‘Enter the Clones of Bruce’ Blu-ray Review

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 Golden Harvest joining in with Game of Death, an unfinished feature from Lee that was stitched together for a release with a body double, and even footage of the star’s actual funeral.

Interviews are included with many of Lee’s doubles who made their careers starring in retellings of the superstar’s life, unofficial sequels to the star’s Golden Harvest films, and even fantastical “what-if” tales with outlandish plots. The segment recounting The Dragon Lives Again must be seen to be believed. There are also touching instances of the doubles grappling with what they did, as their justifications struggle to overcome the evident hesitation of imitating such a beloved figure for a gimmick.

It is fascinating to see how these films were made on the cheap, as they borrowed friend’s mansions for interior shots, got exterior shots without permission, and even wrote new script pages on the day of filming. As expected, there are interesting stories about the injuries sustained on-set. A humorous disconnect is captured with Bruce Le, one of the doubles who was previously a kung-fu instructor from Burma, approached his first fight scene as though it were real, leading to serious injuries delivered to his on-screen combatants.

This is all a knock-on effect from a desperate scramble to fill a void, hoping that audiences would buy into these films despite the rising star’s death, leading to some feeling duped by the duplicitous ways these films were marketed. This also led to the rise of Lee’s co-stars, who built careers as action stars off their previous supporting roles. What is left is a fascinating glimpse into a forgotten piece of history, driven by a need to capitalise on a trend halted by an unforeseen tragedy.

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary with co-executive producer/director David Gregory, co-producers Frank Djeng, Vivian Wong and Michael Worth And Director Of Photography Jim Kunz
• Working at Shaw Brothers – Outtakes with Godfrey Ho, David Chiang, Yasuaki Kurata, Lee Chiu, Lo Meng, Mars and Phillip Ko
• Bruce Lee and I – Outtakes with Sammo Hung, Phillip Ko, Yasuaki Kurata, Mars, Angela Mao, Andre Morgan, Lee Tso Nam and more
• The Lost World of Kung Fu Film Negatives – Outtakes with Godfrey Ho, Joseph Lai, Angela Mao, Lee Tso Nam and film preservationists
• Bruce’s Hong Kong – Location Tour with Frank Djeng
• Severin’s Kung Fu Theatre with actor/director/Bruceploitation expert Michael Worth
• Trailers

**** 4/5

Enter the Clones of Bruce will be available on Blu-ray in the UK from today, Monday, 27th May courtesy of Severin Films.