Game of Death (1978)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Alexander D

  
  I saw clips of this. Kind of cheesy, but good.

• Cassandra M

  
  'Game of Death' is the equivalent of having your dog swallow a gold ring - you've got to sift through the cr*p to find the polished stuff. Completely different to Bruce's original vision, the 1978 version is hugely controversial. To some, it's a shameless… More
  'Game of Death' is the equivalent of having your dog swallow a gold ring - you've got to sift through the cr*p to find the polished stuff. Completely different to Bruce's original vision, the 1978 version is hugely controversial. To some, it's a shameless cash-in and insult, to others it's a curiosity. To me personally, it's a guilty pleasure. Obviously, with such limited footage of Bruce Lee to use, the film was always going to suffer. Not only that, but how do you incorporate the footage into a film and give it context? The stand-in's that are used to fill the time leading up to the Lee footage are never going to fool anyone. Even as a kid, I could tell it someone else. The techniques used to have Bruce Lee on screen range from awful (superimposed heads) to tasteless (his real funeral) to fairly good (quick cuts from old footage). The disguises that Billy Lo and Bruce's doubles wear throughout the film are hokey but nothing that we haven't seen in Lee's films before (Fist of Fury), so that didn't bother me too much. Despite some awful dubbing and a poor script, 'Game of Death' is still watchable for it's action. Fight choreographer Sammo Hung makes the non-Lee fight scenes entertaining even if the doubles don't match Bruce Lee's speed or technique. However, they do capture some traits of Lee's fights including the slow motion finishing move. Also, the film's budget allows for a number of locations ensuring that Billy's quest for revenge keeps moving. In this regard, the Hollywood frills that are added give the film a degree of watchability, especially the classy score which appears throughout and heightens the final scenes. But of course, the main point of watching 'Game of Death' is to see Bruce in action. Although criticised for cutting down the "pagoda sequence", I think it still contains enough to satisfy. You have to remember that this original footage included two companions of Lee's who don't feature in the 1978 film, meaning a lot had to be left out. The nunchuk duel is unique while the fight with Kareem Abdul Jabbar is bizarre but thrilling. There are some moments of bad taste, but on the whole the film is a cheesy and quite fun attempt to build up to the final 20 minutes. Whether you think this was a cash-in or a tribute, you still need to see it in order to understand the 'Game of Death' phenomenon.

• Lenny M

  
  Filmed primarily after Lee's death using a stunt double in his place throughout the movie. Most fans, myself included, disregard this film because it is not really Lee, more of a studio trying to cash in on his image. The only scene worth watching is the final fight sequence,… More
  Filmed primarily after Lee's death using a stunt double in his place throughout the movie. Most fans, myself included, disregard this film because it is not really Lee, more of a studio trying to cash in on his image. The only scene worth watching is the final fight sequence, which is edited and is in its full state in a documentary, A Warrior's Journey. Its probably best not to watch this movie at all.

• Dean M

  
  The climactic 20 minutes of Bruce Lee in action fighting Kareem Abdul-Jabber and Danny Inosanto are thrilling. But the rest of the film is not.

• Deb S

  
  I am a huge Bruce Lee fan, and this film would've been the best one ever in my opinion if it wasn't for Bruce Lee's very unfortunate death. That didn't stop the filmmakers from finishing the movie. Director Robert Clouse (who also directed Lee in the supremely… More
  I am a huge Bruce Lee fan, and this film would've been the best one ever in my opinion if it wasn't for Bruce Lee's very unfortunate death. That didn't stop the filmmakers from finishing the movie. Director Robert Clouse (who also directed Lee in the supremely better Enter the Dragon) hired an actor to stand in for Lee and this is painfully apparent when watching the movie. Basically shots from previous Lee films are spliced in wherever they'll fit...and often where they won't...in order to fake a larger role for the departed master. Perhaps the most degrading moment is using footage of Lee's actual funeral for the funeral scene of his character in this film and is a fine example of unbelievable crassness. The only Bruce Lee action you get to see is in the last 15 to 20 minutes, but it's worth it and has some amazing fight scenes in it including the locker room fight. The final sequence of Bruce facing the various bosses is amazing, with each fight better than the last and an extended Nunchaka scene with the superb Dan Inosanto, so skilled and so fast it has to be seen to be believed! Plus there is a fight with Lee pitted against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of his celebrity pupils. Definitely a must-see if you are interested in fight scenes or the master, Bruce Lee.

• Jonny C

  
  The story may be crap, but the action is legendary.

• Timothy O

  
  If you just watch the fighting scenes at the end, it's enjoyable. The technology to insert Lee's face on someone else's body was not ready and just horrible. This was just a money grab.

• Ivan D

  
  Very, very disappointing, using only a double ( who doesn't look like Bruce Lee at all) and footages from Lee's past work just to complete the film. Bad acting, and a very lousy plot makes it a very bad film overall. The reason why I gave it 2 stars is because of the… More
  Very, very disappointing, using only a double ( who doesn't look like Bruce Lee at all) and footages from Lee's past work just to complete the film. Bad acting, and a very lousy plot makes it a very bad film overall. The reason why I gave it 2 stars is because of the film's climax, the only scenes with the REAL Bruce Lee in it, showing his fighting skills for the very last time. The other 1/2 stars is for the film's ending credits, a great tribute to Lee using the song "Will this be the song I'll be singing tomorrow?"

• Lee K

  
  due to this being bruce's last flick and like his son he died thru the making of it this is my least fave of his movies

• Patrick D

  
  Bruce Lee's worst.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings