ENTER THE GAME OF DEATH - THE KING OF KUNG FU

If you've got the ball's to kick somebody in the face, does that mean you have the face to ball somebody in the kick? Furthermore, and this statement is true, does it bear any relevance whatsoever on this film Directed by: Choe Woo-Yeong; and Starring: Bruce Le and Bolo Yeung. If you know, please tell me why for about 80-minutes in 1978.


Enter The Game Of Death

THE STORY:

After overhearing a conversation between an American businessman and a Chinese Warlord, the secret leader of the 'Blue Robe Clan', Su Yie (Yeo Su-jin), want to know, who will help her retrieve some governmental documents that are currently in the Warlords possession, so she can then help her native homeland of China break free from the imperialist Japanese forces.

Huh? What's that you say? What about that Chinese chap that beats up Yang See (Bolo Yeung) in a boxing ring, before telling the aforementioned Warlord to go and suck an egg? What's-his name. Chang (Bruce Le). Nah! He'll never do it. He'd rather run around in that yellow jump-suit of his day and night, kicking the living cr*p out of whoever tries to tempts him with this task.

Huh, again? What's that once more? Those Japanese b*stards have rapped Chang's cousin? And that is why he will agree to Sue's request? Thank God for sexually deprived martial-artists, huh? Or otherwise Chan wouldn't be willing to battle his way up that very tall pagoda, and help save the day.

Still, that's most probably why what next transpires all goes to Wok when a couple of Jap's tries to beat him to the punch. As fights are hard to follow - plot-lines seem rather hollow - a double-cross turns into a jump-kick - and for f*ck sake, who wrote this stupid flick!   

THE REVIEW:

Now if I was going to describe to you 'Enter the Game of Death' in cartoonish caption form, this is most probably how it would play out...

'Please help me find those documents. BANG! No. THUNK-THUNK-THUNK! Oh go on. Please. I'll be your friend. WANG! No. POW-POW-POW! ARGGGHH! Alright then. I will. Those buggers have killed my cousin. CRACK! Thanks. KRASH! Have you got it yet? BOP-SPLAT! No. Not yet. HONK-HONK! Now? CLANG! No. Those guys have it. SMASH! Now I've got it. DOINK! No I haven't. SLAP! Yes I have. Job done. Yippeee!!!'.

Sound's pretty bizarre, doesn't it? But that isn't the only bizarre thing about this funk-fu flick. Oh no. If you ever get around to watching it, expect to witness: (1) A man strangled to death by his own snake. (2) Two fight scenes were two different opponents wear the very same Santa Claus beard. (3) Dubbing that's so dire, I thought the voice-over artists were imitating Yosemite Sam and James Stuart. (4) Camera work that must have been carried out by a detoxifying drug-addict. (5) A lot of theme music ripped out of the film, 'Enter The Dragon'. (6) An introductory sequence where you don't know what the hell this movie is supposed to be about. And (7) An overall production that comprises about 80 percent action, and 20 percent plot.

Granted, on a more positive note, I did like some of Bruce Le's performance. His Bruce Lee imitation was fairly above his usual standards. Plus certain fight scenes did have that whip snapping vitality about them; I would have honestly liked to have seen a lot more.

Apart from that though -- errr -- no comment. 'Enter the Game of Death' is a film that is a Lukewarm comparison compared to its Lukewarm predecessor. In fact, it is so Luke, I would now like to garnish you with some fact relating to other 'Game of Death' homage's. (1) Due to the disappointment of Robert Clouse's 1978 version of 'Game of Death', in 1981, a sequel was made using unseen footage from 'Enter the Dragon', and featuring similar characters. (2) If you look very closely at the following films, you can see a theatre poster of 'Death' in 'Eaten Alice' with Robert Kerman; 'The Exterminator' with Robert Ginty; 'Times Square' with Tim Curry; and a couple more not worth mentioning. (3) In Jackie Chan's films, 'City Hunter' and 'Rush Hour 3', there were two fight scenes constructed which pays direct homage to this late lamented film. (4) The classic Billy Lo yellow jumpsuit has been worn by Uma Thurman in 'Kill Bill'; Leroy Green in 'The Last Dragon'; Hamato Yoshi in 'The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' cartoon; and the Goalkeeper in 'Shaolin Soccer'. (5) The multi-level 'pagoda scene' has been recreated in 'Goodbye Bruce Lee, His Last Game of Death', the aforementioned 'Game of Death 2', and the first side-scrolling beat-em-up game ever made -- 'Kung-Fu Master'. (6) Obviously 'Game of Death' has been mentioned in numerous documentaries made about Bruce Lee, including his bio-pic, 'Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'. (7) Wesley Snipes starred in a 2010 film called the 'Game of Death', which had no real connection to the original production whatsoever. Apart from the title of course. (8) The bounty in the manga series, 'Cowboy Beebop', is named Adbul Hakim, due to the fact that Abdul Hakim Jabbar starred in 'Death'.

All in all 'Enter the Game of Death' is a film for die hard fans of this genre only. The plot is nigh on non-existent. The fights are fairly so-so by in large. Bruce and Bolo did give the overall production that extra added star power needed. But at the end of the day this flick was more Ka-rap than Ka-pow!

Sorry Kung-Fu, fans. Next time I will try to pick a b-movie classic with a lot more kick to it.

THE RATING: C+