Breaker! Breaker! (1977)

Chuck Norris fighting a bunch of in-bred hicks. Young trucker Billy (Michael Augenstein) ends up in a one horse town hilariously called Texas City, California. He is fitted up with various crimes by the drunk judge Trimmings (George Murdock) and beaten up by his pet corrupt cops Strode (Don Gentry) and Boles (Ron Cedillos). Billy's big brother J.D. (Norris) comes looking for him. He immediately gets into trouble with moonshine runners, who apparently have the blessing of the Trimmings regime.

Indeed the whole town is in on the scheme, except for Arlene (Terry O'Connor), but J.D. has little trouble in beating up the cops and the town's menfolk with his martial arts skills. However, the tricky rednecks finally capture J.D. but Arlene manages to call on other truckers using CB radio and they end up wrecking the town!

A silly film which is unintentionally hilarious, the lazy sterotypes are laid on a mile thick. Chuck Norris despatches various dudes with bad facial hair over a banjo soundtrack. It is equally terrible and brilliant.

The Challenger (1979)

High octane if somewhat repetitive kung fu action. Chin (Norman Chu) is working his way through all the martial arts schools in the lands, challenging the masters in order to find the man he wants to kill. Yu (David Chiang) is also challenging people left, right and centre but because he wants money. Yu notices that Chin is loaded and challenges him, their fight ends in a draw...

Wei Ching-Fung (Lily Li), the madam of the casino/brothel, gets involves with both men but unknown to them she is the woman of the man Chin is looking for, Master Pao (Philip Ko). Wei hires Yu to get rid of Chin but they end up uniting in order to fight Pao in a final epic showdown...

The film has a lot of fighting scenes, and they are good, especially the final battle. However, a little more plot might have helped to space the fights out. The film has a number of comedy numbers which verge between cringe and awful. A good if uneven kung fu film with impressive and charismatic performances by the principles.

Five Elements Ninjas (1982)

An exhilarating martial arts film and also incredibly violent and bloody. The martial arts headquarters comes under attack from Japanese ninjas led by Kembuchi Mudou (Michael Chan). The master is poisoned and his troops, which includes Xiao Tian Hao (Ricky Cheng), fortify their base. However, the ninjas in the lovely form of Junko (Chan Put-Sai) infiltrates the base and then facilities a full ninja attack. The master is killed and Kembuchi now rules the martial arts world...

Xiao is the only survivor and escapes, with the help of Junko who seems slightly conflicted - probably the only depth or shade of grey in this film - to learn ninja fighting skills himself. With three friends he returns to challenge the ninjas in a final showdown against the five elements of ninja: gold, wood, water, fire and earth...

Don't expect a huge amount of story here, the film is about 95% fighting, but that's really what you want from a film like this. The action is often rather over the top with various wire-fu and mysterious bending of the laws of physics. There is also quite a lot of literal destruction of the human form. An amazing film full of bizarre ninja weapons, men in white capes and Junko in her leather and fishnets outfit.

Love on Delivery (1994)

Ho Kam-An (Stephen Chow) is a hapless dim sum delivery boy who falls in love with martial arts student Lily (Christy Cheng). Unfortunately, she is also the object of the creepy and slimy Judo Master Blackbear (Joe Cheng). 

When Ho Kam-An is humiliated because he can't stand up to Blackbear and Lily gets hurt, he goes to a bizarre kung-fu teacher called Tat (Ng Man Tat) to learn a very strange form of martial arts (which is more a scam) so he can be a hero...

And it is all very very strange, a classic HK comedy which ruthlessly takes the piss out of the likes of the Terminator, Rocky and Karate Kid, to set up a number of very odd comedy situations and an avalanche of gags, weird tangents and Cantonese puns. Although a funny film and very madcap, it's also quite a violent film with a number of crazy and very well choreographed fight scenes. A classic example of a Stephen Chow comedy and very entertaining indeed.

Bruce Lee's Ways of Kung Fu (1979)

The title implies this is a Bruceploitation film though in reality this is standard Kung Fu fare which just uses Bruce Lee's name. The film takes place in the base of a Manchurian warlord (Ki-Ju Kim) and his eighteen female bodyguards. Many try to challenge the warlord but none get out alive, until Dragon Lee.

Dragon is seeking to avenge his father who was killed by the warlord, and does get badly beaten up but manages to escape and receives training from his new master (Choe Mu-Ling). His master is killed too by the evil warlord's forces but finally Dragon is ready to enter the base along with his friends Philip Cheung and Pearl Lin, defeat the eighteen female warriors and take on the warlord in a final showdown...

And it is all pretty terrible if we are to be honest. The film makes very little sense and sometimes feels like scenes from different films spliced together with various tangents and dubious comedy scenes. The fighting is not bad, frequently very over the top with the usual weird sound effects and lots of use of wires. Quite an experience for sure, from a cheese point of view it is highly entertaining.

Bruce's Deadly Fingers (1976)

Quality Bruceploitation action though in many ways a baffling film. Bruce Le for a change doesn't play Bruce Lee (though his character is called Bruce). Instead he is looking for Bruce Lee's book on finger king fu. Bad guy Lee Hung (Lo Lieh) is also looking for this book, and considers it more valuable than all the diamonds in the world for some reason.

But there are a couple of other guys looking for the book, quite why isn't explained. Bruce's sister (Yuan Man Tzu) is being forced to become a prostitute, scared into submission by seeing a woman tortured with a lizard. Thankfully Bruce saves her before she has to sell herself and he takes her to his friend Mina (Nora Miao) to look after. Not that Mina does a very good job as she and Bruce's sister are captured by the bad guys twice...

The other guys looking for the book turn out to be a cop (Michael Chan) and his new friend (Nik Cheung). All explained in the end then. After much muddled plotting, and random scenes, and lots of fighting (of course) the Bruce Lee book is discovered and Bruce learns finger kung fu. Unfortunately Lee Hung also gets the book and this sets the scene for a final gruesome showdown...

A clumsy film that contains a few too many strange awkward scenes (including a bizarre scene where the bad guys set a ring of gasoline on fire and begin to molest some unfortunate women in the centre of the fast approaching flames) though mid-1970s HK looks very groovy. Not a film for plot, a film for kung fu action which often is pretty decent. 

Golden Dragon, Silver Snake (1979)

A madcap kung fu comedy, a Jackie Chan style film of violence with slap stick. The plot is fairly familiar, Dragon Lee arrives in town to investigate the murder of his brother. He takes a job as a chef and observes a group of gangsters on motorbikes who demand protection money. These gangsters, led by a mysterious man who strokes a cat, are also trying to force a young woman and her uncle to sell them their farm. They are resisted by Silver Snake (Johnny Chan), who is also being trained in kung fu...

Obviously these gangsters are the bad guys Dragon Lee is looking for and he soon links up with Silver Snake and helps battle the gangsters, leading to an extremely long final showdown in a holiday resort.

The film is a shameless Bruceploitation film with Dragon copying many of Bruce's mannerisms and even a Game of Death style yellow outfit. However, there is also a lot of innovation and interspersing the fighting with comedy skits and stunts, some of them very bizarre. The film is unintentionally hilarious with the terrible dubbing, at times it seems like a parody but is highly entertaining.

Alley Cat (1984)

A rather grim and dingy and violent vigilante film, in a way it is Death Wish but with a female lead. Billie (Karin Mani) catches some imitation hardcases trying to steal her tyres. After he beats them up with her karate skills they go running off to their boss Scarface (Michael Wayne) who kills Billie's grandmother. Billie herself ends up in jail after she stops a rape due to a corrupt cop...

Billie begins a one-woman mission to bring Scarface and his gang to justice, one way or another. The film has a lot of averagely choreographed fights, unfortunately most take place in the dark. There is also a lot of female nudity as well, including in prison...

It is a pretty run-of-the-mill low budget 1980s video nasty. Violent and grubby, it is very trashy. The best thing (by far) about the film is Karin, who does look pretty decent when she is fighting (and in general). 

Devil's Express (1976)

This is a car crash of a film, in so much as it is like a mixture of different genres thrown together, hard. The film starts in ancient China where a demon is imprisoned. We jump to the present day (well 1970s anyway) New York and see Luke (Warhawk Tanzania) show off his martial arts skills with a funk soundtrack. Luke heads to HK with his friend Rodan (Wilfredo Roldan), while there Rodan accidentally releases the demon from it's cell...

The demon makes it's way to NY and begins to terrorise the subway, but above ground a deadly war between black and Chinese gangs rages. Luke gets involved with both gangs, and only he can stop the demon...

So, it is a mix of blaxploitation, kung fu, horror and total weirdness. The film switches between these genres quickly, at times you wonder if you have just sat on the TV remote. 

One of the strangest films you'll ever see, and very gory and violent too. Does it make sense? To be honest not in any way whatsoever. But it doesn't matter, this film is genuinely original and amazing.

The Tattoo Connection (1978)

A funky late 1970s kung fu crime tale with a touch of blaxploitation. A highly valuable diamond is stolen in HK by Lu's (Sing Chen) gang. The US insurance company sends Lucas (Jim Kelly) to retrieve the diamond amid a large number of fights across HK.

So a simple plot but this has a number of interesting sub-plots. We have Tung Hao (Tao-Liang Tan), a conflicted triad member who regrets the killings that Lu takes part in. Nana (Nana Misaki), a dancer and prostitute linked to the gang (and Tung Hao's girl), who is desperate to have a better life.

The film is often unintentionally hilarious, Bolo Yeung is dubbed with a cockney accent for example. The film also has quite a bit of gratuitous female nudity, and lots and lots of violence. The fighting is of a good standard and overall the film is well worth a watch.

Ninja Condors (1987)

A remarkably over the top ninja film (even by the standards of the genre!) As a boy Brian (Alexander Lo Rei) witnessed his father torn apart by motorbikes, but was saved by a cop. Now he is a man and part of a brutal ninja crime syndicate led by Lucifer (George Nicholas). However Brian's heart isn't really in all the killings involved and he is kicked out of the gang. Though next Lucifer orders him to be killed (which makes the decision to let him go in the first place a bit strange, but plot coherence isn't the film's strongest point).

Brian meets a guy called Eddie (Eugene Thomas) and they start a strange friendship. They also become targets for Lucifer's gang. Many many fights follow, including involving Lucifer's girlfriend (Mary Johnson). Eddie turns out to be a cop and using Brian to get the low-down on Lucifer's gang...

The action in this film is completely over the top with many ninja wire-fu stunts. The sheer insanity of the action really makes the film. There isn't a great deal of story, but there are quite a few decapitations and lots of throwing stars.

Infra-Man (1975)

Incredible sci-fi kung fu mayhem. The Earth comes under attack from an army of monsters led by Princess Dragon Mum (Terry Liu) who wants to rule the world and make mankind her slaves. Normal weapons (well fists and pistols anyway) are useless against the monsters, however at a secret science base led by the Professor (Hsieh Wang) he converts Rayma (Danny Lee) into Inframan.

Inframan is a bio-electronical marvel who is powered by the sun (although still seems to be able to fight in the dark). He manages to turn the tide of the fight against the Princess and her army. However the Princess isn't finished yet and has plenty of diabolical plans...

Many highly entertaining fights involving people in rubber suits follow. The film is remarkable cheese though plot wise is a bit basic (not that that really matters too much in this kind of film). The film includes many strange scenes to enjoy, one of the best being the scene after the Professor is captured by the monsters and is taken to their lair in a speed boat, flanked by two rubber suited monsters!

Tiger on the Beat (1988)

Tiger on the Beat is not that original a film, a veteran cop and a rookie have some mis-matched adventures but all comes right in the end to face the big baddie. Sgt. Li (Chow Yun Fat) is the veteran, a tough cop who eats whole slices of ham in one go and always has an eye for the ladies. Officer Tso (Conan Lee) is the rookie, eager and ready to use his martial arts skills.

Obviously the pair do not get on, but Li needs Tso to help him bust a big case and get his career back on track. After a good deal of humour and traditional HK movie oddness we get down to a decent showdown with the criminals, including a chain saw fight with Gordon Liu.

A good fun film if a little messy at times. Like many HK action films it could do with a little less. Chow Yun Fat plays a great role, cool and cocky, with plenty of humour. Conan Lee pulled off some incredible action scenes.

City Hunter (1993)

Not one of Jackie Chan's best films though still worth investigating. A comic book adaptation where Jackie plays a rather lazy private investigator called Ryu. He, along with his assistant Kaori (Joey Wang), are hired to find the missing daughter of a Japanese businessman. The search takes them to a cruise ship, which then gets hijacked. Ryu gets drawn into the fight against the hijackers led by MacDonald (Richard Norton)...

It is all a bit silly though not without some good moments including a great Street Fighter scene. Some of the fights are pretty good too, including one that draws upon Game of Death, and the film has a rather anarchic feel.

Unfortunately the silliness is a little too over the top. The film is made as a live action anime and if approached in that way it does entertain. There is some Jackie magic but other films showcase it much better.

Bruce Li in New Guinea (1978)

Crazy Bruceploitation. Bruce Li (not Lee of course) plays an anthropologist who goes to New Guinea with his friend to explore the mysterious snake cult tribe. After a number of fights, including against the likes of Bolo Yeung, Bruce goes missing only to re-emerge from the jungle some time later. Back in HK he is a changed man, and seems to be possessed by the snake spirit...

Bruce remembers that he was nursed back to health by Princess Ankawa (Danna) after being poisoned in a fight against the Snake Wizard (Sing Chen)...

The plot is fairly simple and doesn't get in the way of a series of kung fu fights, some of which are pretty decent. However a little more storyline and a little less fighting might have improved the film a bit. The film is a perfect example of the genre: terrible dubbing, odd sound effects and fast editing. It even has a man in a rather unconvincing ape costume! Not terrible but not terribly original either.

Equal Impact (1995)

Grubby and violent martial arts action. Twin brothers Dave (Joe Gates) and Josh (Jay Gates) are tough but clean tae kwan do fighters drawn into the world of gangland crime and counterfeit money. The gangsters led by Moss (Joe Estevez) are mostly cardboard bad guys except for Bobby (Krist Gerine) who knows a bit about the martial arts himself.

Luckily there is also Ray (Robert Z'dar) who at least looks like a tough guy. After several fights in alleyways and parking lots, torture scenes and some driving around, the scene is set for a final showdown in a warehouse (of course)...

The film isn't that bad though could have done with being edited. It is rather drawn out with a number of awkward pauses. The story line is pretty generic and obvious but the fight scenes are good - even if slightly ruined by the rather mismatched soundtrack which sounds like a CD of lift music on random play.

No Retreat, No Surrender (1986)

Martial arts nonsense with the worst Bruce Lee ghost ever. Jason (Kurt McKinney) is a modestly skilled, but overly Bruce Lee obsessed, student at his Dad's (Tomothy D Baker) karate school in LA. When his Dad gets beaten up by gangsters, who include Jean-Claude van Damme, and they decamp to Seattle. There Jason and his friend RJ (JW Falls) gets beaten up by both local thugs and his bitter Dad.

Jason appeals to Bruce Lee at his grave (which is in Seattle of course) for help... and what do you know but the ghost of Bruce (Tai Chung Kim) turns up and starts to train him. Jason turns from being a light weight bum to a super martial artist. Sooner or later Jason will end up fighting van Damme of course...

Often pretty cheesy but with plenty of 1980s cool, even some break dancing. The action is pretty decent and often great. The ghost of Bruce looks nothing at all like the real man, unfortunately there are plenty of photos and posters of the real Bruce in the background of the ghost scenes! The training scenes are interesting though and overall this film is one of the better 1980s US martial arts films. A hit... like one of Bruce's fists.

Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death (1975)

Yet another variation of Game of Death and yet another middling Bruceploitation film. "Bruce Li" (Ho Tsung-Tao) is chosen by a producer to help finish Bruce Lee's final film and then we go straight into that film. In truth the film-within-a-film angle is completely pointless. What we do have is a basic story of Bruce getting duped into handling hot money and dragged into a gang fight.

And there are a lot of fights as the two rival gangs both try and get the money off Bruce. Finally the gangs unite and kidnap Bruce's girlfriend Lu (Mung Ping) and take her top of the Tower of Death. Bruce then has to fight the best fighters in the world as climbs the tower floor by floor to save his girl. The "best fighters" are actually pretty terrible and include a samurai who gets dizzy very easily, a boxer who doesn't look he could punch his way out of a paper bag and an "Indian" fighter who wields nunchucks - though doesn't really seem to know what they are. Finally he faces Boss K (Fei Lung) with a whip.

It isn't the worst Bruceploitation film, the story is simple but coherent. The fights range between mediocre to awful but are often pretty funny.

Honor and Glory (1993)

Completely incomprehensible martial arts nonsense. The trigger from a nuclear weapon is stolen in Russia (although apparently it looks a lot like a Bulgarian dildo) and for some reason corrupt banker Jason Slade (John Miller) has it and is trying to sell it to the Arabs. Two sisters are investigating Slade, FBI agent Tracey (Cynthia Rothrock) and reporter Joyce (Donna Jason). Their Dad is a CIA agent (Leo Rocca) is also after Slade.

Meanwhile Slade's bodyguard Jake Armstrong (Chuck Jeffreys) decides to switch sides. Then a HK agent Dragon Lee (Robin Shou) and a Japanese assassin (Richard Yuen) get involved in this unholy mess. Which ends up in a massive fight in a warehouse.

These films seldom make sense but Honor & Glory takes this to a whole new level. It mostly consists of fairly random segments and plot lines that never get resolved. The film is fun, the fights are often good though lame attempts at plot get in the way a bit. A rare case of a film which needed more fighting and less storyline.

Strike of the Panther (1988)

The sequel to Day of the Panther, Jason Blade (Edward John Stazak) stars in another Australian martial arts epic. After a fairly lengthy recap the story continues from the end of the last film. Jason and Gemma (Paris Jefferson) are now an item but Baxter (Jim Richards) has escaped from prison. He kidnaps Gemma and holes up in a power station full of explosives...

In a somewhat contrived and confusing story Jason has to first face an army of ski mask wearing ninjas before he can face Baxter in a final showdown, save Gemma and stop the power station being blowing up and poisoning half of Perth!

So quite similar to the first film though maybe a little more weird, including a rather strange fight in a brothel complete with blow up dolls and a man in a chicken suit. It is also more violent with lots of sword play and garroting. As with the first film the acting is middling to poor but the action is decent and with this kind of film that is the important thing. Enjoyable nonsense.