The Clones of Bruce Lee
Encyclopedia
The Clones of Bruce Lee (Korean: 蛇形三傑 Death Penalty on Three Robots, Taiwan:複製人李小龍：三龍怒火, Hong Kong: 神威三猛龍) is one of the most notorious exploitation films in cinematic history. It gathers together several of the Lee imitators who sprang up after Bruce Lee
's death (including Bruce Le
and Dragon Lee
), as well as performers from the real Lee's films and other veterans of the Hong Kong movie industry. It has been called "The Mount Rushmore of Bruceploitation
films".
in Hong Kong, Mr. Colin of the Special Branch of Investigations asks Professor Lucas (Jon T. Benn), a brilliant scientist, to take samples of the late master's brain tissue. Using these samples, Lucas creates three perfect clones of Lee: Bruce Lee 1 (Dragon Lee
), Bruce Lee 2 (Bruce Le
), and Bruce Lee 3 (Bruce Lai
). They are trained in martial arts by Bolo Yeung
and Chiang Tao. The mission of the clones is to fight crime in Southeast Asia.
Bruce Lee 1 goes undercover as an actor for a corrupt, gold-smuggling producer who plans to have him die on camera. Meanwhile, the other clones go to Thailand, where they meet up with Chuck (Bruce Thai), a local SBI agent who is not a clone but who also resembles Bruce Lee. They have been assigned to kill Dr. Ny, a mad scientist who is plotting to take over the world with his army of bronze automatons: men whose skin turns to metal when they are injected with Ny's special formula.
The clones successfully complete their missions and return to Hong Kong. But Professor Lucas, disgruntled because he feels he was not properly rewarded by the SBI for creating the clones, pits them against one another. The professor's female assistants stop the three clones from fighting amongst themselves, and Lucas sends out a small army of men to dispatch the clones. By the end of the film, Bruce Lee 3 has been killed--but so have all of Professor Lucas's henchmen (including the two kung-fu instructors, both defeated by Bruce Lee 1). Bruce Lee 2 finishes off Lucas's personal bodyguard and the professor is arrested.
A review on the website The Bad Movie Report finds it less enjoyable:
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...
's death (including 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...
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...
), as well as performers from the real Lee's films and other veterans of the Hong Kong movie industry. It has been called "The Mount Rushmore of Bruceploitation
Bruceploitation
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...
films".
Synopsis
Immediately after the death of Bruce LeeBruce 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...
in Hong Kong, Mr. Colin of the Special Branch of Investigations asks Professor Lucas (Jon T. Benn), a brilliant scientist, to take samples of the late master's brain tissue. Using these samples, Lucas creates three perfect clones of Lee: Bruce Lee 1 (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...
), Bruce Lee 2 (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...
), and Bruce Lee 3 (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...
). They are trained in martial arts by Bolo Yeung
Bolo Yeung
Yang Sze , better known as Bolo Yeung, is a former competitive bodybuilder and a martial arts film actor. Primarily cast as the villain in the movies he stars in, he is best known for his performances as Bolo in Enter the Dragon and as Chong Li in Bloodsport, and also for his many appearances in...
and Chiang Tao. The mission of the clones is to fight crime in Southeast Asia.
Bruce Lee 1 goes undercover as an actor for a corrupt, gold-smuggling producer who plans to have him die on camera. Meanwhile, the other clones go to Thailand, where they meet up with Chuck (Bruce Thai), a local SBI agent who is not a clone but who also resembles Bruce Lee. They have been assigned to kill Dr. Ny, a mad scientist who is plotting to take over the world with his army of bronze automatons: men whose skin turns to metal when they are injected with Ny's special formula.
The clones successfully complete their missions and return to Hong Kong. But Professor Lucas, disgruntled because he feels he was not properly rewarded by the SBI for creating the clones, pits them against one another. The professor's female assistants stop the three clones from fighting amongst themselves, and Lucas sends out a small army of men to dispatch the clones. By the end of the film, Bruce Lee 3 has been killed--but so have all of Professor Lucas's henchmen (including the two kung-fu instructors, both defeated by Bruce Lee 1). Bruce Lee 2 finishes off Lucas's personal bodyguard and the professor is arrested.
Reaction
On the website Kung Fu Cinema, Mark Pollard sums up much of the appeal of the film, writing:" Clones of Bruce Lee is the Plan 9 from Outer SpacePlan 9 from Outer SpacePlan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
of Hong Kong cinema. It's the very definition of bad filmmaking and sleazy exploitation. Expect to witness mad scientists bent on world domination, death rays, bronzemen, and naked women frolicking on the beach. Despite some decent kung fu action, particularly with Bolo, it's so bad you'll laugh or turn it off."http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/clonesofbrucelee.htm
A review on the website The Bad Movie Report finds it less enjoyable:
"Although the Lee-alikes are in superb shape, and certainly know their Lee chops, there is a deadening sameness about the fight scenes that eventually robs the movie of all joy; this flick is, after all, 95% fight scenes. I've always preferred the swordplay-oriented kung fu movies- the more weapons, and the more bizarre, the better. Let's face it, the numerous styles notwithstanding (and there are several on display), there are only so many ways to aim a blow at your opponent and only so many ways to block that blow. Without a good fight coordinator, like Lee himself, Jimmy Wang Yu, Samo Hung or a host of others, after forty-five minutes of the same fight over and over, each subsequent fight becomes the kinetic equivalent of white noise: your mind more or less goes on vacation."http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/reviews/C/clones_brucelee.html
Trivia
- Contains the only fight scene between Bruce LeBruce LeBruce Le is a martial artist and actor who is known for the martial arts films he made in the 1970s and '80s...
and Dragon LeeDragon LeeDragon 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...
. - Jon T. Benn, who plays Professor Lucas and is familiar to Bruce Lee fans as the mob boss from Way of the DragonWay of the DragonThe Way of the Dragon is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film written, produced, directed by and starring Bruce Lee.- Plot :Tang Lung is sent from Hong Kong to Rome to help his friend's niece Chen Ching Hua, and family friends, whose restaurant is being targeted by the local Mafia, which has been...
, recently appeared as an American businessman in Jet LiJet LiThe fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
's film FearlessFearless (2006 film)Fearless, known in Chinese as Huo Yuanjia and Jet Li's Fearless in the United Kingdom and the United States, is a 2006 film directed by Ronny Yu and starring Jet Li...
. - One of several appearances in the BruceploitationBruceploitationBruceploitation 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...
subgenre for Bolo YeungBolo YeungYang Sze , better known as Bolo Yeung, is a former competitive bodybuilder and a martial arts film actor. Primarily cast as the villain in the movies he stars in, he is best known for his performances as Bolo in Enter the Dragon and as Chong Li in Bloodsport, and also for his many appearances in...
, who won fame for his portrayal of the muscular villain Bolo in Bruce Lee's Enter The DragonEnter the DragonEnter 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...
.
External links
- IMDb entry
- HK cinemagic entry
- Clones of Bruce Lee – The Ultimate Guide To Bruce Lee Exploitation Cinema
- The Clones of Bruce Lee @ Korean Movie DatabaseKorean Movie DatabaseThe Korean Movie Database is a South Korean online database of information related to Korean movies, animation, actors, television shows, production crew personnel and other film-related information. KMDb launched on February 2006 by Korean Film Archive...
- The Clones of Bruce Lee @ Korean Powerhouse