Although he was an actor for most of his life, Bruce Lee’s time as a martial arts movie star only lasted a short period of time. Between 1972 and 1973, Bruce Lee starred in four movies: The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, and Enter the Dragon. He also headlined The Game of Death, but due to his death in 1973, the film was finished and released without him years later.
Due largely to the rise of Bruceploitation, his films have been revisited on multiple occasions. One in particular (Fist of Fury), has been the subject of the vast majority of those adaptations. Quality varies when it comes to Bruce Lee sequels, as some have been outright terrible, case in point is Game of Death II, a film that went too far in recycling old Bruce Lee footage.
However, there have been some entertaining versions of old Bruce Lee stories that are worth watching – and shockingly, one is even on par with the original.
The Big Boss Part II
An extremely hard-to-find and obscure old-school kung fu movie from the 1970s, The Big Boss Part II is an unofficial sequel to Bruce Lee’s first martial arts film. Like the original, it involves the main hero working at an ice factory. But unlike most films in the Bruceploitation genre, its star isn’t a Bruce Lee clone, but Lo Lieh, an actor creditably referred to as “the greatest actor” in the martial arts genre by Quentin Tarantino.
Bruce Le has a small role in the movie where he plays Bruce Lee’s character. Lo Lieh, portraying his brother, gets the lion’s share of the screen-time, and ultimately, his performance is the best part of the movie, which was sadly bogged down by poor editing and a weak story. It does, however, boast some well-choreographed fight sequences.
New Fist Of Fury
Jackie Chan New Fist of Fury shirtless practicing his kung fu strikes
Jackie Chan’s first starring role came courtesy of New Fist of Fury, a 1976 martial arts movie that reimagines the Bruce Lee classic. It connects to the original through the return of its director, Lo Wei, a few members of its cast, including the female lead, Nora Miao, and the theme of Chinese fighting against Japanese oppression.
Made before Jackie Chan had found his identity as a martial arts star, New Fist of Fury is one of the actor’s most uninspired films, with the film unfortunately lacking any of the charm of the original and suffers from trying too replicate to replicate a masterpiece. Instead, all it offers is quality martial arts choreography.
Way Of The Dragon 2
Contrary to what the title suggests, Way of the Dragon 2 a.ka. Bruce Le’s Greatest Revenge is a predictable yet fun retelling of Fist of Fury.The low-budget 1979 Hong Kong film stars Bruce Le – one of the biggest names associated with the Bruceploitation subgenre – as a Chinese kung fu student whose school gets embroiled in a violent conflict with Japanese gangsters.
Way of the Dragon 2 easily avoids a slow start and quickly jumps into the action. The plot is thin, but the storytelling is clearly not meant to be the appeal of the Brueploitation flick; of course, it’s true strength is its fight sequences, which do well to demonstrate Bruce Li’s capabilities as a fighter. The massive brawl in the final 30 minutes alone makes Way of the Dragon 2 an enjoyable experience.
Return Of The Fist: Legend Of Chen Zhen
Donnie Yen doing split kick in Legend of the Fist_ return of Chen Zhen
Over the years, multiple actors have played Chen Zhen, the Bruce Lee character created for Fist of Fury. Donnie Yen joined the list in 2008 when he starred in Return of the Fist: Legend of Chen Zhen, a sequel to Jet Li’s Fist of Fury remake, Fist of Legend. After faking his death in the remake, Chen Zhen returns to China as a masked vigilante.
With so many superhero elements, it’s easy to forget that Legend of Chen Zhen has anything to do with a Bruce Lee movie, or even Fist of Legend, for that matter. That said, it does deliver an intriguing vigilante period piece, complete with some impressive fight scenes for Donnie Yen.
Fist Of Fury Part II
Arguably one of the best Bruceploitation movies ever made, Fist of Fury Part II is a much more worthy successor to the original than Jackie Chan or Bruce Le’s remakes. The Bruce Li-led martial arts gem benefited greatly from the involvement of Lee Tso-nam, whose directing talents yielded an exciting martial arts adventure, supported by an energetic performance from Bruce Li.
When it comes to action, Fist of Fury Part II packs the punch that one would expect from an old-school 1970s kung fu movie, but it goes a bit further than that – it also includes some legitimately good character moments for its hero, plus a noteworthy villain role for Lo Lieh, who steals the show every time he’s on the screen.
Fist Of Legend
Stepping into a role once played by Bruce Lee and not failing to meet expectations feels like an impossible task, but it was one that Jet Li pulled off successfully – and more – in Fist of Legend. By this time, the martial arts genre had left Bruceploitation behind, and that was evident in Fist of Legend which retold Chen Zhen’s story in a way that didn’t call for Jet Li to channel Bruce Lee.
Instead, Fist of Legend created its own take on Chen Zhen and his story, and justified this decision by infusing its characters and world with great depth. A better focus on storytelling made Chen Zhen easy to root for as he fought for his people against the Japanese. Knowing the tragic ending given to Bruce Lee’s Chen Zhen helped create a greater sense of suspense as the film raced toward its exhillerating climax.
Making it even better was the top-notch action choreography from Yuen Woo-ping and the amazing martial skills of Jet Li. All things considered, the remake of Bruce Lee’sFist of Fury is one of the best martial arts movies of all time.
0 Comments