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Stars: Sahajak Boonthanakit, Nicholas Hammond, Ludi Lin, Vithaya Pansringarm, Suradet Dongthaisong | Written by H. Daniel Gross, Ryan C. Jaeger, Louis Spiegler | Directed by Robert Grasmere

No, Art of Eight Limbs isn’t about an octopus that can paint portraits. It’s the latest knockoff of Enter the Dragon, a film that came out fifty-one years ago and still hasn’t been equalled despite a near-endless stream of films utilizing its mix of international espionage, crime, and martial arts tournaments.

Somewhere in Myanmar, a pair of Russian agents arrive at the encampment of General Thiha looking to buy some Vx Nerve Gas. They show they have the cash, and Thiha’s men show them the gas is the real thing by killing the town drunk as they watch. The CIA are quite familiar with The General and aren’t surprised to find out he’s involved. They alert Nick Buckley, one...

The sudden death of martial arts superstar Bruce Lee in 1973 shocked the world. Fans everywhere mourned the loss of an icon who had left us far too soon. Lee had accomplished so much in his short but brilliant career, popularizing martial arts cinema globally with smash hits like Enter the Dragon. Yet when that fateful day arrived, Lee had just begun to make his mark. Four iconic films were not enough; the world wanted more.

In Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea, filmmakers saw an opportunity. If they couldn’t deliver more from the master himself, they would find men to carry on his legacy in spirit, if not in fact. Lookalikes with pseudonyms like Bruce Li and Dragon Lee stepped into the role. Movies copied or faked Lee’s titles and style, often featuring these “clones” in leading roles. An entire genre sprung up to feed the worldwide thirst for all things Lee,...

Plot: A deep dive into the Bruce Lee exploitation film craze that dominated grindhouse cinema after the iconic martial artist’s death.

Review: Flashback to the year 1994. On my 13th birthday, while cruising the video store for a movie to watch with my friends at my birthday sleepover, on a whim, I decided to rent Enter the Dragon. I was never the same. After watching it, I enrolled in Karate classes and tried to learn as much about Bruce Lee as possible. While cruising those same video store aisles, I was very confused by how many kung-fu movies had his name and image on the cover, given that, even back then, I knew there were only four Bruce Lee movies, plus Game of Death. And why were they constantly misspelling his name? Who was Bruce Le? Or Bruce Li? Or Bruce Liang?

This, of course, was my introduction to the...

The idea of cashing in on a recently deceased celebrity is a shameful one, but when Bruce Lee died in 1973 at the age of just 32, Asian markets — predominately Hong Kong — cornered and spinning heel kicked the market, delivering a wheelhouse of movies that would come to be known as Bruceploitation.

While Bruce Lee could fall under the category of “often imitated, never equaled”, filmmakers and stars behind Bruceploitation worked to keep their hero’s legend thriving on the big screen. One such star of the genre was Wong Kin-lung, who would go on to be known as Bruce Le (get it?). As he put it, “It was almost like an honor,” although the opportunity presented its own challenges. “I thought I could make Bruce Lee-style action my way, because I was a martial arts teacher.”

On developing a technique among everybody else who was part of the Bruceploitation explosion of the ‘70s,...

When Bruce Lee died under mysterious circumstances in 1973 at age 32, the actor and martial artist left a hole in the action star firmament that seemed irreplaceable. That did not stop the Hong Kong film industry — and the rest of the world, for that matter — from trying anyway.

As Lee’s final (complete) film “Enter the Dragon,” released just six days after his death, became a worldwide box office phenomenon, “Bruceploitation” was born, enlisting look-alike performers to replace and imitate the trailblazing martial artist on screen. Decades after these copycat films deceived viewers — while still delivering some genuinely thrilling fight sequences — Severin Films is releasing “The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1,” a compilation of 14 titles starring Bruce “impostors” like Ho Chung Tao, who went by the name Bruce Li, Ryong Keo (Dragon Lee), Chang Yi-tao (Bruce Lai) and Wong Kin-lung, who to this day goes by the name Bruce Le.

Featuring: Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Bruce Liang, Dragon Lee, Angela Mao, David Chiang, Phillip Ko, Sammo Hung | Directed by David Gregory

It is an understatement to say that Bruce Lee left a massive impact through his short filmography. After being denied a lead role by the Shaw Brothers studio, Lee signed onto an upstart company called Golden Harvest whose subsequent films made him into an international star. As his tragic death came on the cusp of kung-fu movies being introduced to the global market, a question lingered about who would replace Lee.

Director David Gregory has crafted a comprehensive exploration of what followed Lee’s passing; a sub-genre named Bruceploitation which focused on casting Bruce Lee lookalikes to star in imitation martial arts films. The resulting cash-in features were made to exploit the deceased star’s international popularity during a time when intellectual property laws were less strict, with even...

To celebrate the release of Enter the Clones of Bruce on Digital and coming to Blu-Ray 27th May, we have a Blu-Ray to give away!

When the world’s most famous martial artist and screen icon Bruce Lee died in 1973 at just 32 years of age, he’d completed only four films. Within hours of his funeral, Hong Kong studios began producing hundreds of unauthorised biopics, sequels, prequels and spin-offs, finding a new legion of stars whose main skill was that they were Lee lookalikes. Over the next decade ‘Bruceploitation’ would become a staple of global cinema.

Now following its hugely successful premiere at FrightFest 2023, Enter the Clones of Bruce, a cinematic story like no other, gets its UK release on digital and on Blu-ray from 27 May 2024, complete with a slew of special features thanks to Severin Films.

Director David Gregory examines this fascinating phenomenon using interviews from those who experienced it first hand,...

Severin Films and Alamo Drafthouse today announced the 21-market theatrical engagement of the award-winning documentary Enter The Clones Of Bruce beginning April 12th at Alamo Drafthouse in Los Angeles. In addition – and direct from Hong Kong – legendary Bruce clone Bruce Le will make rare personal appearances at screenings in LA (4/12-14), San Francisco (4/16), Austin (4/18) and New York City (4/20-21), which will also feature screenings of Le/Bruceploitation classics that include The Dragon Lives Again, Enter The Game Of Death, Ninja Strikes Back and The Challenge Of The Tiger.

On May 21st, Bruceploitation is globally unleashed with the Blu-ray releases of Enter The Clones Of Bruce, along with Severin's unprecedented The Game Of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Volume 1, a 7-disc collection presenting 12 of the very best – and frequently very bizarre – films starring Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee, Bruce Liang and more, all restored for the first time ever from original elements.

Whether you’ve heard the term or not, chances are you’ve seen an exploitation film somewhere in the wild. From sharksploitation megahits like Sharknado, to culture-defining classics like ozploitation’s original Mad Max, or carsploitation’s Death Race 2000, the quality of these carefully marketed mockbusters – built entirely around audience trends with huge, eye-catchingly stupid titles – has always been up for debate. But it’s rare there’s a moral dimension too; after all, no one owns the copyright on cars or sharks or post-apocalyptic bikers. It’s a little different when the genre being exploited though, is an actual person.

Bruce Lee is arguably the most famous and accomplished martial arts performer that’s ever lived. Despite a tragically truncated filmography, cut short at just four features, by his sudden death in 1973, he had co-birthed the entire kung-fu genre, which continues to live and thrive half a century on.

As Bruce Lee once famously said, “Be water”, meaning in part that people should be able to adapt to any situation. And while John Wick director has updated the action movie game, he can’t help but recognize the films may not have gotten there without the words, style and ethics of Bruce Lee.

Speaking with Empire on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Enter the Dragon – arguably Lee’s trademark movie – Chad Stahelski said, “A lot of what we do in John Wick, the non-verbal communication, is based off of what Bruce did….I love the action, but I’m also a sucker for his personality. Half the reason you love what he does is that you love him: the innocence and the arrogance. He projects the confidence of a young man trying to find himself. Bruce knew how to be vulnerable, and I really appreciate that about him.

A singularly wacky moment in film history is poked in “Enter the Clones of Bruce.” It surveys the years immediately following Bruce Lee’s untimely 1973 death, when the sudden international thirst for martial arts movies that he’d awoken could seemingly only be slaked by the man himself — or by a host of imitators who popped up under lookalike pseudonyms.

David Gregory’s documentary won’t convince most viewers that the resulting flood of opportunistic cheapies are worth more extensive investigation. But they’re certainly cheesy fun in excerpt, and interviews with surviving participants provide an entertaining window into an anything-goes heyday for Hong Kong cinema. Premiering in Tribeca’s midnight section, this high-kicking flashback should appeal to the same fans who previously enjoyed such prior psychotronic excavations as “Not Quite Hollywood,” “Electric Boogaloo” or this director’s own prior investigations of cult figures Al Adamson and Richard Stanley.

When...

When martial arts legend Bruce Lee died in 1973 just weeks before the release of Enter the Dragon, a bizarre subgenre of action cinema was born: “Bruceploitation.” The international success of Enter the Dragon created an appetite for new Bruce Lee movies, which intrepid producers tried to satisfy by scraping together whatever meager Lee footage they could find and building new films around it; when they couldn’t get their hands on discarded scenes from Lee’s work they tried to fool audiences with movies starring Lee imitators like “Bruce Li” and “Bruce Le.” One of the strangest Bruceploitation movies – which […]...

When martial arts legend Bruce Lee died in 1973 just weeks before the release of Enter the Dragon, a bizarre subgenre of action cinema was born: “Bruceploitation.” The international success of Enter the Dragon created an appetite for new Bruce Lee movies, which intrepid producers tried to satisfy by scraping together whatever meager Lee footage they could find and building new films around it; when they couldn’t get their hands on discarded scenes from Lee’s work they tried to fool audiences with movies starring Lee imitators like “Bruce Li” and “Bruce Le.” One of the strangest Bruceploitation movies – which […]...

Presented by Cynthia Rothrock | Written by Leroy Patterson | Directed by Charles Band

Trailer compilations have, in recent year, become big business, they have also become increasingly important in terms of keeping trailers alive. In this time of streaming and digital downloads, where films come sans trailers and extras, there’s no real way – beyond these types of compilations – of seeing interesting trailers for obscure films you may not be aware of.

Titles such as Trailer War, Trailers from Hell, the UK’s very own Grindhouse Trailer Classics, Drive-In Delirium, Attack of the 80s, and 42nd Street Forever have not only kept the trailers alive in a physical format, but also allowed new audiences to discover new (old) films. Keeping up this tradition is Full Moon, who have released a number of trailer compilations already as part of the Grindhouse line – mainly focussing on the sleazier end of genre cinema like...

Wme-img China announced Tuesday that it has brought on former Paramount executive Rick Yan, film finance agent Joe Austin, live entertainment executive David He, and former Nike basketball marketing executive Bruce Li. Yan, a 22-year entertainment industry veteran who worked the last six years at Paramount Pictures, will head Wme-img China’s film and television operations. Austin, who has spent the last eight years at Wme-img, will relocate to China from the agency’s Beverly Hills office. “Rick was completing digital distribution deals in China for major studios before most companies were even equipped to explore the potential of digital,...

Many films tried to capitalise on the popularity of the late, great Bruce Lee. Here are our ten favourites...

1973 was the year that kung fu broke in America. The release of the popular Five Fingers Of Death (aka King Boxer) in March set the fuse and when Enter The Dragon (the first Hong Kong martial arts film co-produced by a major Us studio) followed in August, it exploded.

Although Bruce Lee was billed as a co-star in Enter The Dragon alongside John Saxon because casting an Asian actor in the lead role of an American film was unheard of at the time (and would remain so until 1982 when Sho Kosugi topped the bill for Revenge Of The Ninja), it was Bruce who captured the public's imagination. His amazing look and style, his astonishing talent for acting, writing and directing, and his unparalleled martial arts ability made him an icon for...

Like millions of you around the world, i love Kung Fu movies. It is the only real genre that keeps me going back for more and that is why i will always love Kung Fu movies.

I know many of you have probably seen many of the movies i will post about, but this is also for anyone new to the genre of Kung Fu and even Swordplay and looking for other movies to enjoy. I hope you enjoy the movies i have listed and please feel free to comment about any of the movies. Part 1-9 also on the website to check out.

1.Boxer From Shantung (1972)

Studio: Shaw Brothers

Director: Chang Cheh, Pao Hsueh Lieh

Cast: Chen Kuan Tai, David Chiang, Cheng Li, Cheng Hong Yip, Ku Feng

Fight Choreographer(s): Lau Kar Leung, Lau Kar Wing, Chan Chuen, Tong Gaai

 

2.Once Upon A Time In China II (1992)

Studio: Film Workshop,...

After martial arts legend Bruce Lee passed away in 1973 there were a ton of films made starring martial artists that looked like the actor. They were imitators used to to help trick people into going to see a movie they thought would star the real Bruce Lee. Some of these actors included Bruce Li and Bruce Lai. These movies were called Bruceploitation films, and there was one made in 1977 called The Dragon Lives again. This film takes Bruce Lee into the depths of hell to help Popeye and Caine from Kung Fu stop the characters Dracula, the Exorcist, Emmanuelle, the Godfather, Clint Eastwood, and Zatoichi the Blind Swordman from taking over the hellish afterlife. Sounds like it could have been an awesome movie! Check out a clip from the film featuring Popeye kicking ass, and the opening title sequence. Enjoy!