Director: Ng See-yuen

Starring: Bruce Lee, Kim Tai Chung, Hwang Jang Lee, Roy Horan, Lee Hoi-san

Featuring: Roy Chiao, Casanova Wong, Miranda Austin, Yuen Biao

Being the sequel to one of the few Hong Kong Movies I actually think is only worth watching for the fight sequences, Game of Death, I sat down to watch the sequel with unusually low expectations. After all, a sequel to a film that itself had to be completed using a variety of doubles for the lead star (Bruce Lee) is an obvious cash-in while childhood memories of being overwhelmingly disappointed with this title had left me non-too interested.

My interest did however perk up when I noticed the cult following it had amongst fans of Hong Kong Martial Arts Cinema prior to a major DVD release and had I taken the time to do a little research (other than read the back-cover of the DVD!) then I would have discovered that this is a film that is directed by the visionary producer of Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagles Shadow, Ng See Yuen. It also contains fight choreography by the now legendary action-director Yuen Woo-ping (behind the action in The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to name just two) and features phenomenal Martial Arts skills from two of Hong Kong cinemas most prolific ‘bad-guy’ actors, Hwang Jang Lee (Drunken Master) and Lee Hoi-san (Magnificent Butcher) - All of which tells you Game of Death 2 aka Tower of Death turned out to be a pleasant surprise to myself and should please any fan of Traditional Martial Arts Cinema.

Using the English Dubs character names you will find that the Bruce Lee character is again Billy Lo (the same character name as used in Game of Death) and like the original film this character is portrayed using a mixture of previous footage from the Bruce Lee archives and by using doubles. The lead double is again Kim Tai Chung while Yuen Biao takes the reigns when any complex or more acrobatic Martial Arts ensues which is again just like the original film (although a third double was enlisted for the original). Containing a quite frantic opening 30-minutes we discover that Billy Lo is the friend of a fellow Martial Arts Master Ching Ku (Hwang Jang-Lee) but no sooner do we meet these characters than we discover that Ching Ku has quite suddenly and mysteriously died. On the trail of his friends death Billy discovers a film that could help him unravel the mystery but is unable to investigate further after he himself dies in a freak accident (that involves some fowl play) at Ching Ku’s funeral! With the Lee character killed off within the first 30-minutes of the film Kim Tai Chung comes back to our screens within seconds as Billy Lo’s brother, Bobby Lo, only this time he is free to be seen from any angle rather than the side and back views he was restricted to when playing Billy! Bobby is now on the trail to seek revenge for his brother’s death, the first stop along the way is the ‘Castle of Death’ where we meet an American Kung-fu Master who sticks to a diet of raw meat and animal’s blood! Lewis is the gracious host of the ‘Castle of Death’ and it is here Bobby learns of the ‘Tower of Death’ (can you spot the pattern?) that is a secret tower buried underground and is also, not so surprisingly, where Bobby must go to unravel the mystery between his brothers and Ching Ku’s deaths.

The story is in all honesty barely passable! On my first sitting I completely lost track of what was going on after the first 40-minutes but because of the bizarre nature of the film it simply did not bother me! The reason the story becomes almost sidelined (for myself anyway!) is because of the portrayal of the Bruce Lee character who is never really killed off despite the obvious onscreen death. Let me explain. From the very start the use of previous Bruce Lee footage is edited into the film in a more than competent manner while the portrayal of the character by Kim Tai Chung is as good as can be expected with the lack of any face-on camera angles. However, the fight choreography from Yuen Woo-ping, while typically good is also typically Woo-ping and although he has tried to mimic the Bruce Lee style it often comes off looking more Jackie Chan than Bruce Lee as Billy Lo uses his surroundings and objects in a way we have all become accustomed to with Jackie Chan films. Finally when Billy Lo dies Kim Tai Chung gets to play the Bobby Lo role but due to the constant attempts to mimic Bruce Lee’s look and mannerisms and the fact that the fight sequences still contain low level lighting and side/rear camera views because Yuen Biao is still doubling for Kim Tai Chung in the more difficult sections of a fight sequence it never truly feels as though this is a completely different character but rather a single character who stumbles his way through the film!

None of this really matters though because the film makes up for any shortcomings in the plot via its completely outrageous set of characters and the bizarre locations they encounter. From a Safari park ride to a Bond-esque villains base every scene feels like it belongs to another movie (and indeed some do belong to other movies!) while the wry looks from Kim Tai Chung in the Bobby Lo persona and superior reaction shots will always raise a smile as will Roy Horan’s performance as Lewis where he looks as though he is acting with the expectation that he will receive a wonderfully over the top English dub! Other comedic (although not deliberate I must add) highlights include the Lion attack which will provide many laughs to Hong Kong movie aficionados who will just marvel at the sheer level of special effects available to Hong Kong filmmakers of that day and age! Add to this mix a superb musical score that only heightens the laughs on offer and this becomes a truly fun film that is polished off with a fine selection of high quality martial arts displays all of which feature that trademark intricacy that we expect from Yuen Woo-ping and all of which are superbly carried out by the various stars. To conclude what is a very positive review I must warn you that this film is one of those that technically is quite bad, but for the reasons already explained it becomes a lot of fun to watch and has certainly maintained my interest repeatedly over the swift 83-minute running time in a way the original (also often lauded for being so bad its good) never did.

Film Review By: Raymond Wells

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