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mikaelfodor
Reviews
Game of Death (1978)
turmoil
I greatly disliked everything in this film that Robert Clouse did. At no point in the whole film were you convinced that it was Bruce Lee in person. This film seemed to me that it would have been fine if, it was all directed by Sammo Hung, and if they had just forgotten about Bruce Lee and used the same guy and filmed his face. This film also is not what Bruce Lee had in mind when he was drafting it, instead it became a film made to try and fit the original footage in.
It failed on many levels for the main film itself, so much so that i find it annoying to watch. That said the original 40minutes that Bruce Lee shot was amazing. If he had not made the rather average Enter the Dragon and made this instead the world would have been a better place. The existing footage indicates that this movie would have been Bruce Lees philosophy put into visuals. It would for sure have been the best Martial Arts movie ever. However instead the Game Of Death released in 1978 was more of an insult to Bruce Lee than a tribute. They even go so far as to show footage from his actual funeral which I find rather tasteless.
Watch the original 40minutes but forget about the released movie.
Zhui ma lao (2003)
Great comeback for Traditional Kung Fu
The last traditional kung fu movie i remember is Tai-Chi Boxer from 1996 with Jacky Wu again in that movie. I've been looking forward to seeing more from the bad sighted wushu expert, and here it is a comeback from shaw brothers of all people.
The name was promising for a start drunken monkey. So you immediately think that its gonna be a sort of mix between Lau Kar-Leung's Drunken Master 2 and Mad Monkey Kung fu, although its more the monkey though than the Drunk. Its great to see that Lau can still hold a kung fu fight sequence after around 40 years in the business. Jacky Wu also shows how he has progressed since Tai-Chi Boxer.
The story keeps with the traditional kung fu themes, its great fun to watch and reminds one of what the Hong Kong film industry earned its name from. I really hope Shaw Brothers releases more.
Its the most enjoyable Hong Kong movie i have seen for along time. I recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys kung fu movies and martial arts in general. If you don't it may not be your cup of tea but you could give it a chance anyway.