Former Bruce Lee pupil Bruce Wong (Bruce Le) returns to Hong Kong after receiving a mysterious letter from his former housekeeper, old man Kwok. Upon arrival Bruce finds out that not only has his mother died and his sister is being forced into prostitution, but also a gang led by Lei Hung (Lo Lieh) is looking for the famed "Kung Fu Finger Book" written by Wong's recently deceased master. The group has kidnapped Kwok in the hopes that it will draw in Bruce, who in turn will reveal the location of the book. And, in order to guarantee Bruce Wong's compliance, the thugs kidnap Bruce's sister and ex-girlfriend (hey, it's an ex...why would he care?). Bruce eventually finds the book with help from his friend and a mysterious Interpol agent named Mr. Chan (Chan Wai Man). Vowing to revenge the kidnapping of his sister and ex, Bruce studies the finger technique and prepares to take out Hung and his men once and for all.
Man, did I like this film! So what if the plot is exactly like the recently reviewed KUNG FU FEVER? This Bruce Le flick has tons of energy and some great fights. Plus, it has some amazing 70s fashion. Did people not have mirrors back then? Bruce first shows up in a pair of white belt bottoms and a pink tank top! Regardless, the cast is amazing. Alongside such Bruce Le regulars as Bolo and Kong Do are greats like Lo Lieh and Chan Wai Man. Lieh spends most of the time brooding about not being able to get the book, but sneaks in a good fight with Bruce at the end. The last half hour features some stellar work from everyone in the fighting department. Bruce Le takes on tons of brutes, using nunchuks and a staff in the process. His final showdown with Lo Lieh is great as he literally pops Lieh's eyeball out of his head. Guess that is why his fingers are considered deadly!
One of the best things about this movie is Lei Hung's gang. These guys are the best. First of all, they always enter through the front door. In fact, at one point a guy sneaks in through the window and rushes to the front door to let his friends in. Always polite I guess. Of course Bruce is constantly shocked when he sees a front door left open. Second, they always seem to always be shirtless. When they bring the kidnapped girls to a hideout, one of them says, "Let's go outside and play cards" and then they all remove their shirts. Yeah, seems logical when you have two hot babes bound and gagged in the other room. Of course, they do get their kicks by driving around at night (shirtless, of course) and molesting women in the middle of a field inside a big circle of fire. Don't ask! Finally, their torture techniques are the best. One time they hold a guy down to a pool table and a henchman shoots the eight ball down his throat! Another time, to show they mean business to Bruce's sister, they dangle a tiny lizard over a naked woman and then release it between her legs. Use your imagination for that one.
Just a word of warning: the IMDB lists Bruce Lee as being in this one via archive footage, but he is nowhere to be seen, unless you count one quick shot of a picture of him. Bastards! They also list a guy named Wuk Ma No Hans...ha ha...I get it! Jeez, is Hollywood hack and all around unfunny guy Steve (KUNG POW) Oedekerk writing for them now? Bastards again!
Reviewed by William.