Picked this up for $3.99 on a double-feature DVD including "Drunken Tai Chi. I knew this was a Bruce-ploitation film and I wanted to see the action scenes. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of time and effort put into the movie. The plot was interesting enough but not unusual for this type of film. It is "loosely" based around Bruce Lee's death. Elements of sex, courage, competition and love are included. The film has several interesting fight scenes and I enjoyed the ones between Bruce Li and his trainer the most. Also, the film was shot in several locations including New York and Chicago. Sound and picture quality for this film were good. I also liked the voice actors used in translating this film to English from its native Asian language. Definitely worth viewing!!
4 Reviews
Never better than with Yuen Woo Ping!
mikesurman10514 April 2005
Yes, that's right. This little movie was co-ordinated by none other than Yuen Woo Ping and his band of merry stunt men, his brothers to be exact! It's fun to watch movies by the Yuen Clan, to try and spot all the brothers popping up in different places, sometimes after being stabbed, maimed or killed in a very horrific way! Broken neck? Nay problem, just put a different wig on and fight all over again! Dynamo was a film I saw in 80's then again in the 90's on the Black Belt DVD label then again last night... No Oscars for the main director. Boring pointless story for an excuse to make an excuse for our very convincing, always directed well by the Yuen clan, Bruce Li. Bruce Li made about four films with the Yuens and they're all his best. This film is definitely worth it. Just remember to forget that this is a Bruce-ploitation movie and enjoy the action!! Look out for the funky white game of death suit & the always vomit inducing naked gwai lo (white woman) sex scene!
Good choreography from Yuen Woo-ping lifts an otherwise average Bruceploitation movie
Leofwine_draca4 July 2016
A classic slice of Bruceploitation from Hong Kong, featuring Bruce Li who I always thought was the most believable and talented of the Bruce Lee imitators; he was certainly a better fighter than his rival Bruce Le. The plot is quite an odd one to begin with, with Li's character noted for his resemblance to the deceased Bruce Lee, at which point a movie producer decides to make him a star in his own right. However, he soon discovers that fame comes at a price...
It's almost like a non-fiction story, but you needn't worry too much as DYNAMO is very much a typical kung fu film in that the plot is very slim and merely used as an excuse for endless fight scenes, this time with a contemporary setting. Li spends the running time battling various goons and taking time to romance a few, typically naked, beautiful women. He even dons Bruce's yellow jump suit from GAME OF DEATH at one point.
The notable thing about DYNAMO isn't the story or even the rather uninteresting cast, but instead the action, which is choreographed by the inimitable Yuen Woo-ping. In fact the whole 'Yuen clan' is involved here and eagle-eyed viewers will seen the likes of Brandy Yuen and Yuen Cheung-Yan keep appearing as various opponents. Their presence and the solid choreography gives the action an edge over rival fare and although DYNAMO is never a film that breaks the mould, it's nonetheless a well-paced and fitfully exciting movie.
It's almost like a non-fiction story, but you needn't worry too much as DYNAMO is very much a typical kung fu film in that the plot is very slim and merely used as an excuse for endless fight scenes, this time with a contemporary setting. Li spends the running time battling various goons and taking time to romance a few, typically naked, beautiful women. He even dons Bruce's yellow jump suit from GAME OF DEATH at one point.
The notable thing about DYNAMO isn't the story or even the rather uninteresting cast, but instead the action, which is choreographed by the inimitable Yuen Woo-ping. In fact the whole 'Yuen clan' is involved here and eagle-eyed viewers will seen the likes of Brandy Yuen and Yuen Cheung-Yan keep appearing as various opponents. Their presence and the solid choreography gives the action an edge over rival fare and although DYNAMO is never a film that breaks the mould, it's nonetheless a well-paced and fitfully exciting movie.
BRUCE 2.0
kirbylee70-599-5261796 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
With the passing of Bruce Lee in 1973 the loss of a major martial arts movie star left a hole and film companies rushed to fill that void. Called "Bruceploitation" films, there were numerous replacements all using variations on the spelling of his last name. Each one had his haircut, intense look and sculpted abs. Most successful among them was Bruce Li, born as Ho Chung Tao. He starred in numerous films using Lee's name in the title from GOODBYE BRUCE LEE to THE DRAGON DIES HARD to BRUCE LEE SUPERSTAR and more. Among those titles was the film DYNAMO.
A favorite of the grindhouse circuit, DYNAMO was one of those films heard of but rarely released in a decent format. Released in 1978 the movie played those theaters non-stop for years. Now fans of the film and of the genre can enjoy it with a newly restored version of the film on blu-ray from VCI.
Unlike many martial arts films this one takes place in the present with an advertising company in Hong Kong. As two rival companies are competing against one another, a new manager named Mary is brought in to turn things around. As she is driven to her hotel she sees a huge crowd. Her assistant tells her that this is a funeral procession for the late Bruce Lee who has recently died and left fans longing for more.
Mary's methods are cut throat to say the least and she soon has her team stealing back clients from the rival company. One day while heading to work she sees young cab driver Lee Tien-yee (Li) who takes on two men who stole a second cab. With decent martial arts skills she hires him with the intention of grooming him into the next huge movie star.
Here we insert one of the favorite type characters of the genre, the somewhat drunken master who is hired to bring this young star up from decent to amazing. Lee resents this new teacher (Feng Ku) when they start. Told to attack him whenever he wants, to surprise him even, Lee is consistently bettered by his teacher. As a result he too becomes better. Eventually a growing bond between the two takes place.
As Lee experiences newfound fame and fortune the rival company finds their lead lost. In an attempt to gain it back, they send various thugs to battle with Lee as he tours the world as the new superstar. Each one is beaten back until they eventually set him up to battle their main gun, a ruthless professional karate star. To ensure that Lee loses, they kidnap his girlfriend and threaten to kill her unless he throws the fight.
While this may sound like a ton of action, and there is plenty, more time is spent in the cutthroat offices and clubs with the advertising execs than you would expect. This film is definitely not lacking when it comes to a script full of conversations. In some ways it works, in others not. Yes, we have plenty of story but are we looking for that in a film like this?
Li is a competent replacement for the real Bruce Lee but can't compare in the long run. He doesn't have the speed or real charisma, instead relying on the similar look and style of the real deal. It did open the door for him though and gave him an opportunity to make movies. Even he felt this way, feeling that the studios underutilized him and saying "I could act like him but I could never be him." But he is among the better actors/marital artists who took on the daunting task of trying.
VCI has done a great job of bringing new life to this film, one that could have languished in bootleg and washed out editions on shelves everywhere. Instead they've attempted to clean it up with the best print possible, restoring it with a new 2k restoration from an original 35mm print. They've even included a 2k restoration of a 16mm alternate cut of the film. There are also plenty of extras to enjoy here as well. Those include an audio commentary track by filmmaker and kung fu film fan Michael Worth and UK radio sensation Iain Lee, "Kung Fu: Reborn" a featurette on the restoration of kung fu films, "Drawing Dynamo" a featurette of cover artists Ian McEwan, the original trailer and an essay by Worth.
If you're a fan of martial arts films and of the entire Bruceploitation genre, then this is a must have. It offers a decent copy of the movie to enjoy as well as replace those washed out copies from the past. The film is also an historical look at the times in which it was released. Congrats to VCI for saving the film from extinction.
A favorite of the grindhouse circuit, DYNAMO was one of those films heard of but rarely released in a decent format. Released in 1978 the movie played those theaters non-stop for years. Now fans of the film and of the genre can enjoy it with a newly restored version of the film on blu-ray from VCI.
Unlike many martial arts films this one takes place in the present with an advertising company in Hong Kong. As two rival companies are competing against one another, a new manager named Mary is brought in to turn things around. As she is driven to her hotel she sees a huge crowd. Her assistant tells her that this is a funeral procession for the late Bruce Lee who has recently died and left fans longing for more.
Mary's methods are cut throat to say the least and she soon has her team stealing back clients from the rival company. One day while heading to work she sees young cab driver Lee Tien-yee (Li) who takes on two men who stole a second cab. With decent martial arts skills she hires him with the intention of grooming him into the next huge movie star.
Here we insert one of the favorite type characters of the genre, the somewhat drunken master who is hired to bring this young star up from decent to amazing. Lee resents this new teacher (Feng Ku) when they start. Told to attack him whenever he wants, to surprise him even, Lee is consistently bettered by his teacher. As a result he too becomes better. Eventually a growing bond between the two takes place.
As Lee experiences newfound fame and fortune the rival company finds their lead lost. In an attempt to gain it back, they send various thugs to battle with Lee as he tours the world as the new superstar. Each one is beaten back until they eventually set him up to battle their main gun, a ruthless professional karate star. To ensure that Lee loses, they kidnap his girlfriend and threaten to kill her unless he throws the fight.
While this may sound like a ton of action, and there is plenty, more time is spent in the cutthroat offices and clubs with the advertising execs than you would expect. This film is definitely not lacking when it comes to a script full of conversations. In some ways it works, in others not. Yes, we have plenty of story but are we looking for that in a film like this?
Li is a competent replacement for the real Bruce Lee but can't compare in the long run. He doesn't have the speed or real charisma, instead relying on the similar look and style of the real deal. It did open the door for him though and gave him an opportunity to make movies. Even he felt this way, feeling that the studios underutilized him and saying "I could act like him but I could never be him." But he is among the better actors/marital artists who took on the daunting task of trying.
VCI has done a great job of bringing new life to this film, one that could have languished in bootleg and washed out editions on shelves everywhere. Instead they've attempted to clean it up with the best print possible, restoring it with a new 2k restoration from an original 35mm print. They've even included a 2k restoration of a 16mm alternate cut of the film. There are also plenty of extras to enjoy here as well. Those include an audio commentary track by filmmaker and kung fu film fan Michael Worth and UK radio sensation Iain Lee, "Kung Fu: Reborn" a featurette on the restoration of kung fu films, "Drawing Dynamo" a featurette of cover artists Ian McEwan, the original trailer and an essay by Worth.
If you're a fan of martial arts films and of the entire Bruceploitation genre, then this is a must have. It offers a decent copy of the movie to enjoy as well as replace those washed out copies from the past. The film is also an historical look at the times in which it was released. Congrats to VCI for saving the film from extinction.
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