(1976)1Fred BeldinOf all the Bruce Lee rip-off films that bubbled up in the wake of his death, Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave is one of the most ludicrous, and as a result is one of the most entertaining. There has been much misinformation disseminated about the film, based on fraudulent trailers and advertising that suggest Lee is an actual character in the story, battling Death itself with his soul in the balance. It's also doubtful that Italian zombie guru Umberto Lenzi directed anything more than the film's ridiculous opening sequence, which depicts a shirtless Lee clone bursting out of a grave as lightning crackles around him. What's more likely is that a low-budget kung fu picture (credited to South Korean director Doo-Yong Lee) was snapped up for a song by Western hacks with a brainstorm, retitled with a sure-fire attention-grabbing moniker, and unleashed upon an audience who won't complain as long as noisy kicks and chops are delivered on a regular basis. Bruce Lea stars as Wong Han, a dedicated believer in the martial arts and the spiritual philosophies that surround it. He travels to Los Angeles to meet an old friend who needs a favor, but before he can arrive, the man is murdered under mysterious circumstances. Deep in mourning, Han carries the cremated ashes with him as he searches for clues, which he uncovers with the help of a bubbleheaded waitress. A multi-racial group of killers is at the center of the mystery, and Han squares off with them one by one until he learns that his friend was not the man he thought he was. Lea looks nothing like Lee and doesn't attempt to impersonate him in any way; perhaps he had no idea he'd be renamed once the film hit the states. Martial arts fanatics won't be dazzled by the fight scenes here, since the star isn't a gymnastic wonder like some of Lee's better impersonators. Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave should be viewed only by trash cinema devotees who enjoy the frisson of cross-cultural collisions, confused plotting, and hilarious dialogue dubbing. Lea is given a voice somewhere between John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart, white characters sport hick Southern accents, and everyone yells at inappropriate moments. As the waitress and frustrated love interest, Deborah Chaplin is a live-action Betty Boop, all lips, hips, and eyes and zero brains, always on the verge of getting raped or shot so Lea can come to her rescue with a karate chop. And why is everyone in the film wearing high heels? The conclusion is a bit dark, but it's leavened by logical lapses so severe that laughter is the only appropriate response. Available cheap on several budget-priced DVD collections, Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave is entertaining junk for those who don't expect much.
Directed by Umberto Lenzi, Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave revolves around Lee's fight for his eternal soul -- the marital arts extraordinaire must face off against the Black Angel of Death in this unique, supernatural kung fu venture.
