Die Todesklaue des Tigers

Okay, typical Kung Fu Movie with the following classic elements:

1) One-on-one fight with Bolo Yeung - A must have in my mind! I really enjoy finding him under some pseudonym or another and am disappointed when he doesn't appear! 2) Drunk/poverty stricken/opium smoking type Master with the weird and strange training techniques. 3) Bruce Lee look-a-like with: Ripped off shirt, Licking of blood, Side ways glances, Weapon demonstration. 4) Extreme lack of females on screen. 5) European persons as the masterminds of the criminal ring.

6) Synchophant skinny guy kow towing to the foreigners.

The variety of threads tying the movie together give it a bit more plot than most of them do. This came in a set of ten, can't wait to get to the others!

Dragon Lee arrives by plane in Hong Kong, goes to a fellow kung fu practitioner's house, then goes to a seaside location where he gets into a fight because he needs to be taught a lesson. He teaches a lesson instead. The big boss, a guy smoking a carrot, is informed. Then there is a case of mistaken identity.

Dragon Lee goes overboard trying to act like Bruce Lee with silent gestures. The comedy attempts all fall flat. The fights are frequent and for no reason. There are some moments that are good but some that are totally bad. In one sequence Samuel Walls ducks about two seconds too soon for an incoming kick.

This is my second dose of Dragon Lee. Something like this is only for the hard core fan and still I am generous by rating it just below average.

Phillip Kao turns mini egg timers before he kills his latest opposition. `Dying time', he exclaims in a ridiculously deep overdub, and then proceeds to pound the life out of the poor combatant. It's all in the name of progress, though, as how else can he and his lunatic no-willy boss expect to sell on stolen antiques to dastardly westerners. Luckily Tino Wong and friend Dragon Lee resist them, but they're no match for Kao and the new recruit John Liu. However John and Tino have a common purpose: both are last descendants of the Stone Rock Fist, and ultimately unite to bring justice into this crazy kung fu town. The stellar cast provides high enjoyment in this cheesy chopsocker, including some stunning backward edits in a remarkable two-on-one finale that'll have you howling in your seats. Hong Kong phooey at its mad best.

Version: English dub

This is another movie I found on a 'Master of Martial Arts' four-in-one DVDs. If the producer of these DVDs is reading: I love you.

Not literally of course.

With Bolo Yeung, evil white guys, and a Bruce Lee imitator (Dragon Lee in this case), 'Dragon On Fire' could be any one of nearly half of all the movies made in Hong Kong made in the 1970s. You just need to mix up the plot a bit, change the characters names and fighting style, and voilà! You have nearly every kung-fu movie made in the 70s.

'Dragon on Fire' follows the evil exploits of some evil white guys smuggling antiquities out of China. These evil white guys hire Phillip Kao and John Liu to be their evil muscle as Tino Wong and Dragon Lee try to stop them, but Tino and John are the last descendants of Stone Rock fist, and must stand united against the evil white guys.

So basically this is one long fight scene. Characters meet, and then have at each other. Awesome. Add in Dragon Lee pretending to be Bruce Lee at any opportunity, and you have the movie in a nutshell: Random fights and Bruceploitation. Awesome.

4/10