TOP FIGHTER
- Year: 1994
- Starring: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Gordon Liu, Jet Li, Bruce Li, Jimmy Wang Yu, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Jean Claude Van Damme, John Liu, Hwang Jang Lee
- Produced by: Toby Russell
Chances are if you are a martial arts fan, you will get a kick out of this excellent documentary. While not in depth enough for hardcore fans, the film does offer plenty of insight to the world of cinematic martial arts.
For the purposes of this site, we will be looking at the Bruceploitation aspects of the movie. About 20 minutes into the film is a nicely done ten-minute segment on the life and career of Bruce Lee. Featured alongside behind the scenes ENTER THE DRAGON footage are rare photos and clips of Lee performing at martial arts shows. Also included are brief interviews with Lee's first two students (Jesse Glover and Ed Heart). Heart tells an amusing story about how fast Lee was.
Immediately following the Bruce Lee segment is a section on Bruce Li. Li (aka Ho Chung Tao) is interviewed and explains how he got into the Bruceploitation biz. Fans who have seen Ground Zero's REVENGE OF THE PATRIOTS DVD will recognize this interview because it is the same one used there. Clips from STORY OF THE DRAGON are included in the Li segment. A bit too short for my tastes, but nice to see Bruce Li still looking good in his later years.
All in all, this is not a bad little documentary. Chances are if you are a diehard martial artist enthusiast, it will offer nothing new for you (expect nerdy pictures of Van Damme as a kid), but it is still worth watching.
Reviewed by William.
Bruceploitation
