Bruce Li Blind Fist Of Bruce

Starring Bruce Li, Simon Yuen, Chiang Tao, Tiger Yuen, Lau Chan

Fight Choreography by Lui Han Ming

Directed by Kam Bo

Afterwards Bruce Lee died, Hong Kong cinema scrambled to replace him, and past that I do mean literally replacing Bruce, with a succession of actors who looked a little–or a lot–like Bruce, and could portray his mental attitude. They were never called to play a graphic symbol, they were chosen because they could imitate Bruce. Bruce Li was one of the best of these, and perchance his career would take been better if he had been able to forge his ain identity, instead of being known forevermore as a Bruce Lee clone. Movies like the Blind Fist of Bruce shows that he could have been so much more.

The film opens as a grouping of baddies prove up at the police headquarters of a pocket-size town and insist on speaking to the Captain, and of course his officers refuse, and go on to take an butt-kicking from a group of guys who must have the phrase "fresh off a cop'due south ass" tattooed on their forearms. The Captain reveals himself, and starts jacking up the gang before their leader Wei (Tao), who beats the Captain to death. This first fight is adequately ho-hum and plodding, and I tin can merely imagine it was done to make Bruce Li'south fights expect better, but that's inappreciably needed.

Meanwhile, two thugs show up to the local bank owned by Yeh Chen(Li), a good and fair broker who shows up with his ii teachers to teach the thugs a lesson. When his teachers appear, if you watch enough kung-fu films then y'all know Yeh's in deep shit. Whenever you come across Lau Chan in a film y'all know what's gonna happen, and if you lot can't place the face here information technology is:

You now know two things: a) this asshole will betray the hero at some betoken, and b) he'll become killed (commonly by a kick or dial to the chest) and explode a blood sheathing in his oral cavity, a really big one, and bleed profusely from the mouth as he dies, which he does to perfection in pretty much every moving-picture show you ever encounter him in.

Okay, back to the picture show. Yeh does beat the two thugs, and we find out afterwards that his two teachers are simulated kung fu masters who pay to have random guys get their asses kicked by Yeh so they look like they are teaching him the adept stuff, when he isn't learning shit. (Y'all may recognize this every bit being a similar plot to Yuen Biao's Dissipated Son) Then of class the baddies testify upwardly, and when Yeh tries to fight them they beat the tar out of him, and then the gang proceeds to take over the entire town. While preparation in more simulated kung-fu, because Yeh is both smart and dense at the same time, sees ane of his teachers getting schooled past a blind old beggar (Simon Yuen) but doesn't withal see this as proof that his teachers aren't for shit. We then run into the ragamuffin defending his niece from Wei'south two douchy sidekicks, and the bullheaded beggar beats them up in a fun fight, fifty-fifty though nosotros know that the person fighting is a stuntman and non Simon Yuen, who is the father of legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo Ping. Simon sells everything in the scenes right before and after a fight, and that'due south good enough. There's a reason why he'south the quintessential Kung-Fu instructor in so many martial arts films.

Yeh goes back to get a rematch with Wei, and this time gets browbeaten and so desperately he is forced to sign his bank over to the gang, and fires his two teachers, who then go to Wei to join his gang (Lau Chan=betrayal. Check.) Yeh goes to the beggar and is able to convince him to teach him kung-fu, and he does so, but piffling does Yeh know that the real dominate of the gang, Tiger, has a history with the bullheaded ragamuffin, and so the stage is set for revenge left, revenge correct, everywhere revenge!

This is what I phone call a claret capsule kung-fu flick, pregnant that the fights can continue for days and you know when someone is really dead for good when they bite down on that blood capsule and the blood free flows from their mouth. That's like an indicator that yeah, that dude is finally dead. The film starts out slowly and doesn't actually get going until the beggar shows up, but that'southward to exist expected since Bruce Li's showtime few fights are fought as a guy who is learning fake kung-fu. Once he does learn from the beggar the fights get pretty skilful. Not as brutal as a Bruce Lee film merely non that graceful, the fights exercise march to the vanquish of its ain drummer thanks to Lui Han Ming'due south fight choreography, which seems to have dissimilar tempos for each fight, and gives each of them a satisfying finish, which is something considering that there are a ton of fights in this film!

Bruce Li shows off corking skills, and while he looks like Bruce and acts like him, Li doesn't actually try to fight like him, except in moments here and in that location. Chaing Tao, a veteran of many kung-fu films, does a great task equally the Tiger' second in command Wei, equally does Tiger Yueng, who shows off some not bad forms as the main baddie.

Bullheaded Fist of Bruce is a satisfying revenge film where everyone get's what'southward coming to them, and when the bad guy is killed they roll credits. No backwash stuff, he dies, and it's done. Fast nutrient Kung-Fu at it'due south best.

(On a scale of i-10, x beingness the all-time)

CHOREOGRAPHY: (8) Due to the story constraints the fights are stilted in the beginning, just hits everything right the residuum of the mode.

STUNTWORK:(8) Simon Yuen's stuntman deserves a heighten, and everyone does a great task. Lau Chan is money in the bank. Viva fake blood capsules!

STAR POWER: (8) Bruce Li's appreciation is starting to abound as his quondam films are revisited. In many ways Li carried the torch until the adjacent wave of martial arts stars.

Final GRADE: (viii) Bruce Li was never able to escape being seen as nothing more than than the best of the Bruce Lee clones, merely he has fabricated few decent martial arts films that bear witness that he could have been so much more.

Source: https://kiaikick.com/2011/03/14/review-blind-fist-of-bruce-1979/

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