L'implacable Défi

Then it must be because you have not allowed yourself to experience the amazing piece of cinema that is Gymkata Killer. I would hate myself too. I was once like you, and then I saw what can only be described as the best movie, EVER! It's so horribly, terribly, frighteningly bad that it cannot be taken seriously. Once the movie, like a horrible, disfiguring train-wreck, careens forward through the opening scene, you understand that it's actually a dadaistic masterpiece - it is truly a movie whose 'brilliance' is housed in its irrationality and negation of the accepted laws of cinema.

It's like looking through a peephole into a post-apocalyptic world in which a nuclear bomb did NOT go off.

(Cutting edge special effects... On par with the TV's Batman & Robin! -- the live action 1970s series, not the cartoons)

When a lethal biological weapon-a formula capable of sterilizing the world's male population-falls into the wrong hands, two elite agents embark on a globe-trotting mission to retrieve it.

Bruce Le as Huang Lung and Richard Harrison as Richard Cannon lead this wildly entertaining espionage thriller, packed with martial arts, gunplay, and absurd excess. Their quest takes them across the globe, culminating in high-energy showdowns with a nefarious drug cartel and a ruthless kung fu assassin. Competently directed by Bruce Le, who also stars, the film is among his most polished efforts. The action is sharply choreographed, with Le's dynamic rooftop duels and Harrison's Bond-esque (and Italian Poliziotteschi) gunplay standing out. The soundtrack is energetic, heightening the film's pulpy, comic-book tone. The on-location shoot across Hong Kong, Macau, Spain, and the Philippines adds atmosphere and weight.

The cast is stacked with genre regulars. Spanish actress Nadiuska, best known for playing Conan's mother in Conan the Barbarian (1982), brings glamour and charisma to the role of a seductive femme fatale. Jennifer Holmes, a protégé of Hwang Jang-Lee, plays another tough female lead, holding her own in a cast dominated by testosterone-fueled action. Even Morgan Fairchild makes an uncredited appearance.

Bolo Yeung, a familiar face in Bruceploitation and a veteran of Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon (1973) and The Chinese Connection (Fist of Fury) (1972), appears as a formidable henchman. His powerful physique and brutal fighting style make him a memorable adversary for Le. Meanwhile, the film's main villain, Paul Chang Chung, known for roles in Shaw Brothers productions, appears alongside Josef Laufer, while the hulking Brad Harris plays the imposing henchman Leopard.

The film indulges in gratuitous nudity, often unnecessary but in line with the era's exploitation sensibilities. Despite its absurdity, Challenge of the Tiger is undeniably fun, with breathtaking locations, memorable fights, and an irresistible 80s action charm. It stands as one of Bruce Le's most polished and enjoyable films.

Bruce Le (that's not a typo) stars in an action film, with a script by Bruce Le and Poon Fan. If you're not laughing yet, keep right on walking. There's nothing more to see here.

Still reading? Awesome: Fast cars, faster women, a stereotyped asexual martial artist starring along side a sex-addicted American super-agent named Richard Cannon. Seriously. The first time you see him, he's playing tennis against two topless women. Simultaneously.

Did I say action film? It's a softcore adult film. With kung fu. And Chong Li from "Bloodsport." The acting is non-existent, the dubbing is awful, and the plot has something to do with a formula that can make a man sterile, able to have all the sex he wants with no repercussions. Is that good or bad? I'm not sure. Neither is the movie.

THERE IS NO DOWNSIDE HERE. I saw this on accident, as it came as part of a double feature with "For Y'ur Height Only," starring 2'9" Filipino action superstar Weng Weng. For once, this was a double-feature with everything. And I think this movie was actually the better of the two.

Judge for yourself, won't you? You'll be glad you did.

The Late Great Dick Randall, who also produced the film, leads an all star cast in this international spy thriller. Dependable Richard Harrison is the womanizing CIA agent (Richard Cannon) who is ably assisted by agent (Huang) played by the diminutive Bruce Le as opposed to the original Bruce Lee. Huang is quite a karate fighter who is in the habit of beating up a legion of bad guys while Richart is scheming on the ladies and only fights when he must. The third member of the CIA team is pretty Sharon Shira (Anna).

They are opposed by the ruthless Viet Cong led by surly Jeong-lee Hwang (Comrade Yang) and (Comrade Asian Girl) played by May Hung with an unfortunate unattractive hair do. The third group is a little less defined with multiple nationality's in the gang although they did through in a Sieg Heil so we would know they are definitely evil. This group is led by (The Boss) Tito Garcia and his partner in crime Dick Randall. Randall's character goes by the name of (Dick) to keep it simple I guess.. They have a fem fatal working for them the exotic (Maria) played by Nadiuska who was fine in the role but was probably better suited for her day job as a Super Model.

Each of these forces were desperate to get their hand on the, you guest it, Secret Formula. Challenge of the Tiger is a solid "B" movie in any language as the plot roles right along with members of all three teams getting, how can we say, neutralized with regularity. The portrayal of violence is perfect with it not being to graphic. A big shout out to Brad Harris who played the Boss's henchman (Leopard) with a lot of menacing intensity. At 47 years old the former great Eurospy star still looked buffed at around 235 lbs or so. Unfortunately, he lost his test of strength to our hero the 115 lbs Huang because Huang knows Karate I guess.

The film would rate a couple of points higher if it stuck to the cute nude scenes, of which they are thankfully many, and dispensed with the simulated sex scenes that almost turned it into a soft core film which bogged it down a bit. The ending could have also been a bit more thought out to tie up a couple of loose ends, but all in all this one's a winner. Thank's Dick.

After the death of Bruce Lee, several studios hoped to fool the unsuspecting public into seeing their crappy films. This is because Lee died so young and did so few films that people were clamoring for more. In one case, they took outtakes and old clips and a stunt double and made a 'new' Bruce Lee movie. In another, his name was in the title but the movie was just an opportunistic mess by one of his ex-girlfriends. In MANY others, studios just re-named their actors with names that looked or sounded like Lee's! Actors such as 'Bruce Li' and 'Bruce Le' (from this film) were rechristened for this sleazy purpose--but not a single one of these films I have seen is worth seeing--even if you are just curious. Will "Challenge of the Tiger" be any better?

So how is Bruce Le (Chung Tao Ho) in the film? Well, he is not without talent--his martial arts moves are pretty good--even if his blows often don't even come close to connecting! However, you'll never mistake him for Lee with that mop haircut and aside from being Chinese there's not a whole lot of similarity to the great Bruce Lee. Apparently I am not the only one to think this way, as his career as Le faded and he later dropped this moniker and became a stuntman. I also wonder if perhaps the film might have done better if they'd made Le's helper in this film, Richard Harrison, the star as he was an incredibly handsome man and looked like a Marlboro Man! Sure, he probably didn't know any martial arts but when did that stop some actors in way too many martial arts films?!

This film finds Le in a typical sort of role--a secret agent. And because of this, he's able to travel the world (or at least go to as many places as the small budget allowed) looking for a missing secret formula. Naturally, along the way he gets into a lot of fights and fortunately the baddies never figure out that it would be a heck of a lot easier to just shoot Le and be done with it! So to answer my question about whether or not the film is worth seeing, the answer is no. The film looks amateurish and aside from the nudity (see below), the film never gets very interesting.

As I was just saying, in addition to the Bruce Lee knockoff, this film also features the most gratuitous use of nudity I have ever seen in a movie. During one sequence early in the film, about a dozen topless and completely naked women danced about (often in slow-motion) for no particular reason (get a load of the one drinking from the fountain). I guess the film makers were just trying to give the audience what they thought they wanted! If only they'd considered giving the films excellent plots, good martial arts action and quality directing, writing and acting!