5 comments about Enter the Dragon [UMD for PSP].

1. If there's one thing I personally hate with every ounce of my body, it's a mediocre film that gets propped up on an undeserving pedestal for nostalgic reasons. Why? Because frequently the film's proponents will mask their nostalgia by magically transforming mediocrity into greatness with their rose-colored glasses. Meanwhile, these fanatics will demean other movies that are objectively better than their beloved film for no valid reason. Yes, I know that the enjoyability of a movie is subjective to each viewer, but the most superlative claims made by these fanatics venture dangerously into assertions of objective fact.
   
   Bruce Lee fans are a perfect example. While reading comments for "Enter the Dragon", I hear endless put downs for every martial arts movie that doesn't star Bruce Lee. Considering the fact that none of his movies ever succeeded to crack the ceiling of mediocrity, a non-nostalgic observer (absent of brainwashing) can only conclude that these are certifiable lunatics trying to convince themselves that "Enter the Dragon" is a great movie, either due to nostalgic reasons or coersive pressuring from media (and fanboys) to jump on a bandwagon with square wheels.
   
   As a fan of martial arts cinema, I can ignore a mediocre script, wooden acting, and an inept storyline if the film gives me what I want in terms of action. "Enter the Dragon" fails to provide what it so desperately attempts to accomplish: well-choreographed, entertaining fight scenes.
   
   Some Bruce Lee lunatics start their reviews by saying that the opening fight is a "brilliant sequence of moves." I can only respond to this as I would someone who says that the sun is black - shake my head in disbelief and slowly walk away in fear of being assaulted. When one watches this scene (as with most of Bruce's fights), there is a noticeable lack of two things: combinations and countermoves. Bruce will typically engage in a series of one-hit exchanges with his opponents while mixing in a few three-move combos. Meanwhile, his opponents act like sparring dummies to be owned as necessary. While this has the potential to work in a one-vs-many scene, it simply doesn't work in a one-on-one scene. If you think that the beginning fight in "Enter the Dragon" is "brilliant", then you need to watch the Wu Jing/Andy On exchange in "Fatal Contact" (2006) for an example of a truly scintillating martial arts fight with combinations and countermoves executed with great speed and precision. If you still think the Bruce Lee/Sammo Hung fight is better, please seek psychological counseling immediately.
   
   Afterward the viewer is treated to some lame fights with John Saxon, Jim Kelly, and a Chinese lady, none of which look convincing on screen. After some incredibly bloated and overly long shots of boats on water (as well as some partying) we finally get to see Bruce do something again. This time, he goes stealth and takes out a few guards using nothing more than a few incredibly basic punches and chops. Mediocrity at its finest.
   
   Later on, Bruce goes stealth again but must now deal with a few dozen baddies in what many lunatics claim to be a spectacular one-against-many scene. In all honesty, I thought it was good and entertaining, with a bit of welcomed variety in terms of weaponry and moves. However, at least 70% of the baddies were dispatched with a simple fist to the face, which undermines this scene from being anything more than "good." If you think this one-against-many fight was "spectacular", then you need to watch the Tony Jaa finale in "Tom Yum Goong" (2005), where he dispatches over 40 guys using over 30 different strikes, holds, and take-downs. The sheer variety of that scene easily overpowers anything Bruce Lee ever did. If you still think the Bruce Lee scene was better, please look under "Psychiatrist" in your Yellow Pages.
   
   We finally come to an overrated finale where Bruce takes out 90% of his opponents using the same exact kick and punch. Virtually no effort was put into the fight choreography, and it's obvious to anyone without a platinum membership to Rose Colored Glasses, Inc. It gets a little better when Bruce spars with the main villain, but the all-too-common shortcomings of Bruce Lee fights - the lack of combos and counterattacks - rears its ugly head even here. Sure, there are a few good exchanges, but for the most part it's incredibly bland (Bruce's slow-mo jump kick being a case in point) and the actor playing the villain is just too slow and unconvincing. Unlike Bruce's other films (e.g., "Way of the Dragon"), they had other credible stuntmen and martial artists in this movie. Why not choose a more athletic lead antagonist (Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, etc.) to provide for some sparks? As is, it's a decent but disappointing scene that's very drawn out with lots of unnecessary slow motion.
   
   Now, I'm familiar with the dangers of expressing an unpopular viewpoint in the realm of movies, and I am convinced that Bruce Lee fanatics have unknowingly established an organized religion of sorts that will stop at nothing to insult and demean anyone who doesn't like Bruce's movies - one may as well call it the "Cinematic Inquisition." Don't misunderstand me though. I have a great deal of respect for Bruce Lee as an intelligent person and an exceptional martial artist, but whether or not his movies are entertaining is a completely different issue altogether. The fact still remains that we have an incredible martial artist in middling action films.



2. Bruce lee's creative and outstanding performance is highlighted in this extraordinary movie. This is his finest quality performance exhibiting his Legendary skills which were ahead of his time and even to this day still inspiring and engaging. The beginning of the film where he spars Sammo Hung is an awesome setting for what is to come in the movie. What sets Bruce a part from all of the rest is his character energy and his extraordinary power and speed from such a small framed man. Now that Enter the Dragon is in Blueray, it is sheer pleasure and excitement as on the big screen! What a legendary Martial Artist, actor and human being!!!



3. I finally saw Bruce Lee's acting!!!
   That's what impressed me the most with this movie. Bruce Lee was not just the martial arts pro in this one. I saw a quality ACTOR. Kudos!!!



4. My Dad is going to love this when he comes back to visit in Dec. 2008. He took us to the movies to see this film in 1973 or 1974 can't pin point it I was about 7 or 8yrs old. My kids say whose better Bruce Lee or Jet Lee? My son said Bruce of course, so I said lets have a history lesson. Classic good digital color and sound. Must have in your library.



5. To reviewer anticlamagus: YOu think wire-fu is better. Thats all you have to say, theres no need to write an entire page to express that,and call people who doesnt share the same view lunatics.
   Bruce written,directed,and choreagraph most of his movies. Which means
   all his movies are will be influenced by his own personal beliefs and philosophy.One would probally be his ideal of the ultimate
   warrior(very obvious in the game of death, when he had to overcome various and very different styles to reach the top) and most importantly
   JKD, which literally translates to method of the straight fist( because the straight line is the most direct and quickest route from point a to point b). So his movies does not really contain longish types of choeagraph action. If thats what you want, you need to look elsewhere.

2 comments about Martial Arts Samurai Pack (Legend of the 8 Samurai, Street Fighter, Bruce Lee "The Man The Myth", Kung Fu: Punch of Death).

1. can't emember the other 2 movies on this, but the 2 i can are decent flicks. I got this at cd tradepost for 3.99, so don'y invest much so if you don't like it don't matter.



2. it's not a bad buy. I really bought this for my man who is into kendo and stuff. He really liked it (I got lots of hugs from it LOL). The video and sound quality is good.

5 comments about Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story.

1. Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story is nothing short of horrible. It supposedly provides us a biographical look at the life, career, and death of the great Bruce Lee, yet half the time it doesn't even seem to have anything to do with him. I could not make heads or tails out of anything this "mockumentary" related, and what little light it does shine on the man is rather unfavorable. This story says absolutely nothing about Lee's fighting style, his personal philosophy, or anything else. After a few scenes from an early film or two in Hong Kong, no specific film is ever even mentioned; thus, nothing is revealed about the entertainment side of Lee's life and career. I was never sure who the business associates that plod through the story actually were; I'm not even sure how many of the "facts" presented here are actually even remotely true. And don't get me started on the dubbing. This feature has the worst dubbing I have ever heard in my life. The actors themselves look pretty untalented going about the motions onscreen, but the dubbing is atrocious. It is as if the speakers can read English words but have no comprehension of the meaning of any single one of them, and a couple of the voice actors scream every single one of their lines. In all honesty, I can't name one good thing about Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story. It is uninformative to the Bruce Lee novice and anathema to the Bruce Lee fan.



2. Despite the poor acting and dialouge, this film does show alot of things that really happened to Bruce Lee. When Bruce goes back to Hong Kong to find work as an actor, he really was offered $200 a month when he wanted $10,000. The 1st director of the "Big Boss" was a loud mouthed sissy who cussed and screamed at all the actors. Another fact was that Mrs Lo Wei (the wife of the director of the Big Boss) did indeed get Bruce Lee his first film role and got her husband to direct it. All the key characters are portrayed: Raymond Chow, Nora Maio, Lo Wei, Betty Ting Pei. You can pretty much say that this movie has more facts than does "Dragon". Obviously this was the 1st Bruce Lee biopic and this probably was Bruce Li's first film role, because he acted terribly and his martial arts sucked. But don't get down on Bruce Li, he really is a good martial artist and decent actor. I give it 3 stars because the facts are there but all in all this movie sucks!!!!!!!!!!



3. Having watched this film from start to finish I am convinced that CD Now should give us the option of voting 0-1/2. Considering this "MOCKUMENTARY" isn't worth a whole paragraph...the whole movie can be summed up as follows: (1)The 1st fraction of the movie touches on Lee's college life, marriage, opening of a kung-fu school,and early film career, and (2) The rest of the movie is GARBAGE...Lee's pretty much portrayed as an infidel and emotionless adulterer who forsook his wife and kids to be with Betty Ting Pei and appeared to love her more than his own family. And the closing credits have Bety Ting Pei appearing to be the victim/widow as she walks alone on the beach. TRASH...a cruel joke. What's worst is the fact that Lee Roy Lung(Bruce Li) was supposed to have idolized Bruce Lee and wanted to carry on his legacy, yet he was a part of the TRASH! No love for this one.



4. "Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story" was probably the first of the phony, exploitative Bruce Lee biopics that came out shortly after his death. This one stars everyone's favourite Bruce Lee clone, Bruce Li. This mind-bogglingly innacurate movie pseudo-traces Bruce Lee's life from working in the United States on "The Green Hornet" to going back to Hong Kong to work for Golden Harvest Studios and director Lo Wei. These are about the only facts that it gets right, though, with Bruce Lee's alleged affair with Betty Ting Pei dominating the story (even going so far as to have Betty miscarry Bruce's child!). It blows big time, but honestly, it's good for a few unintentional laughs, particularly from the dubbing (listen to the director of the "Green Hornet" show - he's a riot) and parts of the melodramatic story. What few fight scenes there are aren't very impressive.
   The DVD from Goodtimes has the obviously widescreen movie cropposed to full frame. It looks abominable, really faded with many scratches, but it's a budget disc that I found for $2 at Wal-Mart, so why should I complain?



5. Bruce Li returns for another crappy, hilarious, incoherent, and completely inaccurate tale about Bruce Lee's life and death. The movie tries really hard to be an accurate biographical story; but fails miserably. First of the acting is horrible, the editing as well and the fight scenes... Well... I guess they are okay but I have seen much better. The editing is so laughably bad. There are moments were you just have to laugh because its so badly put together. For example the beginning where we see Bruce handing out news papers, out of nowhere it jumps to a ludicrous fight scene that is badly choreographed. Also they put Bruce Lee in this movie as an infidel husband to Linda Lee Caldwell. There are scenes where we hear Li mentioning that he is going to compete with other fighters, but it is never seen. We see him enter combat but he never fights, others do. The only thread of accuracy here is the fact that Bruce Li is seen preparing for the role of The Green Hornet. They demonstrate some tiny accuracy such as Bruce having migraines on set, and dying in his sleep. But these accuracies are presented in the most laughable manners. Such as the ending where we see Bruce once again being infidel to his wife, decides to leave his children and wife for some other women and in her house he lies down in bed and dies in a very funny way. This is not biography this is an insult to the man who reinvented the Martial Arts genre.
   
   As for the picture quality I must say it looks really poor, it is watchable but very poor. The sound is average, mono sound.
   
   MY PERSONAL RATING: 1 OUT OF 5

1 comments about The Samurai Collection 9 Movie Pack.

1. ST. CLAIR DVD multi-packs are reasonably priced, and offer decent quality video/audio transfers of unrestored public domain material. Discs are single-side recorded, plastic storage cases fairly sturdy, movie liner notes appear on box's back cover and most DVDs include bonus items.
   
   Source material for the SAMURAI COLLECTION 9 Movie Pack is less than ideal. Washed-out colors, grainy transfers and dubs from well-used tape are too apparent. Except for two alternate selections, this DVD set duplicates St. Clair's MARTIAL ARTS COLLECTION in its entirety, right down to the "extras" provided.
   
   HIGHLIGHTS:
   
   THE CHINESE CONNECTION-- Two words: Bruce Lee. Young man seeks revenge on a Japanese gang for the death of his teacher.
   
   DUEL OF THE IRON FIST-- Gang member goes into hiding after a restaurant brawl leaves his father dead. When he returns a year later his own gang has allied with the one that committed the murder and now both mobs are after him. Shadowy film with lots of one-on-one action.
   
   FISTS OF BRUCE LEE-- Actually, this is a "lowlight." Bruce Lee wannabe Bruce Li (ahem) may have Lee's fists, but that's about all. He stars and directs (ineptly).
   
   KUNG FU: THE PUNCH OF DEATH-- For one reason or another, two martial arts schools engage in deadly battle. General theme is vengeance avenged. Lots of action, naturally.
   
   SAMURAI REINCARNATION-- The beheaded leader of a failed 17th Century Christian revolt resurrects as a demon and leads a group of reincarnated ninjas in a fight for vengeance.
   
   
   NINJA ASSASSINS 10 Movie Pack (from MCE) is an ideal companion to this collection. Featuring Jackie Chan, Lee Van Cleef and Sho Kosugi, it contains ten completely different Kung Fu films.
   
   .
   Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.
   
   DISC ONE--
   (6.9) The Chinese Connection (Hong Kong-1972) - Bruce Lee/Nora Miao/James Tien/Robert Baker
   (5.6) Kung Fu: The Punch of Death (Hong Kong-1973) - Fei Meng/Yasuaki Kurata/Lam Lam Lee
   (3.3) Fists of Bruce Lee (Hong Kong-1978) - Bruce Li/Lieh Lo/Yuan Chuan/Ping-Ao Wei
   
   BONUS:
   Martial Arts Cinema
   
   
   DISC TWO--
   (6.3) Samurai Reincarnation (Japan-1981) - Sonny Chiba/Kenji Sawada/Akiko Kana
   (5.6) Snake and Crane Secret (Hong Kong-1976) - Fei Meng/Tao-liang Tan/Dean Shek/Fang Fang
   (6.4) Duel of the Iron Fist (Hong Kong-1971) - David Chiang/Ti Lung/Ku Feng/Ping Wang
   
   BONUS:
   Trivia Quiz
   
   
   DISC THREE--
   (4.3) Chinese Hercules (Hong Kong/Taiwan-1973) - Bolo Young/Fan Chiang/Yeh Fang
   (6.7) Militant Eagle (Hong Kong/Taiwan-1978) - Ying Bai/Fei Meng/Nancy Yen/Ping Lu
   (4.7) Dragon Lee vs. Five Brothers (Hong Kong-1978) - Dragon Lee/Chui Man Fooi/Qiu Yuen
   
   BONUS:
   The Yin and Yang of Action Cinema

No comments about Fist of Fear/The Fists of Bruce Lee.

1 comments about Martial Arts Collection 9 Movie Pack.

1. ST. CLAIR DVD multi-packs are reasonably priced, and offer decent quality video/audio transfers of unrestored public domain material. Discs are single-side recorded, plastic storage cases fairly sturdy, movie liner notes appear on box's back cover and most DVDs include bonus items.
   
   Source material for the MARTIAL ARTS COLLECTION 9 Movie Pack is less than ideal. Washed-out colors, grainy transfers and dubs from well-used tape are too apparent.
   
   HIGHLIGHTS:
   
   THE CHINESE CONNECTION-- Two words: Bruce Lee. Young man seeks revenge on a Japanese gang for the death of his teacher.
   
   DRAGON PRINCESS-- Daughter returns to Japan from America to avenge the crippling of her Karate Master father (played by Sonny Chiba in a supporting role).
   
   MILITANT EAGLE-- Ancient warlord illegally taxes the people and uses violent enforcers on those who refuse to pay. Four of his victims join forces to battle their corrupt oppressor.
   
   SAMURAI REINCARNATION-- The beheaded leader of a failed 17th Century Christian revolt resurrects as a demon and leads a group of reincarnated ninjas in a fight for vengeance.
   
   SNAKE AND CRANE SECRET-- A family's honor is at stake and their sacred Kung Fu book is in danger of being taken from them by the man who killed their patriarch two decades earlier.
   
   
   NINJA ASSASSINS 10 Movie Pack (from MCE) is an ideal companion to this collection. Featuring Jackie Chan, Lee Van Cleef and Sho Kosugi, it contains ten completely different Kung Fu films.
   
   .
   Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.
   
   DISC ONE--
   (6.9) The Chinese Connection (Hong Kong-1972) - Bruce Lee/Nora Miao/James Tien/Robert Baker
   (5.6) Kung Fu: The Punch of Death (Hong Kong-1973) - Fei Meng/Yasuaki Kurata/Lam Lam Lee
   (5.0) Dragon Princess (Japan-1981) - Sonny Chiba/Etsuko Shihomi/Yasuaki Kurata
   
   BONUS:
   Martial Arts Cinema
   
   
   DISC TWO--
   (6.3) Samurai Reincarnation (Japan-1981) - Sonny Chiba/Kenji Sawada/Akiko Kana
   (5.6) Snake and Crane Secret (Hong Kong-1976) - Fei Meng/Tao-liang Tan/Dean Shek/Fang Fang
   (6.4) Duel of the Iron Fist (Hong Kong-1971) - David Chiang/Ti Lung/Ku Feng/Ping Wang
   
   BONUS:
   Trivia Quiz
   
   
   DISC THREE--
   (6.2) Legend of the Eight Samurai (Japan-1983) - Sonny Chiba/Hiroko Yakushimaru/Hiroyuki Sanada
   (6.7) Militant Eagle (Hong Kong/Taiwan-1978) - Ying Bai/Fei Meng/Nancy Yen/Ping Lu
   (4.7) Dragon Lee vs. Five Brothers (Hong Kong-1978) - Dragon Lee/Chui Man Fooi/Qiu Yuen
   
   BONUS:
   The Yin and Yang of Action Cinema

5 comments about The Legend of Bruce Lee.

1. ... THE MAN YOU SEE IN THIS MOVIE IS NOT BRUCE LEE, BUT BRUCE LE, A BRUCE LEE WANNABE... A YOUNG BRUCE LEE WHO WANTS REVENGE FOR HIS FRIEND WHO WAS MURDERED, LEARNS THE SNAKE FIST STYLE. BRUCE LE IS PROBABLY THE BEST OF THE BRUCE LEE WANNABES. THIS IS A GREAT KUNG FU MOVIE, EVEN THOUGH THIS STORY IS 100% FICTIONAL. EVERYTHING BOUT THIS MOVIE IS COOL, FROM THE FIGHTS TO THE SCRIPT. DON'T WATCH THIS FOR THE PLOT, CAUSE THERE'S VERY LITTLE PLOT. WATCH IT FOR ITS FIGHTS AND YOU'LL ENJOY IT. GREAT MOVIE FOR SUCH A CHEAP PRICE.



2. It must be stated at the outset that this film has nothing whatsoever to do with Bruce Lee. The star of the movie is actually Bruce Le, one of several Bruce Lee wannabe martial arts actors who followed in the wake of the true legend's shocking death. Furthermore, this is by no means a biographical account of any part of Bruce Lee's life, despite the title and the blurb on the box cover which says "Bruce Le portrays his tragic namesake." The only tie of any kind with the real Bruce Lee comes in the opening scene, wherein an astrologer sees a meteor and makes a prediction concerning the young baby of the couple sitting beside him, after which a shot of the real Bruce Lee appears. The fact that the film is not in truth about Bruce Lee at all comes very soon after the opening credits, though.

   In and of itself, putting aside its misleading title and description, The Legend of Bruce Lee does have legs to stand on, albeit sometimes rather shaky ones. Bruce comes across as something of a juvenile delinquent who is constantly getting into fights (not always with good results). In an effort to improve his skills, he begins taking instruction in the art of Wing Chun kung fu, which includes some training in the art of blindfolded boxing (this comes after Bruce gets kicked around pretty convincingly by a blind man on the streets). After a time, he sort of abandons this type of fighting and begins training in the snake fist style. All of this training comes in handy because he can't walk a block without being attacked by a gang of kung fu thuds. The plot, what there is of it, is actually rather annoying, not to mention loosely tied together. The only real plot point comes when one of Bruce's friends is murdered and Bruce decides to avenge his friend's death.

   There are some comical elements to this film, most of which revolve around a young man whom I would characterize as the Curly Howard of the Far East; he is little more than a buffoon whose antics become less funny as the movie progresses. The remainder of the storyline needs no description because it is only a means to an end. This film is really all about the fight scenes, and there are plenty of them. While these fights can be rather fun to watch, they definitely look choreographed (whereas the fights of the real Bruce Lee were quite realistic). One nice surprise comes in the form of Kien Shih's role in the film; Bruce Lee fans will recognize him instantly as the man who played the evil Han (the villain with the claw) in Enter the Dragon. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of this film, though, is the big snake scene. After his snake fist kung fu master tells Bruce to study the actual movements of a snake, he wastes no time assembling a trio of impressively dangerous-looking serpents upon which to practice his moves in concert with their reactions to his extremely annoying feints and pseudo-attacks against them.

   Fans of the legendary Bruce Lee really have no reason to watch The Legend of Bruce Lee. Martial arts fans, though, may well get some enjoyment out of watching it for the simple reason that it features a very significant amount of fighting.




3. First of all, lets get one thing straight. Some goons who have written reviews for this movie below seem to think Bruce Lee is in it. Bruce Lee is not the star of this movie. The star is Bruce Le - king of Bruceploitation. Very and I mean very loosley based on the early years of Bruce Lee, this movie shows Bruce Le as a college student who is constantly getting into fights. He learns martial arts and quickly becomes a master. The final confrontation in the film sees Le taking on the villain with the claw from Enter The Dragon. Le defeats him and the two seem to make friends. While this is certainly not as good as some of Le's later movies, it's still very good and a must for collectors.



4. This is yet another Bruceploitation flick that I choose not to give a whole paragraph to, HOWEVER, while the film has little or nothing to do with Bruce's SHORT but TRAGIC life as suggested by the cover, Bruce Le does prove himself to be quite a martial arts entertainer...and I'm convinced that between him and Bruce Li, he bares the strongest resemblance to Bruce Lee in appearance, physical conditioning, and speed. However, while the movie is fast-paced and features everyone from Bolo to Hahn from Enter the Dragon...there's a little too much fiction and THIS AINT NO BRUCE LEE STORY...it pretty much attempts to dramatize his urban youth in Hong Kong. But again, it's a keeper for the action alone.



5. One of my good friends showed me this as a joke but the fighting is good in it. It is nothing like the real life of Bruce Lee but who cares it's very entertaining. Some of the crappy elements of this make it very funny if you like bad movies. My friends and I quote this movie often especially the reference to 'college'
   'Bruce, thanks, thanks for saving me but I'm late for college'
   'You're always getting into trouble and you're still only at college'
   You'd have to hear it to get the joke anyways this is a very fun movie with some good martial arts but don't take it too seriously.

No comments about The Fists of Bruce Lee.

2 comments about Death Dimension.

1. In the annuls of bad career moves, George Lazenby has to rank pretty high on the list...after appearing in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), he turned down an extensive deal from producers to appear in a number of subsequent Bond films as he thought the contract too demanding, the character would soon be out of vogue, and he would surely get other film roles...well, he was right, but I doubt Death Dimension (1978) was the type of feature he had in mind. Directed by Al Adamson (Satan's Sadists, Dracula vs. Frankenstein), the film features 1970s martial arts star Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon, Black Belt Jones) in one of his lesser films. Also appearing is, as I've mentioned, George Lazenby (On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Saint Jack), Aldo Ray (The Green Berets, Psychic Killer), Patch Mackenzie (Graduation Day, Fighting Back), Bob Minor (Coffy, Foxy Brown), and Harold Sakata (Mako: The Jaws of Death, The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington), known best as the bowler wearing henchman 'Odd Job' from the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964).
   
   As the movie begins we see a man inserting a microdot into an obviously fake patch of skin on a woman's forehead. Seems the man, named Dr. Mason, is a scientist who has developed a weather control formula for The Pig (Sakata), a master criminal type who intends to use the formula to develop a freeze bomb that he can then sell to the highest bidder. Mason, who developed the formula for altruistic purposes, has encoded all the plans onto a microdot, and now with the aid of his assistant Felicia (Mackenzie), hopes to get the information in the hands of the proper authorities. After a successful demonstration of the freeze bomb (we see some hapless schlubs tied to posts in the desert froze solid after the bomb is detonated), Felicia skips town, and Mason takes his own life. Oh yeah, the demonstration was witnessed by a gooberment agent who looks a lot like Gabe Kaplan, who subsequently gets wasted by The Pig's main henchman, a muscled, facially disfigured black man who likes to spit loogies, played by Bob Minor. Word of the agent's death gets to Captain Gallagher (Lazenby), who assigns Lt. Detective John Ash (Kelly) to the case. Before heading off to Reno (The Pig's home base), we get this wonderful bit of dialog right before John throws one into his old lady...
   
   John's girlfriend: Baby, I love you so much.
   John: I love you, too.
   John's girlfriend: You will be careful, won't you?
   John: I got to...
   John's girlfriend: I don't think I can make it without you.
   John: Well let's see if you can make it with me now.
   
   Smooooth...anyway, after numerous assassination attempts (all failed ridiculously), John hooks up with a Asian named Lee (who couldn't act to save his life), and the pair set out to take down The Pig. Meanwhile The Pig and his men are searching out Felicia, desperately trying to recover the information so they can sell it to Aldo Ray, who's supposedly the representative of some foreign power, for fifty million dollars. What ensues is a series of car chases, gunfights, hand-to-hand combat sequences, and a helicopter chase, all leading up to a final, climatic showdown in the desert.
   
   Well, I feel I must give this film, which has gone by a number of different titles over the years including Black Eliminator, Freeze Bomb, Dead Dimension, Icy Death, and The Kill Factor, some credit as the plot was so stoopid and wacky it was actually entertaining. Another plus for the movie is Al Adamson managed to keep things together reasonably well (for Al Adamson), spreading enough action throughout to keep me interested. The result isn't a great film, but better than what I would have expected. This wasn't Jim Kelly's, who did his own stunts here, shining moment, but I sure did enjoy watching him fight, and generally, when he did fight, it was usually against multiple opponents, none of whom could stand up to the power of his black kung fu. I did learn a number of things while watching this film, including the following...
   
   1. White guys with afros look supremely idiotic.
   2. Drinking malt liquor on a daily basis keeps you healthy and prolongs your life.
   3. Harold `Odd Job' Sakata should never, ever be allowed speaking parts in films.
   4. When in a fight Jim Kelly has no problem going for the crotch.
   5. Giving someone the `thumbs up' sign over the telephone isn't as effective as doing it in person.
   6. The Mustang Ranch, The Pig's headquarters in Reno, has some of the most unappealing and downright repellant working girls I've ever seen.
   7. Aldo Ray would appear in just about anything to pick up a check.
   8. When you're up against an arch villain named The Pig, it's funny to make numerous comments about his hygiene. Below is an example, as John rolls into town and contacts Lee...
   
   John: How's our friend The Pig?
   Lee: He stinks!
   
   9. You can actually use a handgun to shoot a small plane out of the sky, despite the fact it's a couple of hundred feet in the air.
   10. If you're a henchman, hucking dynamite from a small plane at the hero while he's chasing your boss, both men being on foot, might not be the best idea.
   11. Harold `Odd Job' Sakata, despite his enormous, bulky physique, could actually outrun a lean, mean, and physically fit Jim Kelly.
   12. Jim Kelly really likes hitting guys in the nads.
   
   As I said, I thought the film was pretty entertaining, but in typical Adamson fashion, there's a whole lot that doesn't jibe. One minute we see our hero involved in a car chase and the next he's on a boat, chasing some thugs who just tried to cap his ash. Harold Sakata plays what has to be the most ridiculous villain I've seen this side of Mike Myers and his role of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies. Given how difficult it was for him to keep his stuff together, I found it very difficult to buy off on him being the head of an expansive, criminal organization. One really funny aspect was, in a page taken from the James Bond villain handbook, was to give Sakata's character some sort of pet. Where Ernst Stavro Blofeld had his feline, The Pig has his turtle...oh geez...there was just something really unsettling about watching Harold Sakata gleefully stroking a little turtle. The upside of this is it gives him an opportunity to employ a giant, snapping turtle (you know, because turtles are his `thing') during an interrogation.
   
   The picture, presented in widescreen format (sort of) on this Mondo Crash DVD release looks pretty shabby, as the transfer source appears to have been a well worn VHS tape. The aspect ratio looks forced, especially during the opening credits as some of them are cut off on the right side of the screen. As far as the audio, it's about as good as the picture, which is to say not all that great, but it is passable. There are no extras included on the DVD, but there are chapter stops, for what it's worth. All in all this is a fairly cruddy film, but it was also a lot of fun, earning it three out of five stars, even if it only deserves about one and a half.
   
   Cookieman108



2. You never know what you'll get when you watch an Al Adamson film. Some of them are entertaining (Brain of Blood) and some are just unwatchable (Blood of Ghastly Horror). Death Dimension is certainly watchable, though a bit slow at times, but it has at least one scene that deserves to be a classic. Harold "Oddjob" Sakata plays a bad guy here, and he certainly was a better actor in Goldfinger, where he didn't speak. He's joined here by one time James Bond George Lazenby. I suppose "Death Dimension" is a good example at what happened to his career after his one James Bond movie.
   
   Recommended to Adamson fans and fans of 70s B movies.

3 comments about Path Of The Dragon (Bruce Lee).

1. this is a short (about 45 min) documentary of on the films of bruce lee. the production value is low and the content is merely ok. it's valuable only to the fan of bruce lee (it does give a good list of all his movies, not as many as you think). i bought it in a two pack with another Lee documentary, The Intercepting Fist, a documentary on the style of martial arts he created, and is a truly good documentary. If you can find the 2-pack, go for it, otherwise, i'd probably pass on this one.



2. "Path" provides a very intelligent examination of how Bruce Lee
   and the martial arts, in general, crossed cultural and racial
   barriers for positive impact. Thoughtfully narrated by the
   actor's daughter Shannon Lee, the documentary is highlighted by
   interviews of current luminaries in movies and martial arts such
   as Richard Norton and Jackie Chan. Commentaries on Lee are
   also provided by his "Enter the Dragon" co-star John Saxon, James
   Coburn and George Lazenby, a former James Bond. The historical
   origins of the martial arts, with vintage footage from Asian locations, are examined to lay the foundation for the bases of
   Lee's global success. Students and film fans alike will enjoy
   this remarkable hour that is, in equal parts, an enjoyable history lesson and a retrospective on the importance of Bruce Lee
   to film and to international popular culture.



3. Excellent footage of the master, Bruce Lee and some footage I never seen before. So, for the bruce lee fan a must have...