AKA Fist of Death
South Korea/Taiwan
1982
Directors: Choe Dong-Joon, Wu Chia-Chun
Starring: Kim Tae-Jeong [credited as Tong Lung], Lee Siu-Ming [credited as Jackie Chang], Wang Pao-Yu, He Ying, Chang Il-Sik, Eagle Han Ying, Ma Sha, Chen Shan, Baek Hwang-ki
You'd think a film featuring a Bruce Lee clone AND a Jackie Chan clone (not to mention maverick exploitation producer Dick Randal's name on the credits) would be a lot of fun, but well, no, it's not.
In a way, this is a Fist of Fury knock-off with the Jing Wu school vs the...well, the dialogue says "YMCA" but the logo on the school is clearly YMGA! Either way, the masters of both schools get bumped off, although the expected school vs. school rivalry peters out fairly early on as it's blatantly obvious some no good gangsters are behind it, in order to get a document, for reasons that seem to have slipped everyone's minds until it's mentioned with less then 10min to go - and I swear this is what they say -
"Master always said that document was important. It has a list of the YMCA members, also a treasure map. If it fell into the wrong hands, it would be too terrible to comtemplate!"
Yes, well, I'm sure the YMCA wouldn't want people to know they were involved in this mess too!
Anyway, it takes us a good 15 min before we get to see our Bruce Lee clone, although a title card at the beginning assures us of his credentials. And look, it's none other than Kim Tae-Chung, late of Game of Death and Tower of Death (and later of No Retreat, No Surrender). It's just as well the title card was there, as he looks nothing like Bruce Lee at all except when he bugs his eyes in moments of stress. As an actor, he's not awful and is good looking enough (and judging from his tight fitting white mourning outfit, he has a nice arse too!), but yeah, you can see why they used that cardboard cut out in Game of Death!
Lee Siu-Ming, playing "Jackie" and seemingly cast because his nose was reasonably big, comes off surprisingly well in his intro, exhanging in a wacky brawl using a rickshaw as a weapon. He doesn't really get much later chance to shine, but at least his scenes are less po-faced.
The two characters wander in and out of each other's plotlines at regular intervals, but there's little to hold the attention aside from some fun fights. Sadly, the film comits further cinematic crimes by ignoring the likes of Eagle Han Ying and Chen Shan, and reserving the main villian role for Hei Ying, who is a boring actor, and spends most of his fight scene teleporting and disapearing in tricks that are probably meant to evoke the then current ninja fad but are more likely to remind you of a school production of The Wizard of Oz. And the end fight ends abruptly with a freeze frame denying us from seeing the final death blow! Honestly!
3/10
Jackie and Bruce to the Rescue (1982)
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- Hail the Judge!
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Jackie and Bruce to the Rescue (1982)
bradavon wrote:
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
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- Bruce Lee's Fist
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Re: Jackie and Bruce to the Rescue (1982)
I have a high tolerance for expoitation clone trash but even i struggled with this one. Terrible and not in an entertaining way.
working class blu-ray fan
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Re: Jackie and Bruce to the Rescue (1982)
It don't think it really make the most of the exploitation possibilities.
bradavon wrote:
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
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- Hail the Judge!
- Posts: 2352
- Joined: 16 Mar 2005, 23:05
Re: Jackie and Bruce to the Rescue (1982)
bradavon wrote:
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.
but I guess you're more intelligence than me.