Dragon Lee (credited on-screen as Bruce Rhee!) stars as Ricky Chan, one of Bruce Lee's top students in the finger technique. When Bruce dies, a war breaks out between three rival factions to obtain Lee's invaluable book on finger techniques. There is a Japanese group, a Korean group and a Chinese one run by a cabaret producer! With the help of a female accomplice, Ricky must make sure that the book doesn't fall into any of the groups' hands.
Fans of Dragon Lee should definitely check out this rousing entry in his filmography. Set in modern times, the film features some good fights and Lee is performing Bruce to the hilt. Dragon sports the trademark glasses and clothes, making sure to thumb his nose during every fight scene. Hell, he even has his hair cut like Bruce in this one. During the final showdown, he appears out of nowhere on the beach in the yellow jumpsuit. Clips of Bruce Lee are incorporated into the beginning of the film, trying to make it look like he is at a press conference where Ricky demonstrates his kung fu. "You should have seen Ricky doing my finger technique," boasts a dubbed Bruce to a young woman, without the slightest acknowledgement to the subtext of that line.
Top billed American Ron Van Clief is actually a co-star. The Xenon VHS tape (titled BLACK DRAGON FEVER) claims on the back that he teams up with Dragon Lee, but he is actually one of the bad guys. Half way through, he drives off a steep cliff with his car exploding upon impact but shows up a few scenes later wearing only a bandage on his head. "You survived," Dragon Lee gasps before throwing him out a window. Inexplicably, that much smaller fall gets rid of him. Guess he only had 25% of his life power left.
Reviewed by William.