Meng nan da zei yan zhi hu (1978) User Reviews

Better Than I Expected.

[Space_Mafune · 6/10 · 20 February 2006]

A pair of undercover detectives (played by Bruce Li and Chang Leih) work together in an effort to try and bring down a counterfeiting operation headed by Han Tin Lung (played by Yin-Chieh Han who previously appeared in FISTS OF FURY) and Kimura (played by Bolo Yeung who previously appeared in ENTER THE DRAGON).

While this is a bit slow getting off the ground and initially seems a little confusing, it eventually reveals several surprise twists, turns and revelations which brings everything together in an understandable fashion by the film's end. The best thing about this movie in fact isn't its many Kung-Fu fighting showdowns, although I did enjoy the final climactic showdown between Bruce Li's character and the villainous father and son duo, but instead the character of Donna (played by Danna), who manages to keep her character bubbly and sweet despite exhibiting a considerable amount of flesh in a number of nude scenes. Her character's often humorous and amusing interactions with practically all the men she encounters in the film provides this one's most entertaining moments and she steals nearly every scene in which she appears.

The main problem with the fight scenes is it's far too obvious in most scenes that blows really are not being landed so they never become as fully convincing as they were intended to be. The title IMAGE OF BRUCE LEE seems to come from one scene in which Donna mentions to Bruce Li that he looks just like Bruce Lee and should be in the movies.

Cheesy

[AwesomeWolf · 4/10 · 22 December 2004]

Version: English dub

In a movie that seemingly has nothing to with Bruce Lee, or his image, Bruce Li plays a cop who goes around beating people up, while trying trying to stop a counterfeit ring. Or something, I somehow managed to miss the important plot points (ok, there weren't any at all...).

There's lots of swearing, and naked ladies, and violence - enough to get an R-rating. Surprisingly, my copy of the movie comes with a family friendly M-rating. I'll admit right now, that I don't why I'm reviewing this - there isn't much to say about it.

Basically, the movie follows Bruce Li as he wanders around beating up bad guys, and follows Bolo Yeung as he wanders around beating up good guys. In fact, Li's character never takes his leather jacket off - either it gives him super-powers, or it is the secret to his kung-fu technique.

Overall, its actually pretty funny, in a cheesy way - 4/10

Enough action to take your mind off the inanity of the plot

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 4 August 2016]

One of the countless 'Bruce Lee imitator' films that were churned out in the wake of the late actor's demise, THE IMAGE OF BRUCE LEE is neither a good film or a bad one – just a so-so effort that'll be entertaining for those in the right mood. This one adopts a James Bond-style espionage plot as the good guys head off against an evil criminal gang, but it's all a simple excuse for a series of kung fu fights. Out of all the fight films I've watched, this has got to be one of the most action-packed, and the last half an hour is essentially one big showdown. It's a shame, then, that the choreography is only average and the fights seem a bit stilted and wooden. This is one of those films where the actors seem 'stiff', their arms lumps of wood that knock hollowly against each other when they battle it out.

Still, kung fu fans will enjoy the scenic battles, especially the final show-off at a ruined building and a beach. There are some moments of inspired lunacy to be had – the opening scene, in which Bruce climbs a building (in Bruce Lee's trademark yellow gym suit from GAME OF DEATH) in an attempt to rescue a guy attempting suicide, only for him to fall when he loses his prosthetic arm, is a classic. This is also one of the most risqué kung fu flicks I've witnessed, as co-star Danna, a Chinese actress, frequently sheds all of her clothing for plenty of protracted nude moments. The cast is pretty interesting, with lots of familiar faces like John Cheung, Han Yin-Chieh, and Hon Yee San appearing in assorted roles, and it's always a pleasure to see Bolo Yeung on screen. Here, Yeung takes part – with his trademark energy – in plenty of battles, only to suffer the same fate as the one in CHALLENGE OF THE TIGER when he ends up being betrayed by the other bad guys.

Although Bruce Li looked less like the real thing than Bruce Le, I have the feeling his fighting was slightly better. He's got a lot of energy here, performing a ton of flying kicks and jumps throughout the running time. He also had some natural charisma which helped him in front of the camera, and the clichéd 'copy Bruce's mannerisms' scene only happens once in the entire running time. As for the title? It comes from when Danna tells Bruce he looks just like the real thing – only for him to respond "not interested"! A nice little in-joke for the fans. THE IMAGE OF BRUCE LEE isn't a great flick, but it ain't a bad one either. Fans might just like it.

Weaker than average 1970s Hong Kong martial arts movie

[Wizard-8 · 13 May 2017]

The print of "The Image of Bruce Lee" that I watched didn't list any credits for either the cast or the crew. After watching the entire movie, I can understand why apparently no one connected to the movie wanted to be identified. It should come as no surprise that despite the title, the lead actor (played by Bruce Li) looks nothing like Bruce Lee. He's pretty bland and forgettable here, despite getting into a ton of fights. Maybe that could have been forgiven had the fights been good, but they are really not. While the fight sequences are choreographed in a way to look somewhat more realistic than usual, they are simply not exciting, and are completely interchangeable with each other. The plot is also nothing special as well, except maybe that it's more convoluted and confusing than usual. The only interest the movie has is showcasing a pre-fame Bolo Yeung in a key role, and that the movie has a surprising amount of nudity... though I feel I should point out that the nudity is presented in a surprisingly unerotic way.

I'm finally through the brucesploitation box set

[SkullScreamerReturns · 4/10 · 30 March 2021]

This was the last one I watched from a bruceploitation dvd box I got some time ago. "The Man, The Myth" was maybe the most interesting because it was more in a documentary style, "Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave" was somewhat funny because of its wild directing. "Fist of Fear, Touch of Death" should have been interesting because Fred Williamson is in it but it ended up boring I and I already forgot what happens in it. "The Image of Bruce Lee" was also quite boring. But not terrible. In some way I was surprised that none of these movies was completely awful.

Considering how much action is in "The Image", it's strange how can it be boring. There's a lot of kung fu fighting and the choreography is not bad. The fighting moves are generally more real martial arts than in many western action films. But I guess it's the (lack of) directing in the long shots where the fights just go on, and the camerawork is home video style. Sometimes the fights look good but there's hardly any real excitement unless you're a martial arts maniac.

Among the endless legions of fighting men there is one female character, Donna, played by Dana (just Dana?). She was the highlight for me. Whenever she was on the screen it brightened up my mood and got my eyes fixated back to the screen. She's very attractive, the character has a witty personality (best acting?), she has cool clothes...and also likes to take them off multiple times.

It is what it is... not a terrible film but it's a bit too monotonous. Recommended only to those who have aqcuired taste for not-so-good martial arts flicks.

More of the same

[ckormos1 · 5/10 · 16 December 2020]

It opens with a man threatening to jump from a skyscraper. "Bruce Lee" in his yeloow and black track suit comes to the rescue. The suicidal man has a trick up his sleeve. Cut to a gym.

My copy is unusual high quality. It is a digital file that plays on a HDTV as true wide screen with good resolution and is English dubbed.

This movie is labeled Brucexploitation. Exploiting Bruce Lee's name was done by VHS rental businesses. They had tons of VHS tapes for rent in America and labeled them not by proper title but to attract the American viewer. They often used words like "Shaolin", "tiger", "dragon", or "Bruce Lee" to attract the unknowing customer. Jackie Chan's name was also used.

"You should be in pictures - you look exactly like Bruce Lee!"

[gridoon2024 · 4/10 · 12 January 2014]

You don't expect a movie called "Image Of Bruce Lee" to be particularly well put together, and indeed it is not: the "plot" (which pits Bruce Li and his partner against a gang of counterfeiters (not exactly the most heinous of crimes)) is largely a collage of random fights, though there is one good twist concerning Dana, the sole female character (who is also not afraid of full frontal nudity!). The fights occur frequently enough, and they fall somewhere between the slower, more artificial style of the 1970s and the faster, more fluid style of the 1980s. Bruce Li is one of the most prolific of the Bruce Lee clones of the 1970s, and you can tell why - he knows his stuff. But this film, while not short on fighting, is rather forgettable. Bolo Yeung has a couple of fights as well but gets dispatched in the middle. *1/2 out of 4.

Bruceploitation

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 20 May 2018]

Dragon (Bruce Li) is a respected police investigator in HongKong. He's frustrated failing to save a jumper. He and his partner are assigned a tough counterfeit ring. Han Tin Lung is the head of the criminal organization. His son Han Chin Wei has used his Japanese friend Kimura (Bolo Yeung) and stolen paper from London to create perfect counterfeit money. Donna is the beautiful daughter of a criminal colleague who arrives with plans of her own.

This is a HongKong Bruceploitation. There is a lot of hand to hand combat and female frontal nudity. It's pure B-movie. The problem is that Bruce Li is a blank and he adds little to the movie. The best parts come from the villain side. I'm fascinated with the Hans and Donna. They could be the Godfather but Bruce Li keeps interjecting himself into the movie. The hand to hand fighting is good at first but after awhile, the choreography is repetitive and it gets boring. This may be better than most Bruceploitations but that's not saying much.

By-the-numbers martial arts fare which does not feature Bruce Lee!

[Red-Barracuda · 5/10 · 22 December 2015]

The Image of Bruce Lee is another chopsocky film which uses the name of Hong Kong action legend Bruce Lee in its title without actually featuring him! It, in fact, stars Bruce Li, as opposed to Bruce Lee. Confused, already? Seemingly, this sort of patter was par for the course in this sub-genre of film.

Its story is about two undercover cops who attempt to stop a criminal gang of counterfeiters. Despite beginning quite promisingly with Li, kitted out in a yellow jump-suit, trying to save a suicidal man on a high-rise roof, this one quickly descends to the level of another mediocre martial arts action movie. There's plenty of kung fu fighting to be fair but this is strictly for die-hard fans of this kind of thing but is a rather forgettable experience otherwise.

Bruce Li's better stuff

[InzyWimzy · 7/10 · 14 January 2004]

Bruce Li surprised me in this one. Oh, the martial arts are still mediocre, but he's not trying to be Bruce Lee. In fact, Li is a cop in search of plates. He ends up fighting usually against groups of guys. Apparently, the word "backup" wasn't invented until after this movie. You really appreciate Fist of Fury when fights the entire japanese class in the dojo. In IOBL, Bruce Li runs after Bolo in search of luggage and proceeds to fight the entire class. Man, you can see how many "one-on-one" cue attacks there are while extras just stand in the circle. So to sum it up:

Fists of Fury dojo fight: FIERCE and FAST.

Image of Bruce Lee dojo fight: FUNNY!!

It really is fun to see Bruce in a non Bruceploitatic role. I think he must've been hot fighting in that brown leather coat cause he never takes it off in battles. Man, it's durable! The frightening part of this movie is seeing Bolo flirt. Plus, his loud garish suits with killer lapels. The Boss is same boss from Bruce Lee's the Big Boss, but he doesn't add that much to the film. Come to think of it, the funniest part is the balcony scene where some guy does a flying kick at Bruce and the slo-mo effect goes on. Bruce just moves to the side and this hapless dolt of a henchman does the high hurdle over the rail. Also, handcuffs can be a deadly weapon.

There's some gratuitous nudity of Donna...I think that was her name, whatever. They thought including her would be enough to fool the viewer and grab your attention. Well, it worked for me!! Especially the nude swimming. Also, when she tells Bruce Li that he looks like Bruce Lee and asks if he wants to do movies, Li responds with "Not interested!" HAHAHAHA. See, he was "ACTING".

Watch this cool flick for chases, naughty bits, and the balcony fight....and the Bruce Li rope climbing in the yellow tracksuit!!

The Image of Bruce Lee

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 17 September 2022]

No less a luminary than Quentin Tarantino reviewed this movie, setting it up by saying that "Both Bruce Li and 21st Century kept kung fu flicks alive in the waning days of the genre before the emergence of Jackie Chan."

The Han Family and a Japanese gang led by The Hakido Bear (Bolo Yeung) are unleashing counterfeit U. S. dollars on Hong Kong. Hi Chi (Bruce Li) and his partner Lai (Chang Lei) must stop them, which seeing as how this is a kung fu movie means lots of fights. While that's all going on, one of the Hans named Donna (Dana Lei) has the paper needed to print more money and starts playing the two crime families against one another. She's incredible in this, beating every one of these men at their game.

How would we confuse this with a Bruce Lee movie? Is it the Game of Death tracksuit that Li wears in the first scene? Maybe it's Li himself, who was billed as Li Hsiao Lung (Lee Little Dragon). Man, the titles of Li's movies are practically begging you to pretend that he's the real Bruce, like Bruce Lee, A Dragon Story; Bruce Lee Against Superman; Bruce Lee, We Miss You and Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger. But it really has nothing else to do with Bruce, instead a buddy cop movie with two of the worst cops this side of a giallo arguing over who is going to get Donna, who is really the villain of the movie, but who can blame them? Between the 70s fashion and her doing everything she can to bend every man to her will, she owns this movie, but we needed the Brucesploitation connection to get us to watch it in the first place.

the epitome of trash!

[herr_chagall · 8/10 · 4 May 2005]

i have repeatedly watched this movie on German TV in the wee hours of the morning and much of my fascination for it derives from the absolutely preposterous dialogue that has been very possibly not only preserved, but even enhanced by the German translation | dubbing.

exceptionally cheap production, non-existent acting and a script that never progressed past the storyboard | exposé stage are sure-shot ingredients for a cult classic of a) how not to do it if you want to shoot a serious movie. b) how to do it if you want to pay homage to the camp fun movies like »black belt jones« et al.

all in all, two semi-undercover (they blow their cover themselves) cops and a sexy interpol agent attempt to infiltrate and bust a counterfeit organization-mass panic and third-rate fight sequences (but first-rate third-rate fight sequences) ensue! i highly recommend the movie to people who enjoy memorizing insane one-liners and share them with their friends and acquaintances in the worst possible moment. :)

as an extra bonus to those that are into the eastern genre i should add that bolo yeung stars in the movie as well.

good times.

It's a joke, get it?

[winner55 · 7/10 · 27 June 2006]

This film can be taken in two ways. First, it is indeed a "Bruce Clone" film, starring Bruce Li, the best of the Bruce Lee imitators. On that level, it can be enjoyed for the usual "swinging arms" chop-sock 'fu film nonsense we loved so well in the late 1970s.

However, oddly enough, the cast and crew seem to be quite aware that their whole effort is blatantly absurd.

Consequently, their are subtle but undeniable elements of self-parody in throughout the film. I will only describe the opening sequence: A man looking like a minor business executive is standing on a roof top, threatening to commit suicide. Bruce Li, dressed in the yellow-and-red gymnastic jump-suit long associated with Bruce Lee through publicity photos for his uncompleted last film (Game of Death) , climbs up five stories and jumps out to grab the exec by the arm. Unfortunately, it's a prosthetic arm. The force of the grab tears off the arm and inadvertently sends the exec five stories to his death. Bruce Li stands there looking at the prosthetic limb with an expression like, "hey, this never happened to the other guy!" Final underscore for this self-parody is when another character looks at Bruce Li and says: "Has anyone ever told you you look like Bruce Lee?" - Well, I'm not!" Bruce Li responds.

This is all pretty much 'in-joke' stuff; to appreciate the humor of this film, one has to have seen all of the real Bruce Lee films, and a good many Bruce-Clone films as well. But I have, so I had a blast.

A Mastery of Inconsitency

[avantgarage · 7/10 · 18 March 2007]

There are a great wealth of post-mortem Bruce Lee 'homage' films, and one can speculate the various reasons for their existence. A potential for market saturation. The refusal to accept the death of one of the greatest martial artists/martial arts film stars. Maybe a synthesis of both. Yet 'The image of Bruce Lee' is a real gem in this 'canon' not for its authenticity, integrity...but for its plain goofiness.

By the end of the first three minutes, I was immersed in some sort of absurdist comedy. A suicidal man turns to the camera and the dub has him say, rather nonchalantly, 'A-choo' Some diamonds that he had out on loan have been stolen. So entirely full of remorse, he escapes rescue by firemen below, waddling with a rescue trampoline and a 'special squad' member donning a very familiar yellow jumpsuit and haircut atop via his secret weapon - a prosthetic arm. In so many words, I anticipated a cult classic. --- The rest of the film: At times, a typical eastern martial arts film, with all its staples. 1. The goofy sidekick 2. Full frontal female nudity - and of course - 3. Fight scenes. A word or fifty about these. The ultimate villain has a special penchant for tossing money. Least importantly, the choreography was awful. Most consist of fight, flee, fight, and so an, with an optional flight by car. Bruce Li fights in a street brawl fashion with the goons, but against certain characters, a rigid traditional style of Gung Fu reigns supreme. All scenes end, as a friend described so perfectly.... 'pummel, pummel, pummel.'

In other words, this film will not impress if superb fight scenes are sought. Go get some Shaw Brothers stuff instead. Rather it takes a real eye for the elements of 'cult' style: the overwhelming presence of apparent budget limitations, e.g. horribly overexposed footage (which is quite pleasing, in my opinion). And the elements of 'cult' style are a-plenty, if one has the patience. I give the high rating not for its achievement as a martial arts classic, but for its complete lack of quality (... its cult-ness?), and of course, the performance of Moustache's moustache.

Stepping stone to better chop socky movies

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 3 June 2023]

(1977) The Image OF Bruce Lee ENGLISH DUBBED MARTIAL ARTS ACTION

After Bruce Lee died, there were a stream of Bruce Lee imitators coming out throughout Hong Kong and this happens to be one of them, which is not bad. Plot has two interpol agents uncovering a counterfeit ring, one of those agents happen to look and fight like Bruce Lee name on the credits as Bruce Li!!!. Also star is actual martial artist David Chiang of many chop sockey movies and "Police Story" Part II playing the main bad guy's son and a young Bolo Yeung from "Bloodsport" playing the other bad guy who carries the plates. It has nudity and some well staged martial art fights.