ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE -- Gives Bruceploitation Cinema the Respect It Deserves

Review by Daniel Lima

Who is your favorite Bruce Lee? For most, that is a beguiling question with only one possible answer: Bruce Lee, aka Lee Jun-fan. Though he starred in only a handful of films before his untimely death, he had an incalculable effect on film and popular culture, turning Hong Kong action cinema and Asian martial arts in general into a worldwide phenomenon and cementing himself as one of the most legendary screen presences of all time. Enter the Clones of Bruce, however, catalogs the other possible answers: Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Bruce Leung, and all the other men and women who stepped up to fill the void left by his passing. It's a comprehensive look at Bruceploitation, one of the most exploitative exploitation subgenres ever, and it has its charms even for those already familiar with the material.

The film is a talking head documentary featuring interviews with numerous figures at the center of the ignoble cinematic movement. The various Bruces all get to weigh in on the nature of their stardom alongside a slew of other actors, directors, producers, writers, distributors, and cinephiles. Also featured are clips of the fascinating films being discussed, archival footage of Bruce and his cinematic impersonators, and posters and memorabilia from a time long past. Beyond simply commenting on the films themselves, the doc takes time to situate them in the particular cultural context they existed in and reflect on what they said about the man and the industry that gave rise to them. As ridiculous as these movies are, they are truly being given serious thought here.

All cards on the table — I am already a fan of these movies. For years, I've been telling anyone who would listen that Bruce Li made better movies than Bruce Lee, that The Dragon Lives Again was the craziest movie mashup I've seen, that Ng See-yuen was an underrated director and Game of Death II was more important to action cinema history than people gave it credit for. As such, there wasn't a lot of new information to be gleamed for me beyond the personal stories about injuries and conversations had between distributors and the like.
​
That said, there is something magical about seeing these men and women speak about their experiences. Interesting contrasts are drawn between the various stars and how they approached their roles: Bruce Li never enjoyed being an impersonator, Dragon Lee was somewhat uncomfortable, and Bruce Le was shamelessly enthusiastic. ("You can call me whatever you want, as long as you pay me!") Yet each clearly felt some responsibility in carrying on his legacy; each embodied different aspects of the man; and through their reminisces here, each reveals how their distinct personalities influenced their work. And, of course, any fan of Hong Kong action cinema will cheer when they see the likes of Angela Mao, Godfrey Ho, and Sammo Hung on-screen.

Most of the notable and famous — or infamous — films get covered. The biopics, the alternate histories, the investigations into his death, the fanciful, even the recursive ones commenting on the trend they were a part of, every facet of the phenomenon speaks in some way to the man's legacy. Yet, in embodying only a portion of that legacy, they left room for innovation and the incorporation of new ideas, and it is that clash between the imagery they constantly draw from and the incredible new images they birthed that makes these movies so powerful. Enter the Clones of Bruce may be a formally conventional example of documentary filmmaking, but in highlighting the merits of Bruceploitation, however compromised they are, it provides a great service to the art form. ​

Enter the Clones of Bruce hits theaters on April 12 and VOD on April 30. It will also included on the Severin Films box set "The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Volume 1," which is available beginning May 21.

Rating: 3.5/5​