Bruce Lee died after shooting only a few scenes of his ambitious Game of Death, but that didn't stop greedy producers from finishing and releasing Lee's last film, even if he's doubled for most of it. Lee planned an ambitious expression of his fighting philosophy, and his story culminates in the rigorous challenge of the Game of Death, in which combatants take on successively greater and greater masters as they fight their way to the top of a tower. Only a few fight scenes were completed, and the released film is about a martial arts movie star who takes on a syndicate of drug dealers. Lee faces down the towering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in an impressive battle, one of the only surviving scenes from Lee's original shoot, while outtakes from his battle with Chuck Norris in Return of the Dragon are used along with real-life footage from Lee's funeral. The rest of the film is a mishmash of car chases and clumsily edited fights, complete with awkward inserts of Lee's face. His double remains hidden behind a pair of dark glasses or a motorcycle helmet throughout, and he abruptly changes into a yellow jumpsuit for no reason other than to match Lee's costume in the final scene.
Sur une île forteresse au large de Hong Kong, l'académie des arts martiaux de l'inquiétant HAN sert de couverture à un commerce d'opium clandestin et à un réseau de prostitution internationale. Chargé de démasquer l'organisation, LEE accepte de participer à un tournoi organiser par l'académie afin de s'y infiltrer...
Well, I'll be one of many to say it...the sound for this version of Bruce's timeless classic truly [stinks]!! Wow, Fox sure does not know how to remaster a great film. Anyways, the original name for this film is Fist of Fury (not Fists of Fury, which is the replacement name for The Big Boss).
Now that the confusion is out of the way hopefully, this is about Chen (Bruce) who comes back to his martial arts school to find his master suspiciously dead.
Japanese own the territory, and Chen suspects a murder. He finds out that a Japanese official was behind it, and fights his way to confront him. Thin plot, but the fighting was way ahead of its time.
This is the beginning of what everyone remembers of Bruce. His amazing technique and the power that he puts in all of his attacks are mindblowing. Hands down, he is the best realistic fighter to be caught on film. What version to get?? Definitely not this one for the sound is completely mono and only an English dub is available.
If you can play Region 2 PAL dvds, then the Hong Kong Legends version entitled Fist of Fury is the one to own. Awesome remastered sound (5.1 dbd Chinese and English) and video (shockingly clear) and uncut.
There is also a DTS version which is pretty hard to find, but plays on any dvd player. I can't say much for this one, but DTS for an early 70's film can't be too much better than dbd 5.1.
There is also a standard HK version of this film as well, which is still way better than this Chinese Connection release. Just look for the film titled Fist(not Fists) of Fury and you got yourself a classic.
This film is such a classic that Jet Li did the infamous remake of it called Fist of Legend, which is probably my favorite martial arts movie of all time. This film is essential for any martial arts collection, and I urge all of you to own it.
Actually, all of Bruce's films are a must own...Big Boss (Fists of Fury here in US), Way of the Dragon (Return of the Dragon here), Enter the Dragon, and Game of Death...
Way of the Dragon (or Return) was my favorite, check out my review on that and check my other HK reviews too...Hope this was helpful.
Bruce plays Chin Chin, a martial arts student in Shanghai, whose sifu is killed by a rival Japanese martial arts school. He decides to take it upon himself to exact retribution by soundly thrashing the whole of the Japanese school's students. When they retaliate the police step in. Chin Chin goes under cover to ferret out the guilty parties and kills the two spies who murdered his sifu. Now he is on the run with both the police and the Japanese after him. He carries on until all the guilty ones are dead, and then gives himself up. He dies by running and leaping at the cops waiting to take him in. Bruce's take on the end was that Chin Chin had to die since he committed murder, and could not go unpunished.
Of all of Bruce Lee's movies this one is perhaps the most realistic and enjoyable in terms of martial arts action even more so than Enter the Dragon. The plot of a country bumbkin sent away from his home that ends up singlehandedly humiliating and dispatching pestering gangsters is again implemented, but is this time seen entirely through Bruce's eyes as Bruce wrote this screenplay. Comedy punchlines that fall flat, plot somersaults that defy logic and reasoning leaving the audience discombobulated however are forgetable, but the choreography of the fights are the apex of on screen martial-arts action. The gladiator duel set in the Colloseum with Bruce and Chuck Norris is the most climactic scene, and I found myself rewinding the scene over and over to catch Bruce Lee's footwork that seemed comparable to Muhammed Ali's. The scene where Bruce Lee wields two nunchaka at once is asskickingly breathtaking.