NINJA OVER THE GREAT WALL
- Year: 1987
- AKA: Shaolin Fist of Fury
- Starring: Bruce Le, Shi Kamura, Lily Young, Yue Hoi
- Directed by: Bruce Le & Lim Kim Hui
"Quite possibly the only Bruce Le film that didn't have me looking at my watch." - Keith Dixon, Bruceploitation scholar
What the hell is this? A Bruce Le movie that doesn't suck!?! Yup, believe it or not, after wasting hours upon hours, nights upon nights, I have finally come across a decent Bruce Le flick. I'll go even further and say that this is a great film and one of the better examples of Bruceploitation.
Bruce Le stars as Chi Keung. After the Japanese kill his mother, he escapes to Beijing where he hooks up with a martial arts master. Bad move seeing as this sifu runs a school that the Japanese want closed. Soon Chi Keung's new master finds himself on the receiving end of a challenge from the Japanese. However, Shojiro, son of a Japanese big wig, wants it to be an honorable competition to show off his martial arts skills. While the contest goes well, Shojiro's father is not one to lose face and he has the master murdered. Naturally, this leads to Chi Keung kicking all kinds of ass. He confronts Shojiro and the two have an intense fight but Shojiro saves Keung from some ninjas. Understanding Shojiro's sense of honor, Keung spares him but says if he ever sees him on Chinese soil again, he will kill him. Shojiro heads back to Japan to train in the ways of the Bushido. Meanwhile, Keung, who has escaped the wrath of the ninjas, heads to the Yellow River and trains there. Of course you know two honorable martial arts are always gonna get it on in the end.
While liberally borrowing from the Bruce Lee classic FIST OF FURY, this Bruce Le vehicle is still quite entertaining. The fight scenes are lots of fun with Bruce taking on hordes of ninjas literally everywhere. Viewers should get a kick out of a scene where Bruce fights a ninja who is on fire. Talk about having control of your mind and body. Also, there is the requisite "You killed my teacher" Japanese dojo attack required by Bruceploitation Law. The end fight scene (shot on location at the Great Wall) is mighty impressive and brutal. What surprised me the most about this film is the pessimistic storyline. Pretty much everyone dies. Using the Japanese occupation of China as a backdrop, the filmmakers also inject a bit of political commentary (not saying the FIST OF FURY was subtle though). If only Bruce Le had made more movies like this.
Reviewed by William.
Check out Keith's review for Ninja Over the Great Wall.
