Story: The life of megawatt movie star Billy Lo (Bruce Lee) is always exciting, but now he has the added thrills of being targeted by a powerful organized crime syndicate. As he turned down their offers to recruit him, they have decided to eliminate him to send a message. But he is able to survive an assassination attempt disguised as a movie set accident, though not everyone knows he remains alive. Billy fakes his death and changes his appearance, so that he can return into the world and extract his vengeance. But even with the element of surprise and his incredible martial arts skills, can one man take down the syndicate?

Entertainment Value: To call Game of Death a troubled production would be an epic understatement, as the sudden death of Bruce Lee would send shockwaves throughout the world, let alone the production itself. While the movie was finished and released, most of the footage does not involve Bruce Lee sadly, as doubles are used heavily throughout, both in the action and expositional scenes. This makes the film seem overly campy at times, but I think the offbeat tone can be fun to watch, though it certainly doesn’t evoke classic Bruce Lee vibes. I still think this is an enjoyable movie, as the fight scenes are frequent and well executed, the b movie texture often present was fun, and of course, when Bruce Lee is on screen, he is as iconic as ever. The legendary fight between Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is reason enough to visit Game of Death, but the entire final act is Bruce Lee magic and the floor-by-floor martial arts assault that closes the picture is simply fantastic. I don’t think Game of Death measures up to Lee’s best work, but I think it is solid martial arts cinema and well worth a look.

While he isn’t around in most of the scenes here, it is no surprise that when Bruce Lee is in Game of Death, those are the most memorable sequences. I mentioned the battle with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar above and that scene is beyond iconic, a one of a kind, unforgettable showdown. The scene could have seemed comical or over the top, but it is very effective and has some real grit. The visual element is remarkable and I think that fight alone is enough to recommend Game of Death. But Lee has other good action scenes here as well, so while his doubles get a lot of screen time, Lee is still able to shine here. And while those doubles can’t match his screen presence or charisma, they’re fun to watch most of the time. The cast also includes Colleen Camp, Robert Wall, Gig Young, Sammo Hung, Mel Novak, Hugh O’Brian, and Dean Jagger.

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