1978 kung-fu movieRating: 8/20
Plot: Billy Lo is an action movie hotshot. Some gangsters want him to join them to do some evil things, but he doesn't want any part in it. They try to kill him. He fakes his death in order to uncover their identities and take them out.
My advice: Rent this and skip the first hour and five minutes. Just put your finger on the fast forward button until you see Bruce Lee in the iconic yellow and black jumpsuit. Then, enjoy the rest of the film. The last thirty-five minutes range from tolerable (an ok kung-fu-on-motorcycles scene) to sublime (the footage Bruce Lee actually filmed for this). Once Bruce Lee gets to the restaurant/tower, there's some great stuff. He fights with the nunchucks and he beats up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he does it with that Bruce Lee personality/charisma that you don't see anywhere else. The first three-fourths of this movie is just crap though, and unfortunately, it's not nearly as entertaining crap as the exploitation sequel Game of Death II. There are some similarities though, at least more similarities than there are between the guy they have standing in for Bruce Lee and Bruce Lee himself. It's really a shame because Bruce Lee's vision for this movie seems really cool. Oh, this does have a good fight with Robert "Goofy white guy in the two Dragon movies" Wall. Watching him get beat up is always entertaining.
Even though the rest of the movie sucked, just seeing Lee go against Abdul-Jabbar and others makes this worth way more than an 8. An 8 would be for a movie that really has no value. Anyone who likes Lee should see this. It is incredibly poignant watching his last moments on film. A 14.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't base my ratings on parts of movies...about 30 minutes of this was very good. As a whole, this movie sucked ass. I'd agree that anybody who likes Bruce Lee (martial arts movies in general) should see this, but that doesn't necessarily make it a good movie.
ReplyDeleteIn the same way that a poor part of a movie can have a big impact on the overall review, a great part of a film should be able to lift it's grade. In this case though I may have been a little generous. I revise my overall grade to a 12. I still think your 8 is too low.
ReplyDeleteSure, a great part can lift the grade...that's what brings it all the way up to an 8/20.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that dunks this into crap territory is that I think the final product would have sickened Bruce Lee. It is so far from his original intent (he was going for this almost spiritual martial arts film) and seems entirely exploitative. This (and the very entertaining sequel) is to Bruce Lee what 'The Cat in the Hat' is to Dr. Seuss.
You make a good point. Maybe it would have made Bruce feel a little better that I gave it a better grade, though.
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