillas and Fung Hak On is part of some sort of...tribe?? To be honest, I was a hundred percent on board for the weird shit. I like the odd moments never caused the fight scenes to dip in quality. Sure, the gorilla fighting wasn't exactly classic shapes but it was still bloody entertaining. The only thing that bored me in this were some of the lengthy rape moments. We get it, the dude's evil. Don't have him force-kiss this woman's neck for twenty minutes. Great film. I can see people thinking this is one of Bruce Li's lesser adventures but I'd disagree. It doesn't have the same quality as some of his top tier movies but the fight choreography is flawless and the silliness makes it a must watch. Sadly, only a full screen version is available on Prime Video. It doesn't hamper the action too much though as most of it is center screen. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted April 27, 2020 Member Share Posted April 27, 2020 Bruce Lee in New Guinea - I understand why people might not care for this movie. From the get go it is crazy. And it does not let up. From start to finish this is one of the most hilariously insane films ever made and I can see how it puts people off. Not for me, though. I enjoyed the sheer batshittery of this movie and, what's more, it has some fantastic fight scenes. They're plentiful too. Chan Sing makes for an amazing villain...yet again. Lee Hoi San pops up for a fight or two and Bolo looks great in this one. I was a bit sad that no one turned into a giant snake but hey, you win some, you lose some. Otherwise, this is thoroughly enjoyable. It may not be one I return to often but as a once a year watch maybe, I can see me having a lot of fun with this one in the future. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted April 28, 2020 Moderator Share Posted April 28, 2020 On 4/28/2020 at 1:48 AM, Drunken Monk said: Another day, another Bruceploitation movie. This time, Bruce Li the Invincible. This movie is absolute dynamite! On 4/28/2020 at 6:16 AM, Drunken Monk said: Bruce Lee in New Guinea - I understand why people might not care for this movie. From the get go it is crazy. And it does not let up. I find it ridiculous that in 2020 I’m being tempted to rewatch these movies based on your mini-reviews. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted April 28, 2020 Member Share Posted April 28, 2020 Bruce Li The Invincible has one of my favourite dub lines - "Let's attack him whilst he is making love to your wife. That way, he can't use his kung fu on us!" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted April 28, 2020 Member Share Posted April 28, 2020 2 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: I find it ridiculous that in 2020 I’m being tempted to rewatch these movies based on your mini-reviews. Of course it's not ridiculous! I myself revisited Bruce Lee's Secret and Fist of Fury, Part 2 earlier this year, not to mention some Dragon Lee films (with Yuen Qiu) at the end of last year. These are special films that don't belong to a certain country...they belong to the world. They belong to all of us! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted April 28, 2020 Member Share Posted April 28, 2020 2 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: I find it ridiculous that in 2020 I’m being tempted to rewatch these movies based on your mini-reviews. I'd definitely recommend a re-watch! I'm enjoying the hell out of my deep dive into Bruce Li so far. I'm actually excited to move on to Dragon Lee and some of the better Bruce Le movies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted April 28, 2020 Member Share Posted April 28, 2020 Well I goofed, this morning. I opted for Bruce Lee We Miss You. While hilarious at times (its reenactment of Bruce Lee's death is one of the funniest things I've seen in ages), it just never gets off the ground in terms of plot or action. The fight scenes aren't a travesty or anything; they're just painfully average. Combined with the mediocrity of everything else, the film ends up being a bit of a chore. It's funny as fuck that Bruce Li plays both his character and Bruce Lee in this. Such a weird decision. Also, for some reason, like a plethora of other Bruce Li films, we get a dose of the ol' black face. Sadly, there's not much talent to spruce this one up. No Chen Sing, Bolo, Lee Hoi San etc. Just Lung Fei's granddad looking ass. This movie is worth watching for one reason: there's a fight on top of a bus that genuinely feel fresh and original for its time. Dangerous too. Granted, they're not doing 90 mph or anything, but there's definitely a sense of risk about the whole thing. That was probably my favourite fight scene. If you like seeing tight silk shirts and flared pants in action, this might be the movie for you. Otherwise? It's one to skip. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted April 28, 2020 Member Share Posted April 28, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Drunken Monk said: Well I goofed, this morning. I opted for Bruce Lee We Miss You. Now I want to see your take on Young Bruce Lee aka Chinese Chieh Chuan Kung Fu. Edited April 28, 2020 by DrNgor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shukocarl1441996347 Posted April 28, 2020 Member Share Posted April 28, 2020 Here are my favourite Bruce Li films: Fist of Fury Part 2, Soul Brothers of Kung fu, Bruce Lee the Man the Myth, Dynamo, Dragon Force, Exit the Dragon-Enter the Tiger, Fist of Fury III, Image of Bruce Lee, Iron Dragon Strikes Back, Edge of Fury, Return of the Tiger. They in my opinion are the best of his output. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted April 28, 2020 Member Share Posted April 28, 2020 @DragonClaws and @saltysam did warn me that Iron Dragon Strikes Back was more serious but I thought I'd give it a go. Yeah...not really my cup of tea. It's not terrible but it's not what I'm looking for. Definitely more of an action crime thriller than straight up kung fu film. Lots of scrappy fights and things being thrown. Though I will say this: the final fight between Bruce Li and Phillip Ko is fantastic. Probably the best display of Li's amazing kicks. Next up, Bruce Lee vs Supermen. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted April 28, 2020 Member Share Posted April 28, 2020 41 minutes ago, Drunken Monk said: Next up, Bruce Lee vs Supermen. Aw man, that was dire. But considering your feelings for Bruce Li in New Guinea, it might just hit the spot. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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