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Bruceploitation Reviews


Guest jirpy100

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masterofoneinchpunch
Well, you *have* watched more Brucesploitation in a short span of time than is healthy for any normal individual. You should rest your mind with local fare like I Stand Alone and Trouble Every Day and then come back to Fu with full purpose of heart...

I'm going to agree with the doctor here. After watching another Bruce Le film (Enter the Game of Death) I'm feeling it as well (if I have time I will make fun of the movie.)

I think you should counteract that feeling with the French film The Wages of Fear (Le salaire de la peur, 1953) or anything by Jean Pierre Melville.

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Morgoth Bauglir

I put in Image of Bruce Lee sometimes just to watch Bolo's fights. I remember thinking the end fight should have been better. I think it's Bruce Li vs John Chang and Han Ying Chieh.

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Secret Executioner

I doubt I was being burned out, I've had times where I watched way more Fu than lately - and still could enjoy movies. And I haven't watched that much Bruceploitation lately.

Agreed with Morgoth on the end fight, it's not great.

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Killer Meteor
Watched Image Of Bruce Lee (HK, 1978) last nite.

Not sure if it's me getting burned out on Fu flicks or just that the film is actually nothing to write home about, but I wasn't too fond of this one. It has some nice stuff:

- the opening scene with the guy who wants to jump off the roof is completely nuts. You have bad dubbing all around, Bruce Li in a yellow jumpsuit climbing a skycrapper using a grapelin (sp?) and a hilariously dark ending (seriously, I laughed like crazy at the last moments).

- Bolo has a couple of actions scenes and he's really good here. He's fast and his fighting feels threatening - plus, he doesn't seem too underused like he is in so many movies of his.

- there's a couple of scenes with Dana in the nude (including a pair of bush shots) for those who are interested. Her action as a fighter isn't that great but it's not really what she's here for. :angel:

Kinda ironic considering its title and the lead star (a Bruce Lee clone) that this film should deal with a cop busting a counterfeiting ring... :squigglemouth:

I quite like this, though I saw it early on before getting too jaded with kung fu flix, so it has a nice nostalgia to it.

One thing that amuses me is that they nicked the Taxi Driver theme...but not for the scene where Bruce Li pretends to be a taxi driver!

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Morgoth Bauglir

Image of Bruce isn't too bad, but it's not as good as some of the other Bruce Li movies where he plays a cop like Return of the Tiger and Bruce Against the Iron Hand.

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DragonClaws
Image of Bruce isn't too bad, but it's not as good as some of the other Bruce Li movies where he plays a cop like Return of the Tiger and Bruce Against the Iron Hand.

Return Of The Tiger is a better film than IOBL, yet to see Bruce Against The Iron Hand. The latter is one film Ive been wanting to see for awhile. Ive have watched the scene where Ho hung Tao starts to fight with Siu Lung Leung in the dojo.

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Lady Jin Szu-Yi

Thanks Secret and odioustrident, purposely side-stepping most of Chan Wai Man's Brucesploitation work so it was helpful to read your reviews and comments about Chinese Godfather and Chinese Mack. Started watching one of those on YouTube and backed off when I saw the footage / imagery of Bruce.

 

The one Brucesploitation film I like was Enter The Fat Dragon. I understand this sub-genre, but I'll stick with Bruce himself and watch his "clones" in other films. 

 

 

Edited by Lady Jin Szu-Yi
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Confession: I have never seen a Bruce LE film. I suppose I can remedy that next year, considering I remedied my never having watched a Billy Chong movie this year. In fact, Bruce Le's first Brucesploitation film came out around 1976, and I'm planning an article about importante kung fu movies celebrating their 40th anniversary, so it might be appropriate.

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Recently saw Soul brothers of Kung fu.Say what you like about Bruce Li but he did make some entertaining films and in my opinion this is one of his best.Great film great cast and great choreography although Lo meng at times looks a little awkward in the modern day fight settings( I think he's better suited in the classic shaw bros movies)and Carl Scott is is the brother from another mutha when he shows his stuff.great stuff

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Secret Executioner

Recently saw Soul brothers of Kung fu.Say what you like about Bruce Li but he did make some entertaining films and in my opinion this is one of his best.Great film great cast and great choreography although Lo meng at times looks a little awkward in the modern day fight settings( I think he's better suited in the classic shaw bros movies)and Carl Scott is is the brother from another mutha when he shows his stuff.great stuff

We have a lot of Ho Chung Tao fans around here, don't worry - and I agree he's great and his movies are a lot of fun.  :cool 

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Recently saw Soul brothers of Kung fu.Say what you like about Bruce Li but he did make some entertaining films and in my opinion this is one of his best.Great film great cast and great choreography although Lo meng at times looks a little awkward in the modern day fight settings( I think he's better suited in the classic shaw bros movies)and Carl Scott is is the brother from another mutha when he shows his stuff.great stuff  

Bruce Li  and  Carl Scott  also played  in Bruce Lee the man,the myth

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Recently saw Soul brothers of Kung fu.Say what you like about Bruce Li but he did make some entertaining films and in my opinion this is one of his best.Great film great cast and great choreography although Lo meng at times looks a little awkward in the modern day fight settings( I think he's better suited in the classic shaw bros movies)and Carl Scott is is the brother from another mutha when he shows his stuff.great stuff

Soul Brothers Of Kung Fu is an entertaining film. I prefer that title to the U.K one which was Secret Of Bruce Lee. Hwang Jang Lee makes a great addition to the cast too. I'm not sure about the painted up Hong Kong stuntmen in the karate uniforms wearing wigs though. 

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The Taiji Pirate

Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave

 

In 1977, Hong Kong, Korean, and Italian producers made this cheapo martial arts production to capitalize on the Bruce Lee genre simply known as "Bruceploitation". What is insane here is the fact that "Bruce Lee" is not even involved in the film, except for a fake grave that is struck by lightning in the opening.

 

The star of the film is credited as "Bruce K.L. Lea". It is unknown what the "K.L." stands for, but the true identity of this Bruce-alike is none other than Taekwondo Grandmaster Jun Chong. Chong also serves as martial arts director and he stands out at showcasing his impressive TKD skills.

 

There is also the major rumor of the director Lee Doo-Yong. Some sources have said that the true identity of the director was Italian giallo filmmaker Umberto Lenzi. However, in 1988, the name Lee Doo-Yong appeared as a director on Jun Chong's 1988 action film Silent Assassins. So whether this name is a true "pseudonym" is unknown and remains to this day unknown.

 

The plot is pretty standard for a kung fu film. Chong plays Wong Han, a martial artist who goes to Los Angeles to find his old friend had committed suicide. Upon invetigating his death, he finds an ally in a woman named Susan, played by Deborah Chaplin Dutch. He learns that his old friend had been approached by five fighters, including an early appearance from Sho Kosugi. Chong takes all five fighters on to learn the truth. However, is all as it truly seems?

 

The trailer for the film was described as Bruce Lee coming back from the dead after making a deal with the "Black Angel of Death". The real film is exactly the opposite of what the trailer describes, yet a surprising yet predictable twist in the end makes this, aside from Chong's martial arts skills, the only reasons worth seeing this film in the first place.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Grindhouse exploitation at it's finest. The trailer (as you mentioned) has absolutely nothing to do with the film it's self. Which, I would think, was clearly done to intrigue people. A martial arts murder mystery with an actor no one has heard of...  Or a supernatural thriller about a resurrected Bruce Lee seeking revenge... I personally think the film stands enough on it's own, but have always found this fascinating. 

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Edge of Fury '72

I get prejudiced against Fu movies when the characters are wearing western clothes & driving cars, but.... I really liked this movie.  It was taking place at present time (1972).

Bruce Li

Yasuaki Kurata

Dana

Gam Ming (also action director)

& more

The short of it is, Bruce is a chauffeur.  His boss is away on business & gets arrested & accused of smuggling drugs & is executed.  The boss' wife is young & quite a floozie & didn't want to spend the money to defend her poor husband, so that was that.  Before the husband/employer leaves on the trip, he gives Bruce an envelope to give to his lawyer, if something happens to him.  Turns out it is his will & everybody wants to get their hands on it.  Yasuki & Tommy are the villains who want their drugs & use pressure to get Bruce to find them for them.  I'm no expert but I thought the fights were quite exceptional.  Of course there is a lot more in the story including Bruce's attachment for the boss' young son & a weak love interest, & a sick mother.

 

 

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Edge of Fury '72

I get prejudiced against Fu movies when the characters are wearing western clothes & driving cars, but.... I really liked this movie.  It was taking place at present time (1972).

Bruce Li

Yasuaki Kurata

Dana

Gam Ming (also action director)

& more

The short of it is, Bruce is a chauffeur.  His boss is away on business & gets arrested & accused of smuggling drugs & is executed.  The boss' wife is young & quite a floozie & didn't want to spend the money to defend her poor husband, so that was that.  Before the husband/employer leaves on the trip, he gives Bruce an envelope to give to his lawyer, if something happens to him.  Turns out it is his will & everybody wants to get their hands on it.  Yasuki & Tommy are the villains who want their drugs & use pressure to get Bruce to find them for them.  I'm no expert but I thought the fights were quite exceptional.  Of course there is a lot more in the story including Bruce's attachment for the boss' young son & a weak love interest, & a sick mother.

 

 

Yusuaki Kurata, Ho Chung tao, and Tommy Lee staging the action. Really should have watched this one by now.

 

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Secret Executioner

Edge of Fury is actually from 1978, not 1972. A decent movie I guess (my first Ho Chung Tao film), lots of good action but the characters are rather typical and the story is nothing stellar.

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Edge of Fury is actually from 1978, not 1972. A decent movie I guess (my first Ho Chung Tao film), lots of good action but the characters are rather typical and the story is nothing stellar.

Yes, jeez, what was I drinkin? lol

 

DragonClaws,  I know you are a Bruce Li fan, but I am a TOMMY Lee fan :)  There is a lotta Tommy in this movie.

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Re-watched The Dragon The Hero (1979), wacky action packed Kung Fu madness from director Godfrey Ho. This is one film that has to be watched dubbed and I cant say that about many HK titles. The dub just adds to this quirky Martial Arts film. There's so many classic one liners I could devote an entire review just to the dialogue alone. Dragon Lee is underused but its great to see him work with Tino Wong & John Liu. Chan Lau and Eddie Ko make a great pair of villains with Lau almost stealing the show with his canine Kung Fu.

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2 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Re-watched The Dragon The Hero (1979), wacky action packed Kung Fu madness from director Godfrey Ho. This is one film that has to be watched dubbed and I cant say that about many HK titles. The dub just adds to this quirky Martial Arts film. There's so many classic one liners I could devote an entire review just to the dialogue alone. Dragon Lee is underused but its great to see him work with Tino Wong & John Liu. Chan Lau and Eddie Ko make a great pair of villains with Lau almost stealing the show with his canine Kung Fu.

What's the quality of the actual kung fu in this? Is it of a high standard?

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2 hours ago, DrNgor said:

What's the quality of the actual kung fu in this? Is it of a high standard?

 

The Kung Fus of a good standard Doc, its a standout film for Godfrey Ho. With that said it does have a lot of comedy elements which some may not like.

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Lady Jin Szu-Yi

Bruce's Deadly Fingers  (oh good gosh... here's the finger fu manual already!!!!!) :khi8c:

 

The things I sit through for my Chan Wai Man fix.

 

That said,  the pool hall fight had some fun moves (the usual brawler type stuff), but another thing I love about CWM is his facial expressions when he sizes up an opponent. I never want to be on the opposing side of that glare. 

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Bruce’s Deadly Fingers (1976) – Bruce Le’s first starring role in a Brucesploitation flick (I don’t count Big Boss 2, since it was a limited role from what I can tell) is a watchable, but mediocre affair limited by the lack of talent behind the camera. Basically, Lo Lieh plays a criminal gangster who’s looking for a martial arts manual written by Bruce Lee himself detailing the techniques of a special finger-based style (the dubbing has the characters referring to the manual as the “kung fu finger book” every. Single. Time.). He thinks it’s in the hands of Bruce Lee’s top student, Bruce Wong (played by Bruce Le), so he sends his men to kidnap the Family servant (the old guy from Enter the Dragon) and rough up his friends. Bruce Wong shows up in Hong Kong from the States and starts looking for it as well. Their paths do cross, although initially not because of the book, but because his sister’s deadbeat boyfriend was trying to sell her into prostitution to pay off his own gambling debts (the scuzz bucket goes as far as to promise her that after two months of whoring, she can stop and they can get married). Bruce Wong eventually teams up with two of his own students (including Cheung Lik) and an Interpol agent (Michael Chan Wai-Man) to take down Lo Lieh.

I find it interesting that when Bruce Le’s character does come into the possession of the book, the style depicted in it looks suspiciously like hung gar (Huang Kin-Lung studied hung gar, Bruce Lee did not). And yet, when Bruce Wong shows it off to his uncle, a wing chun master, the finger style looks like wing chun. My head is spinning. Bruce Le’s fighting style looks like the Little Dragon’s mannerisms with some hung gar thrown in for good measure. The problem is that Bruce Lee had the intensity and natural charisma to make jeet kune do’s more basic moves looks interesting. Huang Kin Lung/Bruce Le lacks the acting skill and innate charisma to overcome the sense of “sameness” that permeates his fights. Compare with Michael Chan’s fights (he mixes a basher style with some ying jao pai, or Northern Eagle Claw), which are a lot more assured and intense, and ultimately more interesting. It also doesn’t help that Bruce Wong is a jerk-off at times, like the time he hires a prostitute, asks her to keep her clothes on (it’s a ploy to get her pimp’s attention), but constantly talks harshly to her. Bruce Le resembles the real thing inasmuch as he keeps his Big Honkin’ Sunglasses on, but not to so much with them off. And the guy’s pink and yellow tank-tops are an eyesore. 

The movie picks up during the last 20 minutes, when he, Michael Chan and Cheung Lik storm Lo Lieh’s compound. Each man gets his chance to shine, fighting numerous knife-wielding henchmen, perennial movie heavies Bolo Yeung and Chiang Tao, and ultimately Lo Lieh. The final showdown between Bruce Le and Lo Lieh is a letdown, though. And the version I saw cuts off before the death blow is delivered. Boo sir. I say boo.
 

The movie also features some female exploitation that add nothing to the story, like when we see an unwilling prostitute (wearing absolutely nothing) be tortured both psychologically and physically by the guys dangling a little snake above her (I think they go so far as to rub it against her lady fields). There’s another rape scene with Lo Lieh’s men and some seemingly random women, set in a field where the bad guys have made a ring of fire with gasoline for reasons I don’t quite understand yet. Rape and torture as the means for titillation is not a good idea, which I’m sure was on the filmmakers’ minds when they made this.

So, if Bruce Lee was the Dragon and Bruce Li was the Tiger, what was Bruce Le? The leopard? The bobcat? The monitor lizard? If it were the former, then we could say that while Bruce Lee’s meme was “Enter the Dragon”; and Bruce Li’s meme was “Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger”; that Bruce Le’s meme would be “You’ve entered both the Dragon and the Tiger, but if you have nothing better to do, why not see about entering the Leopard while you’re at it?”

Edited by DrNgor
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On ‎08‎/‎01‎/‎2016 at 6:07 PM, Lady Jin Szu-Yi said:

Bruce's Deadly Fingers  (oh good gosh... here's the finger fu manual already!!!!!) :khi8c:

 

The things I sit through for my Chan Wai Man fix.

 

That said,  the pool hall fight had some fun moves (the usual brawler type stuff), but another thing I love about CWM is his facial expressions when he sizes up an opponent. I never want to be on the opposing side of that glare. 

I just reviewed the film myself: http://www.shaolinchamber36.com/kungfufandom/index.php?/topic/3819-bruceploitation-reviews/&do=findComment&comment=263534

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