Bruce Lee The Invincible (HK 1978)

Rating: *
Review Date: 3/25/10
Cast: Chan Sing, Ho Chung Tao (Bruce Li), Chan Wai Man

Hmm, a Bruce Lee exploitation film in name only, as there are no references to him in the film whatsoever. Although Ho Chung Tao does wield a nunchaku at one point, so maybe that counts? Anyway, this is a tiresome and somewhat random kung fu period piece about a bad guy (Chan Wai Man) who moves to Malaysia after making a promise to his teacher that he would turn over a new leaf and become a good person. That clearly didn't happen, and now he's become a ruthless menace over there as well. When he kidnaps a local girl, his colleagues back home find out and decide to intervene. What follows is an escalating series of skirmishes that culminates in a final showdown between Chan Sing, Ho Chung Tao, and Chan Wai Man. And did I mention that kung fu gorillas are involved? One of them gets kicked so hard that his eyes burst out of his head. Apart from the kung fu gorillas, the most ridiculous and baffling part of the film is Chan Sing's "Shaolin disguise technique" which turns him into another actor for about half of the film. Huh? This was done on purpose and wasn't a last minute editing trick, because we see Chan Sing remove the disguise on several occasions. It defies explanation. Maybe it was in his contract that he would only do a certain number of fight scenes. While the kung fu is good and plentiful, it doesn't make the proceedings any more interesting or enjoyable, which is a shame.