Bamboo Gods and Iron Men

Grungy but likable AIP blaxpoitation/chop-socky mashup, produced in the Philippines and destined for the stateside grindhouse/drive-in circuit.

Genial beefcake James "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" Iglehart toplines as a boxing champ honeymooning in Hong Kong who becomes the unwitting target of a murderous gang hellbent on recovering a priceless statuette. Needless to say, the bad guys get more than they bargained for since Brother Iglehart is one of the titular iron men. Our hero kicks ass, takes names, and wears the most eye-searing paisley shirts this side of Walter Matthau in EARTHQUAKE. Indeed, his threads alone seem weaponized to damage an opponent's optic nerves.

Bone-crushing action, mega-seedy locations and funkadelic music abound. Hardcore '70s action movie completists, take note.

Also in the house: Filipino comedy icon Chiquito as a cute mute, the ubiquitous Eddie Garcia (BEAST OF BLOOD's mad Dr. Lorca) and the inevitable and always welcome Vic Diaz.

"From Harlem to Hong Kong, they fear the name, the fame, the fury of Black Cal Jefferson, the Champ!" Cal Jefferson is on his honeymoon in the land of Bamboo Gods and Iron Men (i.e. Hong Kong) when they buy up a Buddha statue in a shop that a bunch of bad guys want, which leads to a bunch of boxing vs. Kung-fu fight scenes. BAMBOO GODS AND IRON MEN is a so-bad-it's-good kind of movie. The acting is embarrassing, the story is dumber than dumb, and worst of all, the fight scenes are soooooooo bad. Our hero even gains a mute helper buddy along the way after rescuing him, making the film even more stupid! This movie is strictly amateur hour, but like I said, it is so bad that I was able to enjoy it for its ineptitude. However, the movie did have a funky score that I legit enjoyed.

James Iglehart (Randy Black in "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls") is front and centre for this amiable, goofy Filipino martial arts action flick. Iglehart plays Cal Jefferson, American prizefighter honeymooning in Asia with his new bride (Shirley Washington). While shopping, they obtain a seemingly worthless Buddha statue that actually contains something very valuable to some very bad guys. Leo King (Filipino exploitation mainstay Ken Metcalfe, who also co-wrote the story & screenplay) is chief among them. But Cal has an asset: a mute Chinaman (Chiquito) whom he dubs "Charley"; Cal saves Charley from drowning and the grateful Charley becomes Cals' constant companion.

"Bamboo Gods and Iron Men" is overall not a terribly memorable movie, but making it above average for a movie of this kind is its generous doses of comedy. It's often very funny, and director Cesar Gallardo and company play all of this material with real winks in their eyes. This movie has quite a bit of energy, and superb pacing. It also makes sure to be exploitative, of course, with a fair bit of eye candy for viewers. The fight scenes are generally well executed, and the stars all handle themselves capably. The story makes great use of a MacGuffin and concludes with a very bright gag, with several characters bursting into laughter at the absurdity of everything.

Iglehart could easily have had a more extensive career, as he has charisma and good chemistry with the sexy Ms. Washington. Chiquito is extremely appealing, and he and Iglehart likewise make a good pair. The supporting cast of familiar faces includes Metcalfe, offering a decent performance as the villain, Eddie Garcia, and Joseph Zucchero. Devotees of Filipino cinema will be pleased to note the presence of the always welcome Vic Diaz, in a cameo as a hotel clerk.

"Bamboo Gods and Iron Men" delivers solid, diversionary entertainment for 96 straight minutes, and deserves to be better known.

Eight out of 10.

Almost forgotten today, this combination of blaxploitation & kung-fu is pretty watchable. Not great or anything to really seek out, but it does manage to keep your attention throughout. The martial arts fights are "old school", but they manage to be both realistic and pretty exciting. The humor is pretty broad at times, but there is some amusement at times.

Strange that despite all the sexy ladies on display, there is only one sequence of nudity - and it's from the Asian lead! In fact, the Asian lead seems to be made fun of and pushed/slapped about a lot, and this treatment at times is a bit hard to sit through.

The screenplay shows signs of being hastily put together without being seriously reviewed for weaknesses and plot holes. For example, the origin of the Asian lead isn't really explained too much. Also, the movie ends with some minor but noticable plot threads left hanging. But the whole thing is lensed well (it looks more expensive than other Filipino movies of the era), and adding that to the other positives, people who have an interest in Filipino exploitation and/or drive-in exploitation will probably be pleased enough by this.

One of the more obscure Blaxploitation titles, but not too shabby. James Iglehart plays professional boxer Cal Jefferson who's on honeymoon with wife Shirley Washington in Hong Kong. They bicker a bit and she's a prude, all in good fun. Cal saves a drowning (mute) Chinese man's life, and is repaid by his unwanted servility. Cal dubs him "Charlie" (his version of Chow-Li) and after Charlie proves his worth, he gets to tag along with the newlyweds. Meanwhile, there's a bald-headed dude, that's all into Eastern culture, and has stolen some magical, powerful substance, that of course[!], gets mixed up with Cal's luggage. There's some decent kungfu fighting, massage parlor scenes, the inimitable Eddie Garcia, kidnappings, and more kungfu fighting. Despite being of the generally more deliquent Phillipinian-lensed Blax-species, it features a sometimes tongue-in-cheek script with a good chemistry between the leads. I liked it! Not currently on VHS or DVD, so you'll have to go to one of your friendly internet sources for a copy.