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Although I’m not a fan of the movie per se, Enter the Game of Death, also called King of Kung Fu, is much better than a mediocre film that’s sure to please Bruce Lee/martial arts/action/Hong Kong cinema enthusiasts! (The sub-plot where Bruce is set to play a character in ‘Enter the Dragon’ film portrays him agreeing to take a secret mission because his female relative is attacked by would-be rapists, in particular. It has tons of references for the diligent within films such as Fist of Fury or Enter the Dragon or the Game of Death.)
Yes, it isn’t anywhere as good as some of those Bruce Li films like The Chinese Stuntman and The Gold Connection (or Iron Dragon Strikes Back) and The Lama Avengers (or Three Avengers). And neither is it as good as the official Game of Death films. But Enter the Game of Death has its moments and some other highlights throughout as well.
It’s likely that Bruce Lee fans would find the film most interesting due to how it utilizes the same site Bruce had planned to shoot his untitled masterpiece Game of Death at. That would explain the location’s significance. It had also been shown to good effect in the John Liu actioner Wu Tang Magic Kick, also known as The Mars Villa.
Bruce Le, at first, looks very different from Bruce Lee (he looks like an old Chinese version of Haley Joel Osmond and appears in the opening credit sequence) yet as the film moves forward, some frames in certain scenes make you think or even say, ‘Is that Brucei?!’ Turning to the last fight where Le has with Bolo, and during his second to last fight scene with this black guy, each scene has parts where face seems if not identical, but strikingly resembles Lee’s features.
Le may not fulfill Bruce Lee’s dominance and acting skills or possess his immaculate performance of martial arts, but he understands how to capture some movements along with the physique Le had during Enter The Dragon. Bruce does consistently resemble him, but to put it in perspective, his facial expressions and over the top is to a smaller degree than Dragon Lee.
Looking at the other Joe’s review, even the lazy nature of the film can be justified as there is very little consistency when it comes to the film’s story (only a primary plot which is linear, but vaguely).
The most laughable example of this is Bolo Yeung who changes between Japanese & Chinese outfits while working for a Chinese boss and a Japanese one with no narrative justification. This is rather disturbing when it is considered at the beginning of the film when both bosses seem to be working for the same cause. This lack of coherence in the story telling is something that could make a rather important case for particular sub plot.
On the topic of allegiances, it is hardly explained, let alone convincingly, how Lisa (who vaguely resembles Chingmy Yau Suk Ching a well known former star of Wong Jing) has managed to pull off the feat of being a double spy for the Chinese and German side. This film is based from before world war 2 (regardless of the Bruce Le fashions and the Westerners he fights against) and it has never really been told why she even attempts to persuade Bruce into fighting for both sides. Perhaps so that she can maintain her cover but again, that point is really not made clear and thus you are left wondering what actually is going on.
Moreover, speaking of the female characters and their absurd rationales, the lady whom Bruce saves (because she has been raped) screams for assistance, only to puncture her tongue soon after…If that was the intention all along, one can’t help but ask, what was the point of the desperate call for help? Asha, there is some saying regarding ‘leaving it for the audience to figure it out’, but this design is to put it mildly tragic, ridiculous, and mad.
And so, because of that, this film record is the greatest (or, the worst, depending on how you chose to form your opinion about things) case study of the making of a movie without a single plot story behind it, save the arrangement of some battles the like of which has never been seen before.
At least in some of the more modest examples of the genre, there’s a fairly substantial reason or reasonable excuse as to why the fights are there but this lacks logic (especially for the first encounter between Bruce Le and Bolo Yeung).
And there is also a tournament sequence (which also has a bit of “dark tourist” feel to it) where, though the other characters of the main plot are featured, the issue of Bolo fighting other contenders in the ring has not been clearly defined. No explanation has been given afterwards, either.
Throughout the opening credits sequence, two checkered themes play while a lighthearted depiction of Bruce Le, the star of the film, appears on the screen almost in a perverse manner self mocking. The last of these themes resembles the 007 theme song, though it,” to my knowledge, didn’t feature in any of the Bond movies back in the 70s. The same goes for The Dr No inspired Enter the Dragon, which is a missed opportunity. The latter film would have seemed less like a copy of the former, if only the music cue was used. That is to say, it gave the impression that there was some thought put into the parallels, like it was intended to be a homage.
In the case of this credit sequence, it becomes unexplainable since every time a credit sequence pops up, the background music seems to change completely. For instance, one of the songs is from the movie Drunken Master. Moreover, some of the same music pieces are used to complete the credits and they have been irritatingly used through out the final period of the credit sequence.
In the last hour or so of the movie, the soundtrack is pretty much a copy of music from the score of Enter the Dragon. But some about the scoring seems dodgy even here, particularly with the film in question because I suppose it would have worked in a movie which didn’t seek this exploitative approach and made all these nods towards Bruce Lee.
One of the techniques that stans out is camera placement as well as the score itself, which seems to take the prize as it has an odd airplane sounding (not airplane the movie) background. And don’t get me started on the fights choreography. It’s wrapped with the airplane score, and to put it mildly, it’s mundane. Yes, it does pop out every now and then but the rest of the fights are just dreadful.
Four out of ten it is thanks to the light hearted humor, despite the horrid acting. The pagoda part of the fight is intriguing because to my surprise, many others were quite good and thus earn a rating of 4 out of 10 on my scale. There is also quite a good variety of weaponry and different styles incorporated as well.
The Cobra fighting Snake Fist master is a bit humorous, and the nunchaku fight is arguably the best. The nunchaku duel featured only 50% of the skill that Bruce and Dan had in their version of the duel in the actual Game of Death.
As a personal favorite, I’ll note the fight where Bruce, out for a jog in the forest, faces off against some Westerners. The choreography is funny, and the dubbing skill combined with Le’s reactions adds an element of unintentional humor that is so priceless and deserving of rewinds.
The fight scenes have one minor inconvenience. You can clearly tell which audio track is in English and which one is in Chinese. The English audio includes the war cries that sound more genuine than the latter and mixed is of a sharper and more modern quality.
This film does not incorporate the depth or symbolism that Bruce intended for Game of Death. This does not mean the film did not reach the Kubrick creative height. Bruce would have elevated the pacing and subtle narcissism in the completed Game of Death.
We also see that instead of Bruce Le ascending to higher levels, he seems to be passing through weaker stages (the only explanation I have is the filmmakers came up with this idea that if you have something to guard then the strongest fighter should be at the last door so that IF there was any invader who got through the first door, they would have no chance of beating the most unmotivated fighter due to all the energy expended at the first door).
Another motive to check out this movie is that it acts as a historical artifact not only as a nostalgic glimpse of the period but of how famous the Game Of Death project was even prior to John Little stumbling on the script notes and additional footage he would use in his documentary Bruce Lee: A Warrior’s Journey.
For example, the way Lee Hoi San (a Kung Fu actor who was also one of the temple guardians in Tower Of Death) had blocked the door for Bruce to move on to the next stage is quite similar to Karee’s helplessness in the scene the real Bruce had filmed.
Just like how Chi Hon Joi is situated in the hut, an alternative exponent in the pagoda is also resting on a bed. Let this remind you why John Woo and Jackie Chan never bother with storyboards for their movies.
All in all, entertaining and not overly indulging. Did you know that The New Game Of Death (or Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game Of Death), the film that shamelessly imitated the style of Game Of Death, had a theme song that was called King Of Kung Fu? You guessed it; that’s why the movie is titled that way.
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