WFG RATING: A

A Severin Films production. Directed by David Gregory. Produced by Michael Worth, Jeremy Cheung, Andrew Furtado, and Frank Djeng. Cinematography by Jim Kunz, Edited by Douglas Buck.

Stars James Ho-Chung Tao, Moon Kyoung-seok, Wong Kin-Lung, Bruce Leung, Yasuaki Kurata, Don Wong, Terry Levene, Angela Mao, Andre Morgan, Ron Van Clief, Eric Tsang, Mike Leeder, David Chiang, Lo Meng, Philip Ko, Mars, Michael Worth, Godfrey Ho, Lee Tso-Nam, and Roy Horan. 

This documentary on the trend of Bruceploitation is excellent thanks to exclusive interviews with some of the famous clones themselves and talk about the impact of kung fu films today. 

On July 20, 1973, Bruce Lee, the famous martial arts action hero, had died. His funeral was attended by the masses and his legacy was one that lives on to this day. Producers and distributors didn’t want the spirit of Bruce Lee gone forever. They decided to find anyone who looked like Bruce Lee and make more Bruce films. This would be the beginning of “Bruceploitation”. 

In Taiwan, there was James Ho Chung-Tao, a martial artist who was given the moniker “Bruce Li”. In Korea, there was Moon Kyoung-seok, who was known as “Keo Ryong”, or “Dragon Lee”. From Burma, there was Wong Kin-Lung, who would be known as “Bruce Le”, along with Bruce Leung Siu-Lung, would be the core group who would define “Bruceploitation”, starting with some biopics and other kung fu films where Lee or a character Lee had played would be the lead. Then came “The Clones of Bruce Lee”, which Le and Dragon Lee and Chang Il-Do, aka Bruce Lai would star. 

A few Japanese-born martial artists were also known as Bruce clones. Tadashi Yamashita was known as “Bronson Lee” and Yasuaki Kurata has one credit as “Bruce Lo”. When we see him looking at the poster, Kurata is seen laughing and saying Bruce had his own style and he has his own style. Kurata also talked about his collaborations with Bruce Leung when they shot a film in Rome where they had to go guerrilla style. 

The documentary also talks about the impact of Bruceploiation and kung fu films not only in Asia, but the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States. Interviews with distributors such as Terry Levene and Rene Chateau talk about the impact of Bruce Lee and their use of marketing to keep his spirit alive even when it had an emotional impact on Lee’s family. 

There are also interviews with the likes of Mike Leeder, Andre Morgan, Michael Worth, and Ron Van Clief, all who have their experiences with Bruce in one form of another. There is much discussion about the 1978 completed edition of Game of Death, which 15 minutes of actual footage of Bruce was seen but can double as a Bruceploitation film with its use of doubles and even a cardboard head of Bruce seen on a double’s body. There’s even mention of Bolo Yeung, who appeared in many films with the clones after being denied a chance to take on the legend in Enter the Dragon, prompting a “what if” scenario as well as the clones’ interest to break from the image in their later careers. 

Of course, what wasn’t really mentioned was the millennial Bruceploitation and those who continue to have the Lee spirit involved, like Dragon Shek or Abbas Alizada (the Afghan Bruce Lee) but that’s okay as this was meant to talk about the heyday of the subgenre. There’s even set visits to the once glorious studios that made these films with directors Godfrey Ho and Lee Tso-Nam being our “tour guides”. 

All in all, this is a fantastic documentary about the world of Bruceploitation and its rise in the 70s. If you’re a fan of martial arts films, this has to go on your watchlist immediately.