Game of Death

1979 "Bruce Lee challenges the underworld to a Game of Death."
Game of Death
5.9| 1h41m| R| en| More Info
Released: 08 June 1979 Released
Producted By: Columbia Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

A martial arts movie star must fake his death to find the people who are trying to kill him.

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RoboRabbit89 I will be honest, I have never seen a Bruce Lee film until 2017, with "Enter the Dragon" and I enjoyed that film. As for this one being his last, before his untimely death I have to say it's fun. It falls into the category of being so bad it's good. Hard-core fans don't take it too seriously, and if your like me, you shouldn't. There wasn't much footage to use from the archives, because of what was completed, all of it is in the pagoda; I don't know much about it, I'm not sure if there was even a script, I'm just aware that their are just script notes found. I felt the way director Robert Clouse (Enter The Dragon) did the film was still pretty good; because from what I have heard, he didn't like or at least, care that much for what had been shot five years before. Because according to the director, many movies already copied the same idea, before the film's release! So it's understandable that he wanted to do something different.For what's it's worth I really liked it, it's fun. Even though it's bad, but that's why I like it, because it's bad, and over the top. The main baddie Dr. Lang is differently over the top funny, his laugh is hilarious! I give it a 6/10. Bruce Lee's last film is just pure escapist fun. Give it a look.
George Roots (GeorgeRoots) That score of 5/10, is for all the scenes Mr. Lee is actually in. Bruce Lee passed away in 1973, during a pretty significant era for martial art movies. In 1972-73 Bruce began writing, directing and starring in his own movie "Game of Death". However, he put the project on hold to star in Hollywood's first ever big budget martial art movie "Enter The Dragon" (1973), the film that made him famous. Unfortunately, Bruce had died under mysterious circumstances a month before the premiere, also leaving "Game of Death" half-finished. "Enter the Dragon" director Robert Clouse made it his mission to try and complete "Game of Death", using newly cut footage as well as the old. Released in 1978, the film is an editing disaster.They super-imposed objects over old Bruce Lee footage, and use what's been rumoured a cardboard cutout of Bruce's face when "he" is looking at a mirror scene. All whilst continuously hiding the double for Bruce Lee behind both big black glasses, a beard and using footage from Bruce Lee's ACTUAL funeral! Like I said, the movie is a complete catastrophe. However, the things I do enjoy are: 1. Though Bruce never really managed to explain why he was wearing that yellow jumpsuit, it became a pop-culture phenomenon and a re-imagining of it was worn by Uma Thurman's character at the end of "Kill Bill Vol.1" (2003). 2. Lee's footage is superior in every way compared to Clouse's, and Bruce has some of his best one on one fights ever with Basketball superstar Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Kung Fu master Taky Kimura. Finally during end credits I always get sentimental, because it shows footage from Bruce's earlier classics to Colleen Camp & John Barry's 'Will This Be the Song I'll Be Singing Tomorrow?'. It's a very emotional and solemn send off to the icon.Final Verdict: As I said earlier, the 5/10 goes to the stuff Bruce shot. It's an incredible end to an incredible person, and fans across the globe have tried to use his footage and complete "Game of Death" their own way. Who knows if someone could eventually do it justice?
Phoenix Star Let's face it - no one can finish Game of Death in the same way Bruce Lee would've done it. One would think that if anyone could've come the closest to his vision it had to be Robert Clouse, the director of "Enter The Dragon". Sadly if you've seen his version of it, you'll notice that his contribution is, lightly put, a disaster. Its shameless attempts at camouflaging the fact that Bruce Lee wasn't already part of it are commonly known: The infamous Cardboard-cutout, the doubles that don't look at all like Bruce, the shades, the beards, the recycled footage from past films, hilarious editing and the list goes on. Everyone knows it and everyone laughs at it.The only saving grace is the footage Bruce had already filmed. These are truly great fights, but they are way overshadowed by the poor quality of the rest of the movie. You never get the feeling like you are watching one whole movie, rather than a mess of two movies.The first half hour is though to sit-through and I was almost overwhelmed with boredom. It desperately lacks Bruces' charisma and his sense of direction and it goes to show that he was the true mastermind behind "Enter the Dragon". The original footage was also terribly dubbed, at least in the version I saw. Even for someone who is used to bad dubbing of HK movies, this one was exceptionally annoying and off.The good thing is that you can find the Bruces' original, unedited footage online or on DVD, and it's best watched that way, with minimal editing from third parties and without some other directors involvement. There's roughly 40 minutes of it and it has scenes that didn't make it into Robert Clouses version. Now this is the good stuff one expects from a Bruce Lee film. I imagine this could've been his best movie to its date, even better than "Enter The Dragon". Its fights are awesome, full of memorable ideas and they are brimming with Bruces' charisma and intensity. Clouses Version gets a 3 out of 10 only because of the so-bad-it's-good factor. If you want some genuine Bruce Lee action; go for the unedited footage. Even at its unfinished state it's light-years ahead of this one.
gavin6942 A martial arts movie star (Bruce Lee, sort of) must fake his death to find the people who are trying to kill him.Why this movie exists is really the ultimate question. They wanted to pass it off as a Bruce Lee movie, but it is not one. No matter how you slice it, and then paste it back together, putting footage from older Lee movies into a new story does not make it a Lee movie.Some of the edits are really sloppy, and many times the stand-ins are just awful. There is a nice section of fight footage later on, but it is not enough to make this work. What should have happened is this film being split into two: a full film with a different actor replacing Lee, and a short film just showing footage of Lee's fights that never made it to a film because of his passing. The blend is just a mess.