(7/10)
Bear with me on this one. Every once in a blue moon I'm at a loss for words after a movie. It doesn't
happen often, but every now and then I need to step back and process what I just saw and ask myself if
I actually just saw what I think I saw. "Dragon Lives Again" is definitely one of those times.
Bruce Lee's untimely death came so early into his career he wasn't even a phenomenon in the United
States yet. His epic "Enter The Dragon" was released in the US after he had passed away leaving
Warner Brothers with a huge hit that they couldn't follow up. A US distributor bought the rights to his
first three films which had been released only in Hong Kong up to that point. Those movies made a lot
of money as well but when they ran out, what was left? The same studio then bought the existing
footage of the film Lee had just started shooting and used that ten minutes of footage as the
center-piece of an entirely different movie that would feature a Lee look-alike who wore sunglasses
through most of the movie. That was the horrible "Game of Death." But what to do next?
Without any more Lee footage to release, film distributors were desperate for more. Hence the
deplorable sub-genre 'Bruceploitation'. This is where look-a likes and imitators like Bruce Le, Bruce Li,
Bruce K. Lea, Dragon Lee, and others starred in Lee-inspired vehicles like "The Image of Bruce Lee,"
"Blind Fist of Bruce," "Fists of Fury 2," "Chinese Connection 2," "Enter The Game of Death," "Exit The
Dragon, Enter the Tiger," "The Real Bruce Lee," "Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave," "Bruce Lee
We Miss You," and most disrespectfully, "Dragon Lives Again."
This one actually might be the most offensive post-Lee film, even more so than the bizarre
'documentary' "Fist of Fear Touch of Death" (though that one is pretty jaw-droppingly disrespectful too).
Was this meant as a comedy? Was this the end result of some cocaine-addled producer? Did this really
happen or did I imagine it?
The film starts with Bruce Lee being brought in to the 'underworld' on a stretcher. Is that supposed to
be hell? It's never quite clear. Anyway, the guy they have to play Bruce looks nothing like him and they
cover for this by having someone point this out and be told "Everybody looks different when they're
dead." Great - thanks for the clarification. But wait - it turns out Bruce's corpse has a giant erection
sticking up under the sheet! No, wait, under closer comic inspection it turns out it's just his nunchucks
(I'm not kidding - this really happens).
So Bruce sets off to get a drink at the local bar where he is soon in a fight with Zatochi the blind
swordsman! He and his buddies James Bond (who really looks more like an old John McEnroe) and Clint
Eastwood (everybody else are fictional characters, they call the gunfighter Clint Eastwood, who isn't
actually dead!). Bruce gets roughed up by these guys as well as a bunch of guys in skeleton pajamas (or
were those supposed to be skeletons - they look like the bullies in "The Karate Kid").
So Bruce - with the help of Popeye (!) has to work against these guys, as well as The Godfather, The
Exorcist (a character that has nothing to do with the movie "The Exorcist" whatsoever - they must have
just pulled the name out of the movie section without seeing the film) and Emmanuelle! She doesn't
look like Sylvia Kristel, but she does attempt to seduce Bruce in some sort of fiendish plot that never
makes any sense. Then at one point they're in space.
Pretty much any point in this movie is a good time to scream out "WHAT THE HELL AM I WATCHING??".
This is cinema of the absurd. Of course, as a midnight movie it is utterly enjoyable because...where do I
begin? I can't understand what it's supposed to be, why it was made or how it got made. It's one of the
most deliciously insane things I've ever seen. It makes the "Star Wars Holiday Spacial" or "KISS Meets
The Phantom of the Park" look like Masterpiece Theater. You really have to see it to believe it.
The only place I know it's available is on the Grindhouse Experience Kung-Fu boxed set from Video
Asia. Unfortunately, like most of the Grindhouse Experience sets the transfer is an abysmal VHS
copy-over and the picture is muddy and the sound not recommendable, but as a digitally remastered
Criterion Anniversary Edition is unlikely I encourage everyone who can appreciate midnight movies to
get your hands on a copy and have your most insane friends over for a late night viewing.
Bear with me on this one. Every once in a blue moon I'm at a loss for words after a movie. It doesn't
happen often, but every now and then I need to step back and process what I just saw and ask myself if
I actually just saw what I think I saw. "Dragon Lives Again" is definitely one of those times.
Bruce Lee's untimely death came so early into his career he wasn't even a phenomenon in the United
States yet. His epic "Enter The Dragon" was released in the US after he had passed away leaving
Warner Brothers with a huge hit that they couldn't follow up. A US distributor bought the rights to his
first three films which had been released only in Hong Kong up to that point. Those movies made a lot
of money as well but when they ran out, what was left? The same studio then bought the existing
footage of the film Lee had just started shooting and used that ten minutes of footage as the
center-piece of an entirely different movie that would feature a Lee look-alike who wore sunglasses
through most of the movie. That was the horrible "Game of Death." But what to do next?
Without any more Lee footage to release, film distributors were desperate for more. Hence the
deplorable sub-genre 'Bruceploitation'. This is where look-a likes and imitators like Bruce Le, Bruce Li,
Bruce K. Lea, Dragon Lee, and others starred in Lee-inspired vehicles like "The Image of Bruce Lee,"
"Blind Fist of Bruce," "Fists of Fury 2," "Chinese Connection 2," "Enter The Game of Death," "Exit The
Dragon, Enter the Tiger," "The Real Bruce Lee," "Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave," "Bruce Lee
We Miss You," and most disrespectfully, "Dragon Lives Again."
This one actually might be the most offensive post-Lee film, even more so than the bizarre
'documentary' "Fist of Fear Touch of Death" (though that one is pretty jaw-droppingly disrespectful too).
Was this meant as a comedy? Was this the end result of some cocaine-addled producer? Did this really
happen or did I imagine it?
The film starts with Bruce Lee being brought in to the 'underworld' on a stretcher. Is that supposed to
be hell? It's never quite clear. Anyway, the guy they have to play Bruce looks nothing like him and they
cover for this by having someone point this out and be told "Everybody looks different when they're
dead." Great - thanks for the clarification. But wait - it turns out Bruce's corpse has a giant erection
sticking up under the sheet! No, wait, under closer comic inspection it turns out it's just his nunchucks
(I'm not kidding - this really happens).
So Bruce sets off to get a drink at the local bar where he is soon in a fight with Zatochi the blind
swordsman! He and his buddies James Bond (who really looks more like an old John McEnroe) and Clint
Eastwood (everybody else are fictional characters, they call the gunfighter Clint Eastwood, who isn't
actually dead!). Bruce gets roughed up by these guys as well as a bunch of guys in skeleton pajamas (or
were those supposed to be skeletons - they look like the bullies in "The Karate Kid").
So Bruce - with the help of Popeye (!) has to work against these guys, as well as The Godfather, The
Exorcist (a character that has nothing to do with the movie "The Exorcist" whatsoever - they must have
just pulled the name out of the movie section without seeing the film) and Emmanuelle! She doesn't
look like Sylvia Kristel, but she does attempt to seduce Bruce in some sort of fiendish plot that never
makes any sense. Then at one point they're in space.
Pretty much any point in this movie is a good time to scream out "WHAT THE HELL AM I WATCHING??".
This is cinema of the absurd. Of course, as a midnight movie it is utterly enjoyable because...where do I
begin? I can't understand what it's supposed to be, why it was made or how it got made. It's one of the
most deliciously insane things I've ever seen. It makes the "Star Wars Holiday Spacial" or "KISS Meets
The Phantom of the Park" look like Masterpiece Theater. You really have to see it to believe it.
The only place I know it's available is on the Grindhouse Experience Kung-Fu boxed set from Video
Asia. Unfortunately, like most of the Grindhouse Experience sets the transfer is an abysmal VHS
copy-over and the picture is muddy and the sound not recommendable, but as a digitally remastered
Criterion Anniversary Edition is unlikely I encourage everyone who can appreciate midnight movies to
get your hands on a copy and have your most insane friends over for a late night viewing.
 |
Rating;
Written by Jim Haggerty
