Director: Robert Clouse

Starring: Bruce Lee, Gig Young, Dean Jagger, Hugh O’Brian, Colleen Camp, Mel Novak

Featuring: Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bob Wall, James Tien, Dan Inosanto, Whang In-sik

With great sadness, Bruce Lee died before the completion of Game of Death and the final version that we see today is considered by many as being little more than a crude cut and paste job.

Although there is a severe shortage of genuine Bruce Lee footage in Game of Death, the film does manage to pack in some excellent fight scenes, most of which take place within the last 20 minutes. Up until then, the film is dominated by a string of Bruce Lee look-a-likes who use any means necessary to hide their faces from the camera.

Bruce Lee originally had an interesting idea for the ending of the film. His idea was that his character would, in the end, have to work his way to the top of a so-called Tower of Death. On each level he would find an opponent who was an expert in a particular field (or style) of martial arts and finally, at the top of the tower he would face a mysterious and most deadly opponent who would appear to have a formless style. Sadly, due to a combination of excessive cutting and incomplete scenes, this interesting idea is lost on all but the most dedicated and knowledgeable of fans.

Many fans strongly disapprove of Game of Death on the grounds that Bruce Lee cannot and should not have been replaced by doubles and certainly not by a cardboard cutout (as has been well documented). Yes, the fight scenes at the end are all genuine Bruce Lee fight scenes, that much is true. However, there is none of the humour or the intense depth of character that Bruce Lee fans have become accustomed to. For many fans, the Bruce Lee films are about much more than just fight scenes- they provide valuable insights into the mindset of their real life hero, Bruce Lee.

Perhaps the most controversial issue with Game of Death was the inclusion of real footage taken from Bruce Lee’s funeral with (even!) a close up of Bruce Lee in his coffin. For many fans this is the ultimate act of disrespect.

Interestingly, the original storyline for Game of Death (as written by Bruce Lee) has recently been unearthed. It has been revealed that Lee’s original idea for the plot and for how the film should go was nothing like the version that Raymond Chow eventually produced (more outrage!).

Having said that, I believe it would be unfair to accuse Raymond Chow and his team of an insincere or sloppy attempt at creating a good Bruce Lee film. During the making of the film, the team went to great lengths to try and encapsulate the spirit of Bruce Lee. It is well documented that there were even on-set ceremonies with incense and music, all designed to try and stamp the spirit of Bruce Lee onto the film!

Whether or not the makers of this film were driven by a love of Bruce Lee, or a love of money is a matter that I dare not comment upon!

On a personal note, I can say in defense of Game of Death, that the first time I viewed the film I was not at all aware of any cutting and pasting. I knew nothing of the circumstances surrounding the making of the film and as far as I was aware, Bruce Lee had played the part of Billy Lo from start to finish! To me, Game of Death was another good Bruce Lee film like any other. However, I hasten to add, I was only 14 years old when I first saw the film!

Another admittedly feeble defence of Game of Death is to simply say that no matter what Raymond Chow and his team had produced, they were ultimately doomed to end up at the brunt end of a mass of criticism. Had there been an abundance of usable footage of Bruce Lee available then surely Raymond Chow would have been the first person to insist on including it! Changing the plot and using doubles and cardboard cut outs should perhaps be regarded as nothing more than practical implementations to make the film work- not some kind of vile acts of disrespect. After all, perhaps the only reasonable alternative at the time would have been to scrap the project altogether. Had that happened, there is little doubt that there would have been even more mass outrage from the fans! It seems that no matter what Raymond Chow had produced (or not produced), he was bound to always come out as the loser.

I have a sneaky suspicion that we’ve not yet heard the last word from Game of Death. Baring in mind the ever increasing power of modern computer animation along with the revelation of the original scripts finally seeing the light of day and I wouldn’t be surprised if within the next ten years we see an entirely new remake of the film.

Film Review By: Shane Sullivan

You can buy this DVD now at: www.hongkong-store.com