A lot of the films I discuss here from this decade are notable for their level of gritty and bleak stories with desaturated visuals, so it's time to change it up and look at something a bit more ridiculous. A story where the villains are recognisable because they have gigantic scars and prosthetic hands. Where the period isn't recognisable for it's grey colour pallet, but for it's music, costumes, and afros. Besides, looking at a Bruce Lee movie is well over due at this point, so where better to start than the greatest entry to his sadly very brief body of work. Some of his other movies might be more dramatic or have better use of nunchaku weapons, but this stands out for it's style, sound and characters in ways that make it the best of the lot.
The opening of the film is the perfect representation of this mixture of lurid colours and stylish fighting techniques, with a brief but exciting martial arts match and of course the ridiculously funky theme tune from Lalo Schifrin. They throw in just enough Eastern wisdom to give us an idea of Bruce's own ideas without it feeling to over done, before throwing the viewer into a tale of crime, revenge and tournament fighters. It's immediately engaging as they use the music as part of the sound of the Hong Kong cityscape before we're given backstory to the three main heroes. Well developed characters these are not, but like the rest of the storyline it's simple and effective.
Generally it feels very light in terms of plotting, but this isn't a serious look at kung-fu or drug syndicates by any means. Most of the time it just feels like a 007 film with an outlandish villain and his cartoonish henchmen hiding in a secluded lair. There are a lot of details that feel like Roger Moore's first James Bond vehicle Live and Let Die which came out the same year whether it's the heroin, the claw hands, or the use of blaxploitation elements. It's a entertaining product of the time. It would also influence Bond in scenes from The Man with the Golden Gun, as well as having an effect on later blaxploitation movies.
The screen presence of the cast greatly compensates for any lack of written depth. Bruce Lee (as ... Mr. Lee) is at his best as the often sarcastic and jaded hero who is out for revenge, though he still manages to spend time thinking over his philosophical ideas. John Saxon as Roper also gets lots of good moments. His character is often played for laughs but it works as a additional perspective to the situation, one more concerned with selfish gain than heroic action. Jim Lee as Williams gets some of the silliest - and most memorable - dialogue as the Everyman of trio. His concern for the poverty seen in the Hong Kong harbour should really have been developed further, but unfortunately his role is cut short as a result of changes in pre-production.
His character's involvement in the story is one of the weakest inclusions, and it should have more rounded to expand on the final battle. Big bad Han (Shih Kien) introduces his daughters during an earlier scene as his personal guard... and then they never appear again. A final clash between them would not only have made sense but would also give Roper and Williams a last team up as old war buddies. Two problems could be ironed out in one sequence, but it's a case of what could have been. However this is a small complaint in the grand scheme of things, as a well paced action movie there isn't much else to single out in this way.
Han himself is an effective villain, though it's clearly not his voice and Shih Kien was probably better cast as a comedy antagonist in The Young Master. Elsewhere there are blink and you'll miss it appearances from Sammo Hung and Yuen Wah, as well as a variety of opponents for Lee and friends, some more effective than others. The 'fighting without fighting' scene is a great moment but Peter Archer as Parsons is always a bit mystifying - what accent is that? Someone say he's from New Zealand? I have no idea. Bob Wall and Bolo Yeung as the villain's main henchmen don't exactly get a lot to do, but they're intimidating enough when necessary which works during the action.
The martial arts extravaganza at the core of the film is all very satisfying from the tournament fighters that inspired countless video games, to the often imitated hall of mirrors finale. Lee's momentary loss of control during his confrontation with O'Hara offers just the right kind of pathos without it becoming too melodramatic. The sequences are often short but always full of variety, as shown in the bodyguard brawl after Lee discovers what Han's underground hideout is being used for. They move effortlessly from sticks and batons with just enough pauses before bringing out the replacement hands, each more ridiculous than the last.
It's a film that often feels inherently absurd, and the 1970s attitudes towards sex, drugs and alarmingly big headphones are both part of the appeal and why it feels so dated. The weird dubbing and the garish silk outfits are just part of the experience. But Bruce Lee here is timeless, in adventure that doesn't have any of the rough edges present on the likes of Way of the Dragon or the bizarre music choices from The Big Boss. History leaves this as his ultimate film in more ways than one, which is a sad fact made worse by the insulting version Game of Death that was eventually slapped together. The most tragic case of what could have been. But what we're left with us a weird, colourful, often electric kung fu spectacular -- a classic that is endlessly watchable.
4/5
