Bruceploitation
Encyclopedia
Bruceploitation is a cultural phenomenon mostly seen in the 1970s after the 1973 death of martial artist and actor Bruce Lee
. Movie makers in mainland China
, Hong Kong
and Taiwan
hired a great number of Bruce Lee look-alike actors to star in many cheap knock-off martial arts movies to cash in on his success after his death.
"Bruceploitation" is a portmanteau of the name "Bruce" and exploitation
.
scene was shocked when Bruce Lee died in a Hong Kong hospital on July 20, 1973. At the time of Lee's death, he was Hong Kong's most famous martial arts actor. When Enter the Dragon
became a box office success worldwide, many Hong Kong studios feared that a movie without their most famous star in it would not be financially successful, so some studios decided to play on Lee's sudden international fame by making movies that vaguely sounded like Bruce Lee starring vehicles, with actors who looked like Lee changing their stage names to sound similar to "Bruce Lee", such as Bruce Li
and Bruce Le
.
and The Big Boss
were being released in "Chinese" Theaters in America after Bruce's death, often with alternate and confusing names.
(黎(Lí)小龍 from his real name Ho Chung Tao (何宗道)), Bronson Lee, Bruce Chen, Bruce Lai
, Bruce Le
(呂(Lǔ)小龍 from his real name Wong Kin Lung), (黃建龍)), Bruce Lei, Bruce Lie, Bruce Liang (also known as Bruce Leung), Bruce Ly real name Binhslee, Bruce Thai, Bruce K.A. Lea, Brute Lee, Myron Bruce Lee, Lee Bruce, and Dragon Lee
were hired by studios to play Lee-styled roles.
Jackie Chan
, who started his movie career as an extra and stunt artist
in some of Bruce Lee's movies, was also given roles where he was promoted as the next Bruce Lee, such as New Fist of Fury
(1976). It was only when he made some comedically themed movies for another studio that he was able to gain box-office success.
, Return of the Fists of Fury or Enter the Game of Death
. Others told the life story of Bruce Lee and explored his mysteries, such as Bruce Lee's Secret
(a farcical rehash starring Bruce-clone Bruce Li
in San Francisco defending Chinese immigrants from thugs), Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger
(where Bruce Li
is asked by Bruce Lee to replace him after his death), They Call Me Bruce?
and Bruce's Fist of Vengeance
.
Others simply told crazy stories such as The Clones of Bruce Lee
(where clones
of Bruce Lee portrayed by some of the above actors are created by scientists) or The Dragon Lives Again
(where Bruce Lee fights James Bond
and Dracula
in hell). Others, such as Bruce Lee Fights Back From The Grave
, featured Lee imitators but with a plot having nothing to do with Bruce Lee.
One of Lee's fight choreographers, actor/director Sammo Hung
, famously satirized
the phenomenon of Bruceploitation in his 1978 film, Enter the Fat Dragon
.
Fei Long - Street Fighter
series
Kim Dragon - World Heroes
series
Jann Lee - Dead or Alive (arcade game)
Marshall Law - Tekken
series
Forrest Law - Tekken
series
Liu Kang - Mortal Kombat series
broke out of the mould to make a name for himself after the success of the kung-fu comedies Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
and Drunken Master
, establishing him as the new king of Hong Kong martial arts cinema. Another factor was the beginning of the Shaw Brothers film era in the late '70s, starting with movies such as Five Deadly Venoms
. Since the end of the trend, Bruce Lee's influence on Hong Kong action cinema
remained strong, but the actors began establishing their own personalities, and the films generally began to take a more comedic approach.
Interestingly, however, Bruceploitation continued in the US in a somewhat muted form since the 1970s. Films such as Force-Five, No Retreat, No Surrender
and The Last Dragon
used Bruce Lee as a marketing hook and the genre continues to be a source of exploration for fans of the late Little Dragon and his doppelgangers. Fist of Fear, Touch of Death
told a fictional life story of the star.
In May 2010 a book about Bruceploitation was published by Carl Jones, entitled Here Come the Kung fu Clones; it primarily focuses on a particular Lee-a-like, Ho Chung Tao, but also explores the actors and movies among the best and worst the genre has to offer.
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
. Movie makers in mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
hired a great number of Bruce Lee look-alike actors to star in many cheap knock-off martial arts movies to cash in on his success after his death.
"Bruceploitation" is a portmanteau of the name "Bruce" and exploitation
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
.
The Beginning
The Hong Kong action cinemaHong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
scene was shocked when Bruce Lee died in a Hong Kong hospital on July 20, 1973. At the time of Lee's death, he was Hong Kong's most famous martial arts actor. When Enter the Dragon
Enter the Dragon
Enter the Dragon is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts co-production with Golden Harvest and Warner Bros. studios, directed by Robert Clouse; starring Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly and John Saxon. This is Bruce Lee's final film appearance before his death on July 20, 1973...
became a box office success worldwide, many Hong Kong studios feared that a movie without their most famous star in it would not be financially successful, so some studios decided to play on Lee's sudden international fame by making movies that vaguely sounded like Bruce Lee starring vehicles, with actors who looked like Lee changing their stage names to sound similar to "Bruce Lee", such as Bruce Li
Bruce Li
Bruce Li is one of the stage names of Ho Chung Tao , a Taiwanese martial artist and Bruce Lee imitator who starred in martial arts movies from the Bruceploitation movement.-Early life:...
and Bruce Le
Bruce Le
Bruce Le is a martial artist and actor who is known for the martial arts films he made in the 1970s and '80s...
.
Marketing
In a tactic similar to deceptive marketing, some of these films were advertised as genuine Bruce Lee movies when in fact they were not. This tactic was very successful in the mid-1970s when many of Bruce Lee's earlier films such as Fist of FuryFist of Fury
Fist of Fury, formerly known as The Chinese Connection and The Iron Hand in the United States, is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lo Wei. It starred Bruce Lee in his second major film after The Big Boss...
and The Big Boss
The Big Boss
The Big Boss, previously known by its U.S. title Fists Of Fury is a 1971 Hong Kong martial arts action crime thriller film. The Big Boss was Bruce Lee's first major film. It was written to star James Tien; however, Lee's strong performance relegated Tien, already a star in Hong Kong, to second...
were being released in "Chinese" Theaters in America after Bruce's death, often with alternate and confusing names.
Actors
After his death, many actors assumed Lee-like stage names. Bruce LiBruce Li
Bruce Li is one of the stage names of Ho Chung Tao , a Taiwanese martial artist and Bruce Lee imitator who starred in martial arts movies from the Bruceploitation movement.-Early life:...
(黎(Lí)小龍 from his real name Ho Chung Tao (何宗道)), Bronson Lee, Bruce Chen, Bruce Lai
Bruce Lai
Bruce Lai real name Chang Yi-Tao, is a Hong Kong actor who starred in many Godfrey Ho films.-Filmography:*The Clones of Bruce Lee *Bruce Lee's Ways of Kung Fu *Enter Three Dragons *Dragons Snake Fist...
, Bruce Le
Bruce Le
Bruce Le is a martial artist and actor who is known for the martial arts films he made in the 1970s and '80s...
(呂(Lǔ)小龍 from his real name Wong Kin Lung), (黃建龍)), Bruce Lei, Bruce Lie, Bruce Liang (also known as Bruce Leung), Bruce Ly real name Binhslee, Bruce Thai, Bruce K.A. Lea, Brute Lee, Myron Bruce Lee, Lee Bruce, and Dragon Lee
Dragon Lee
Dragon Lee , is an actor and practitioner of Taekwondo and Hapkido.His birth name is Mun Kyong-sok but has been called Keo Ryong in South Korea. Soon after his birth, his family relocated to the former U.S.S.R where he was given the name Vyachaslev Yaksysnyi...
were hired by studios to play Lee-styled roles.
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
, who started his movie career as an extra and stunt artist
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
in some of Bruce Lee's movies, was also given roles where he was promoted as the next Bruce Lee, such as New Fist of Fury
New Fist of Fury
New Fist of Fury is a 1976 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lo Wei and starring Jackie Chan. It is the first of several films that Lo directed Chan in, and the first using Chan's stage name Sing Lung...
(1976). It was only when he made some comedically themed movies for another studio that he was able to gain box-office success.
Movies
Some of the movies were simply rehashes of Bruce Lee's classics, such as Re-enter the Dragon, Enter Two Dragons, Return of Bruce, Enter Another DragonEnter Another Dragon
Enter Another Dragon was produced by Exploitation Producer, Harry Novak and stars Bruce Le, Ron van Clief and John Saxon, the latter is the only returnee from the original Enter The Dragon. But whether this movie actually exist is up for debate. In an issue of Martial Arts Movies Magazine from...
, Return of the Fists of Fury or Enter the Game of Death
Enter the Game of Death
Enter the Game of Death , originally released as Cross Hands Martial Arts and released in North America as The King of Kung Fu, is a Bruceploitation martial arts film inspired by Bruce Lee's unfinished film Game of Death...
. Others told the life story of Bruce Lee and explored his mysteries, such as Bruce Lee's Secret
Bruce Lee's Secret
Bruce Lee's Secret is a 1976 Bruceploitation martial arts film, which is also a pseudo-biopic of Bruce Lee. It stars Bruce Li as "Bob" Lee, whose life is essentially the same as Lee's and is on two occasions actually referred to as 'Bruce'...
(a farcical rehash starring Bruce-clone Bruce Li
Bruce Li
Bruce Li is one of the stage names of Ho Chung Tao , a Taiwanese martial artist and Bruce Lee imitator who starred in martial arts movies from the Bruceploitation movement.-Early life:...
in San Francisco defending Chinese immigrants from thugs), Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger
Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger
Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger is a 1976 Bruceploitation film. It stars Bruce Li as David Lee , and is one of the most well-known films in the Bruceploitation genre.-Plot:...
(where Bruce Li
Bruce Li
Bruce Li is one of the stage names of Ho Chung Tao , a Taiwanese martial artist and Bruce Lee imitator who starred in martial arts movies from the Bruceploitation movement.-Early life:...
is asked by Bruce Lee to replace him after his death), They Call Me Bruce?
They Call Me Bruce?
They Call Me Bruce? is a 1982 comedy action film starring Johnny Yune and Margaux Hemingway.The film was written by Tim Clawson and was directed by Elliott Hong...
and Bruce's Fist of Vengeance
Bruce's Fist of Vengeance
Bruce's Fist of Vengeance is a 1984 Bruceploitation martial arts movie from the Philippines starring notorious Bruce Lee imitator Bruce Le.-Reaction:...
.
Others simply told crazy stories such as The Clones of Bruce Lee
The Clones of Bruce Lee
The Clones of Bruce Lee is one of the most notorious exploitation films in cinematic history...
(where clones
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
of Bruce Lee portrayed by some of the above actors are created by scientists) or The Dragon Lives Again
The Dragon Lives Again
The Dragon Lives Again goes to the Underworld. The deceased Lee meets a number of pop-culture icons, including Dracula, James Bond, Zatoichi, Clint Eastwood, The Godfather, Laurel and Hardy, The Exorcist, and even 1970s soft-porn character Emmanuelle...
(where Bruce Lee fights James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
and Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
in hell). Others, such as Bruce Lee Fights Back From The Grave
Bruce Lee Fights Back From The Grave
Bruce Lee Fights Back From The Grave is a 1976 Bruceploitation movie starring Bruce Lee impersonator and tae kwon do instructor . The movie was directed by Doo-Yong Lee, though persistent rumour claims that the movie was directed by Italian horror director Umberto Lenzi...
, featured Lee imitators but with a plot having nothing to do with Bruce Lee.
One of Lee's fight choreographers, actor/director Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
, famously satirized
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
the phenomenon of Bruceploitation in his 1978 film, Enter the Fat Dragon
Enter the Fat Dragon
Enter the Fat Dragon is a 1978 Hong Kong action film directed by and starring Sammo Hung...
.
Video games
Many video games have characters based on Bruce Lee, although he is rarely credited. Video game characters synonymous with Bruce Lee are usually spotted by fighting techniques and signature "jumping stance", physical appearances, clothing, and iconic battle cries and yells similar to those of Bruce Lee.Fei Long - Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
series
Kim Dragon - World Heroes
World Heroes
is a series of fighting games created by ADK originally created for the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinets with the assistance of SNK, though some of the games in the series were also ported to the Neo Geo AES and Neo-Geo CD platforms, as well as some non-SNK platforms such as the Super NES and the Sega...
series
Jann Lee - Dead or Alive (arcade game)
Dead or Alive (arcade game)
Dead or Alive is a fighting game and the first entry in the long-running Dead or Alive series. It was released in 1996 in arcades, followed by home ports for Sega Saturn in 1997 and Sony PlayStation in 1998 .-Gameplay:Dead or Alive was unique in its debut that featured fairly different choices in...
Marshall Law - Tekken
Tekken
is an arcade fighting game franchise created and developed by Namco. Beginning with the original Tekken arcade game released in 1994, the series has received several sequels, as well as various home conversions and spin-off titles released for consoles...
series
Forrest Law - Tekken
Tekken
is an arcade fighting game franchise created and developed by Namco. Beginning with the original Tekken arcade game released in 1994, the series has received several sequels, as well as various home conversions and spin-off titles released for consoles...
series
Liu Kang - Mortal Kombat series
End of a trend
Bruceploitation ended in Chinese cinema after Jackie ChanJackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
broke out of the mould to make a name for himself after the success of the kung-fu comedies Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Yuen Woo-ping his directorial debut, who has since gained international stardom as the action choreographer for films such as Iron Monkey, Fist of Legend, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Matrix series, Kill...
and Drunken Master
Drunken Master
Drunken Master, also known as Drunk Monkey In The Tiger's Eye, is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang Lee...
, establishing him as the new king of Hong Kong martial arts cinema. Another factor was the beginning of the Shaw Brothers film era in the late '70s, starting with movies such as Five Deadly Venoms
Five Deadly Venoms
Five Venoms aka Five Deadly Venoms is a cult 1978 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh, starring the Venom Mob, and produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, about five kung-fu fighters with unique animal styles: The Centipede, The Snake, The Scorpion, The Lizard and The Toad...
. Since the end of the trend, Bruce Lee's influence on Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
remained strong, but the actors began establishing their own personalities, and the films generally began to take a more comedic approach.
Interestingly, however, Bruceploitation continued in the US in a somewhat muted form since the 1970s. Films such as Force-Five, No Retreat, No Surrender
No Retreat, No Surrender
No Retreat, No Surrender is a 1986 American martial arts sports film written and directed by Corey Yuen his American directorial debut, and starring Kurt McKinney, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Tai Chung Kim.-Plot:...
and The Last Dragon
The Last Dragon
The Last Dragon is a 1985 martial arts musical film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film was a critical disappointment but a financial success, The Last Dragon is now considered a cult classic. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Christopher...
used Bruce Lee as a marketing hook and the genre continues to be a source of exploration for fans of the late Little Dragon and his doppelgangers. Fist of Fear, Touch of Death
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death, also known as The Dragon and the Cobra, is a 1980 martial arts film about a martial arts tournament at Madison Square Garden that will determine the supposed "successor" to Bruce Lee. Within the film, the tournament is hosted by Adolph Caesar...
told a fictional life story of the star.
In May 2010 a book about Bruceploitation was published by Carl Jones, entitled Here Come the Kung fu Clones; it primarily focuses on a particular Lee-a-like, Ho Chung Tao, but also explores the actors and movies among the best and worst the genre has to offer.
External links
- Brucesploitation @ THE DEUCE: Grindhouse Cinema Database
- Clones of Bruce Lee
- The Bruceploitation Trilogy by Dean Meadows
- Here Come the Kung fu Clones by Carl Jones