Long-time staples of inner-city cinemas, videocassettes, and later, hundreds of DVD bargain-bins, kung fu films have always enjoyed continued popularity since the early ’70s, but as outlined in Grady Hendrix’s and Chris Poggiali’s superb book on the subject These Fists Break Bricks (Mondo Books, 2021), “before 1973, Americans didn’t know a nunchuk from a ninja, but over the next decade and a half, martial arts movies would influence the birth of hip hop and break dancing, win Emmy awards, earn millions at the box office, sell hundreds of thousands of videocassettes, and introduce the country to some of the biggest non-white stars to hit the silver screen. Their styles, attitudes, moves, and stories would permanently alter Hollywood’s DNA.” With the sudden passing of actor Bruce Lee in 1973, who was on the cusp of worldwide superstardom, and whose last film, Robert Clouse’s ENTER THE DRAGON (1973) had just hit theatres, seldom have filmmakers and distributors sought so earnestly to take advantage of – and even camouflage - Bruce Lee’s death with a seemingly endless stream of rip-offs, spin-offs and wannabe sequels, which have since become known as Bruceploitation films. Judging by their offbeat cast (which featured similar-sounding stars such as Bruce Le, Bruce Li, Dragon Lee, Bruce Liang, and even a Bronson Lee [!]) and thoroughly mixed-up credits, a brazen attempt was made to pass these films off as the real deal both ’Stateside, and even in their land of origin. Given the sheer nature of Bruceploitation titles produced over the next few years, it’s no wonder many of these cracked concoctions fell by the wayside even as they enjoyed a relatively healthy – albeit compromised – life on home video. Well, thanks to the efforts of Severin Films and continued work from martial artist, actor, and Bruceploitation Bible head honcho Michael Worth and martial arts and Hong Kong film historian Frank Djeng, many of these Bruceploitation movies have finally gained some recognition in THE GAME OF CLONES – BRUCEPLOITATION COLLECTION VOL. 1, an incredibly comprehensive 8-disc, 14-film box set, which finally sheds light on these highly-entertaining kung fu films.
Kicking things off in fine style on disc one is David Gregory’s groundbreaking ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE (2023), a terrific deep-dive documentary, which not only serves as a perfect primer for the uninitiated, but for Asian film experts and Bruceploitation authorities as well. Featuring several heretofore unseen on-camera interviews with the likes of Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee, Bruce Liang, Yasuaki Kurata (a.k.a. Bruce Lo), Philip Ko, Godfrey Ho, Lee Tso Nam, Roy Horan, Angela Mao, and many more besides, Gregory’s film cleverly outlines the subsequent fervor for anything “Bruce Lee” in the wake of the actor’s unexpected death. As pointed out in These Fists Break Bricks, “Never in motion picture history has the death of an actor unleashed so much greed,” which had producers desperately searching for the next Bruce Lee. Although many of the actors like Ho Tsung-Tao (a.k.a. Bruce Li) were “actually repulsed by the idea of acting like Bruce Lee,” they were happy for the work even if they knew it was nothing more than a “gimmick,” whereas South Korean actor Moon Kyoung-seok (a.k.a. Dragon Lee) believed his films were made to “help appease that longing for Bruce Lee.” Conversely, “workaholic” Huang Kin-Lung (a.k.a. Bruce Le) didn’t have such qualms appearing as a Bruce clone exclaiming, “You can call me whatever you want as long as you pay me!” As you would expect, Bruce Li, Bruce Le and Dragon Lee are afforded the lion’s share of screen time, which not only expands and clarifies their rather remarkable bodies of work, but their perception of it as well. As the film develops, it becomes quite clear, just how passionate some of these actors were about their work, and it’s great to see, that nearly 50-years later, each of them gets to talk about and happily relive these films. In light of their many flaws, none of the pictures are treated with indifference and ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE wholeheartedly embraces their entertaining – and at times comical – imperfections, which is highlighted by several fast-moving clips (expertly cut together by Douglas Buck), and some wonderfully inventive motion graphics courtesy of Kyle Broom and his team, which thoroughly captures the fast-paced spirit of a bygone film-making era.
Following a successful worldwide festival and theatrical run earlier this year, ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE arrived on Blu looking every bit as flawless as you’d expect for a new documentary, with many of the remastered film clips looking excellent and a great deal more watchable than the cruddy VHS tapes from years ago. Also, the DTS-HD master audio 2.0 stereo track has no issues whatsoever, sounding consistent throughout all of the many interviews (which are in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, French, German and even Japanese), with the film’s perfectly chosen title song “King of Kung Fu” (taken from the U.S. release version of Lin Pin’s GOODBYE, BRUCE LEE: HIS LAST GAME OF DEATH [1975]) strengthening the film’s exhilarating pace and tone.
The numerous special features begin with a first-rate audio commentary from director/co-executive producer David Gregory, co-producers Michael Worth, Frank Djeng and Vivian Sau Man Wong, and director of photography Jim Kunz, who cover a ton of details related to the production and the overall structure of the documentary, which includes the film’s pre-credit sequence and a “very brief recap of martial arts cinema in general, which was a challenge to keep short and snappy, given the rich history of martial arts films and the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers studio where many of them were filmed.” They also go over the difficulties of scheduling the film’s many interviews (Bruce Le was an especially tough one to nail down), and some of the other adversities of shooting in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea in this years-in-the-making documentary. In their quest to be as “comprehensive as possible” with the film, they also enthusiastically discuss the blaxploitation crossover films with stars such as Jim Kelly (“He’s James Bond and Bruce Lee rolled up into one cool package of dynamite!”) and Ron Van Clief (who also shows up for an on-camera interview), and the popularity of kung fu films in America thanks to enterprising producers and/or distributors such as Aquarius Releasing’s Terry Levene, Serafim Karalexis, and even Andre Morgan from Golden Harvest. It’s a great, wide-ranging, and amiable conversation, where everyone involved agrees that the film was “one of the most fun shoots, even after all of the stresses!”
Taking into consideration the doc’s extensive subject matter, it should come as no surprise that the initial rough assembly for ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE clocked in at three hours (!), leaving plenty of worthwhile material on the cutting room floor, which Severin have thoughtfully re-purposed via three featurettes. In Working at Shaw Bros (19m21s), former Shaw Brothers players David Chiang, Lee Chiu, Lo Meng and many others discuss the importance of the infamous studio dubbed by Godfrey Ho as the “Oriental Hollywood.” In Bruce Lee & I (24m32s) a number of Bruce Lee’s colleagues talk about their “personal recollections of Lee and his influence” and how he created the market for kung fu films, and whose “technical prowess” was unmatched, which made his “movements beautiful for the big screen.” Of course, everyone interviewed also reflect on the sudden passing of Lee (“How on earth can he die?”), and how he put “Hong Kong movies on the map.” The “profound” history of kung fu movies in Hong Kong is also thoroughly discussed in The Lost World of Kung Fu Film Negatives (15m59s), which includes further interviews with Lee Chiu, David Chiang, Lo Meng, and Angela Mao, alongside Lee Tso Nam, Roy Horan, film preservationist Stéphane Derdérian, and film collector Emmanuel Rossi, who go over the importance of these films and “lack of preservation” over the years, which even includes a cool visit to the Hong Kong Film Archive. In one of the more fascinating location tours included on any disc, Frank Djeng gives us a tour of Bruce’s Hong Kong (27m27s) where he not only visits Bruce’s now-demolished house (which was turned into a “Love Hotel” after his death!), but several key locations from his films including the Jumbo Kingdom Restaurant (where he discusses this long-standing restaurant and it’s sad fate), what’s left of the Shaw Brothers studios, the bustling Yau Ma Tei market, the Red Pepper Restaurant from Robert Clouse’s and Bruce Lee’s GAME OF DEATH (1978), Betty Ting Pei’s apartment complex where Bruce Lee died, the funeral parlour, and several former and still-operational theatres where Mr. Djeng first saw many of these films. It’s a wonderful, absorbing look at Hong Kong then and now, which makes you want to board a plane, and visit this fascinating city for yourself! The rest of the special features include the film’s trailer (2m43s), an alternate trailer (2m00s), and Severin’s Kung Fu Theater (1m34s) with Michael Worth and David Gregory where they provide a brief intro and genesis for their wonderful film.
In what turns out to be is a fitting start to this collection, disc two begins with Joseph Kong’s (a.k.a. Joseph Velasco) aptly-titled THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE (1980) and features three (!) Bruce Lee clones in this crazy, highly-entertaining romp from producer extraordinaire Dick Randall. Following the sudden death of the ‘real’ Bruce Lee, his blood and DNA is extracted by the Secret Branch of Investigators, a supposedly clandestine organization led by Mr. Colin (Andy Hannah, herein dubbed by prolific voice-actor John Gayford), who instructs Professor Lucas (Jon Benn) to create three clones (“What a scientific achievement this will be!”) to help fight crime throughout Asia. But before they are sent on their respective missions, the three clones (unimaginatively named Bruce Lee One [Dragon Lee], Bruce Lee Two [Bruce Le], and Bruce Lee Three [Bruce Lai]) are first subjected to numerous experiments, which involve a giant spaghetti strainer with electrodes placed atop their heads and extended training drills overseen by the ubiquitous Mr. Chinese Hercules himself Bolo Yeung (“Good! You learn quickly!”). First, Bruce Lee One is sent to infiltrate Chi Lo, who runs a lucrative gold-smuggling racket amid the Taiwan film scene. Impressed by his martial arts skills (“Watch the way this boy moves!”), Bruce Lee One eventually launches an all-out assault (“You’re mine now! All of you!”) on one of Chi Lo’s impoverished film productions. Meanwhile, Bruce Lee Two and Three are sent to Thailand where they meet up with their chaperon (Bruce Tai, who, rather unbelievably, also looks like Bruce Lee!), and ordered to take down Dr. Ngai, a ruthless drug kingpin who also wants to take over the world with his army of bronze-coated strongmen, but before you can say unexpected turnaround, the three Bruce’s (or is that four?) will have to vie for supremacy when the increasingly mad Professor Lucas pits them against each other, which culminates in an epic kung fu battle…
Though produced in the late ’70s, the film’s plot and tone is pure late-’60s all the way, with its James Bond inspired baddies (“Soon I will conquer the whole world!”), espionage angles, a mad scientist, and an army of bronzemen, which our Bruce clones have to fight as appropriately clangorous metallic sound effects reverberate on the soundtrack. At another juncture (edited from many theatrical prints of the film), Bruce Lee Three’s initial introduction to Thai customs has him come across a gang of naked women frolicking at a beach (“They’ll eat your kind for dinner!” Exclaims his escort.), which only adds to the film’s ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ attitude. In spite of some hilarious overacting, which doesn’t hurt the entertainment value one bit, THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE is a highly watchable, fast-paced, and at times gleefully bit of lovable trash, which perfectly exemplifies just how “absolutely bonkers” some of the Bruceploitation films eventually became. It’s easy to see why this film is such a fan favourite!
In what is undoubtedly one of the earliest releases from Media Home Entertainment, THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE hit VHS in 1978, and while this 46-year old tape may still have some collectability value, the film’s original 2.35:1 compositions and fight choreography were severely compromised on this full-screen tape. Taken from two different prints (one from Germany and one from Italy with a title card that reads: BRUCE LEE IL VOLTO DELLA VENDETTA / trans: Bruce Lee, The Face of Vengeance), Severin’s new restoration reinstates the film’s proper scope photography and the film’s numerous – and not to mention totally gratuitous – nude scenes. Given the scarcity of proper film elements for most of these films, the restoration herein looks very good, and outside a few instances of scratches and dirt, the film’s colourful, comic-book aesthetic is nicely replicated, and a great deal better than any VHS tape or lousy YouTube copy. There is really nothing to complain about. The English dubbed DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track also sounds fine given the materials and post-synched dubbing, which includes numerous voice talent from several Italian and European films including the aforementioned John Gayford, and others such as Robert Sommer who provides the voice for Bolo Yeung.
Extras begin with a fantastic audio commentary, which, like the itself, is divided into segments and features numerous film historians, scholars, and kung fu film aficionados. Moderated by Michael Worth, the first section begins with Rick Benn, the brother of actor Jon T. Benn who goes over his time spent in Hong Kong when he and his brother relocated there to pursue an “off shore mutual real estate fund”, Jon’s relationship with Golden Harvest head honcho Raymond Chow and how he got into starring in several films, and chuckling at his brother’s “offbeat” voice used in said film. Next up, Frank Djeng discusses the film’s history in great detail including its various release titles, alternate titles, the actors and their backgrounds (with a nice focus on the rarely-discussed Bruce Lai), the film’s “good fight choreography”, and his fondness for the film, which he deems “one of the better Bruceploitation titles.” Bruce Lee expert Brandon Bentley is thrown into the mix at the 17-minute mark wherein he discusses his experience with these films, the film’s many inconsistencies, the supporting and bit players (including foreign actor Alexander Grand), and the differences between the “Bruce Lee style of fights” including bashers and shapes (i.e., animal style). Next in line is film historian Matthew Whitaker who gets to give us his thoughts on the film’s travelogue sequence including the film’s infamous “sirens on the shore”, the film’s weird “Benny Hill moments” and the cruel DNA associated with Bruce Lai’s character in the film. For the film’s final act, Hong Kong based actor, and “lifelong fan of Asian films” Mike Leeder discusses the interesting set-up of the bronzemen, which he regards as the “ultimate slice of Bruceploitation,” how the film finds plenty of opportunities to “work in nudity”, his relationship with Bruce Le (who apparently has a sharp memory and excellent recollection of film titles), and the importance of restoring these usually-neglected films. Stuntman John Kreng then joins both Worth and Djeng wherein they discuss the intricacies of shooting the fight choreography related to timing, angles, and so forth, how the filmmakers “had very little and made it work, and the importance of the stuntmen “to fill the gap” and keep the action moving. Lastly, aforementioned film historian and author Chris Poggiali discusses the film’s U.S. theatrical release via the Boston-based Newport Releasing (formerly known as Hallmark Releasing) and some of the litigations these Bruceploitation films suffered thanks to their cheeky, no-holds-barred marketing.
In the wonderful, but forlorn A Day with Jon T. Benn (16m35s), Michael Worth conducts the final interview with the actor who discusses his early years travelling through Europe before visiting Hong Kong with his brother, which he loved so much that he ended up staying for 30 years! He also discusses the HK film scene at the time (“Triads controlled everything.”) and how he ended up working in over 50 films where he became known as “one-shot Benn.” And yeah, he thought THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE was “kind of a ridiculous film!” Further extras include another installment of Severin’s Kung Fu Theater (1m54s) where Michael Worth discusses the self-reflexive nature of the film and how this version was culled from Italian and German prints. Finally, the film’s trailer (1m42s, “THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE brings a new dimension to martial arts films!”) finishes off the extras.
A cohesive narrative takes a definite back-seat in Joseph Velasco’s nearly indecipherable ENTER THREE DRAGONS (1978), the co-feature on disc two, which once again reunites Bruce Lai and Dragon Lee. Following a botched switcheroo involving a cache of diamonds, Sammy (Samuel Walls) gets himself into trouble with the local underworld when he’s implicated in their theft. Soon after, Sammy enlists the help of his friend Dragon Hung (Lai) who is the spitting image of Bruce Lee, but Dragon Yeung, who is frequently mistaken for Dragon Hung, also becomes embroiled in the chaos, and to confuse matters even further, Bruce Hung (Dragon Lee), the brother of Dragon, is also thrown into the mix! Despite the wafer-thin plot (it could probably fit onto one side of a single sheet of toilet paper), which sees most of the actors utter only the most rudimentary of expository dialogue (“Your fighting is quite good!”), the fight choreography is pretty damn good by mediocre kung fu movie standards (Dragon Lee’s intensity is the clear standout here), highlighted by a terrific punch-up involving Bolo Yeung (“He’s like an elephant!”) and an impressive climatic cross-country duel between criminal mastermind Kao-Fei (the great Philip Ko) with both Bruce Lai and Dragon Lee, which more or less salvages the entire film.
Featuring a new 2K scan from a 35mm interpositive, the film looks surprisingly good (scratches and all) in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, which is especially helpful during the film’s many kung fu scenes that take advantage of the entire screen. Once again, the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track sounds perfectly fine with Giorgio Moroder’s MIDNIGHT EXPRESS(1978) score (one of the many stolen music cues in the film) getting quite the workout. Extras include another episode of Severin’s Kung Fu Theater (1m59s) with Michael Worth where he describes the film’s confusing nature, and how director Kong attempts to “over Bruce the production with various bowl cuts, back-fisting, and nose-swiping candidates led by the great Dragon Lee.” He also briefly discusses Neal Adams’ celebrated U.S. poster art for the film. The film’s scope trailer (as THE DRAGON ON FIRE, 3m24s) is also included.
For our second part of this review, visit here.
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