Game of Death

An incredibly flawed movie, but when it's good it's great. Some of the highest highs of any Bruce Lee flick, but some of the lowest lows as well.

An utterly ridiculous film with cheap tricks, a simple story and some bad acting. Yet would I have been living in HK back then I would not lost my $4 at all, coz it is all entertaining.

Bruce Lee took a break from filming _The Game of Death_ in 1972, when Hollywood came knocking with an offer he couldn’t refuse. That turned out to be _Enter the Dragon_, the west’s first big-budget kung fu movie, and the last picture he’d ever complete. Lee suddenly died in the summer of ’73, having never returned to this set, but that didn’t stop Golden Harvest, the infamously unscrupulous Hong Kong studio, from resuming production. Five years after its star’s untimely demise, a greatly reworked (and moderately re-titled) _Game of Death_ stormed theaters, boasting a full eleven minutes(!) of usable footage from the original shoot.

As one might expect, it’s awfully taped-together. No less than three different actors are tasked with mimicking the dragon, completing new scenes with faces conveniently obscured by shadow, sunglass, motorcycle helmet or some other ridiculously transparent invention. After a disfiguring assassination attempt, fake Bruce has been out of plastic surgery for all of ten minutes before he deems himself too recognizable and dons a false beard, then swaps that for another flimsy disguise (also bearded) after one short fight scene. In another shot, he gazes into a mirror and finds a cardboard cutout staring back. Recycled clips from Lee’s resume pad the running time and fill in where the new guys couldn’t muster sufficient panache. Brief outtakes from _Way of the Dragon_ serve as a dirty method of invoking Chuck Norris for the marquee. Producers even slip footage of Lee’s real-life funeral procession into the final cut, using it to boost a scene where the main character fakes his own death to fool his enemies. No depth too low for this crew, I guess.

_Game of Death_ is crappy, even by ‘70s kung fu standards; dated action and bad drama that would love to measure up to a disposable American B movie. One exception: the crazy, multi-leveled boss rush at the very end. No surprise there, as this grueling string of showdowns contains the only fresh footage of Bruce Lee himself. Especially compared to preceding material, this sequence absolutely radiates. Only moments ago, the protagonist was threatening to put me to sleep. Now, all of a sudden, he’s oozing charisma, dancing around the frame and whipping nunchucks in an iconic yellow jumpsuit. Bruce’s duel with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a little clumsy, worthwhile for its spectacle more than its substance, but the two additional fights are vintage Lee, quick and violent and eminently captivating. They’re also just the right length for a YouTube clip, which is how I’d urge you to experience this film. The good stuff can be easily packaged into a short blurb; a great way to remember Lee at his best and to reflect upon the tragedy of his death, less than a year later. Far better memorial than this exploitative schlock.

What do you do with a series of fight scenes in the can and then your star dies?

Do you...?
- Use a series of body doubles.
- Film said doubles in the dark, with sunglasses, poorly lit.
- Use footage of the star's actual funeral
- Stick a photo on a mirror to cover up the double's

Well they did all of them.

It's not surprising that they did given how much money there was to make. It still leaves a bad taste in the mouth though.

And there's an eerie coincidence in the manner of Brandon Lee's real death being a plot line here.

For the actual Bruce footage, he is as always fantastic. A force of nature. A spectacular martial artist and a compelling presence.

(I'm watching his films in reverse order because the first and "last" are weak movies.)


3.5/10