Director: Kim Si-hyun

Cast: Dragon Lee (Mun Kyong-sok), Yuen Qiu, Kwon Il-soo, Gam Kei Chu, Lee Ye Min, Chui Man Fooi, Kim Ki-ju, Han Myeong-hwan, Choi Hyeong-keun, Jeong Ju-Hyeon, Jang In-Han, Choe Il, Kim Dong-Ho

Running Time: 87 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The Bruceploitation genre would melt the brain of even the most academic film critic, which is why I prefer to remain on the other end of the scale. A genre dedicated to cashing in on the legacy of Bruce Lee, often by disguising themselves as Bruce Lee movies to an audience long before the internet, I always found it oxymoronic that many of these productions used the imitators name in their actual title. Essentially giving the game away that, not only where these not Bruce Lee movies, but actively promoting the fact that they were imitation flicks. Classic examples include Bruce Li in Snake Island and Bruce Le’s Greatest Revenge to name but two. Another familiar face of the Bruceploitation genre was Dragon Lee from Korea, who didn’t escape the same treatment. While movies like Dragon Bruce Lee, Part II indicate that his middle name was in fact Bruce, other titles were less confusing in their approach.

Dragon Lee vs. the 5 Brothers was one such production, although like so many Korean kung fu movies, it’s not the original title, but rather one which it was slapped with for international distribution. The original title was The Five Disciples, and was Lee’s first real starring role after featuring in The Last Fist of Fury from the previous year (which is most widely available as the version incorporated into The Real Bruce Lee). Dragon Lee was always something of an anomaly when compared to his Bruceploitation peers. While Bruce Li found himself constantly recast in Bruce Lee biopics, and Bruce Le found himself in flicks which usually involved such ridiculousness as tracking down Bruce Lee’s secret kung fu manuals, Dragon Lee was a little different.

With the exception of a couple (the previously mentioned Last Fist of Fury, and The Clones of Bruce Lee), the appeal of Korea’s Bruceploitation export was in seeing him act like Bruce Lee in movies which, minus the hyperactive posturing, had no connection to Bruce Lee himself. Once the 80’s hit Dragon Lee seemed to really find his rhythm, as regardless of whatever era the movie he starred in was set, he’d basically appear as a wondering nomad wearing a pair of black pants and white t-shirt. If you thought Steve Jobs had a consistent wardrobe, you need to watch a string of 80’s Dragon Lee flicks. Your mind will be changed (probably in more ways than one). Before the black pants and white t-shirt era though, Lee actually starred in some interesting period productions, not least because they seemed to have a wardrobe budget.

Starting with Dragon Lee vs. the 5 Brothers, and followed by 1979’s Dragon Lee’s Ways of Kung Fu and 1980’s Champ Against Champ, these three movies can kind of be looked at as Dragon Lee’s period kung fu trilogy. After these, the mantis fist and accompanying electronic bleeps (and the burning question of if said bleeps were added by Asso Asia or were already there?) became standard, so it’s always somewhat of a rarity to see Lee featuring in what can best be called a ‘straight’ kung fu flick. Of course Korean kung fu flicks are known for being slightly zany and left of field, so even without Dragon Lee fighting to a soundtrack of computerised blips and bloops, you can expect some eye brow raising moments. This is never truer than in the opening of Dragon Lee vs. the 5 Brothers, which has Lee scale a 20-foot wall like he’s Spider-Man to escape a fight with Korean kung fu luminary Kwon Il-soo, and introduces a deadly flying hat.

Said hat belongs to Yuen Qiu, the Peking Opera trained femme fatale that’s perhaps most well known these days for her role as the landlady in Kung Fu Hustle. This would be the first time for Lee and Qiu to share the screen together, and Qiu would return to Korea 3 years later to co-star with him in Dragon, the Young Master and Dragon’s Snake Fist. I guess those Dragon Lee charms were too difficult to stay away from for long. Interestingly, at one point Qiu dons an all-white ninja costume (although it’s one of those Korean style ninja costumes – if you’ve seen at least one Korean kung fu flick, you know the type), and I swear it’s the same costume that Lee would wear a few years later in Dragon, The Young Master.

For this particular outing though, Lee’s appearance seems to be modelled off Bruce Lee’s famous Shaw Brothers photoshoot, with slicked back hair and a long-braided ponytail, it’s definitely the most distinctive look in his filmography. This would be the 2nd time to work with director Kim Si-hyun, who’s practically the Godfather of the Korea Kung Fu Movie (can I trademark this term?), having first worked on Lee’s debut Last Fist of Fury the year prior. The pair would go on to collaborate a further 10 times together over the next 7 years, which I guess kind of makes them the Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen of their time (yeah, I said it).

Like many a Korean kung fu movie, it’s obviously been filmed in the depths of winter, with characters breaths visible even during indoor scenes. I mean I understand the Korean summer would be too hot to film a kung fu flick, but I could never figure out why spring or autumn seem to be off-limits. Thankfully there’s plentiful fight action to keep everyone warm, and the cast are practically a who’s who of Korean kung fu luminaries. Lee Ye-min is one of those dastardly Qings out to get hold of a list that contains the names of the rebels, and in his downtime enjoys wearing a pink nightgown and earrings (played completely straight faced). He’s aided by his right-hand man, Choi Min-kyu, who comes equipped with a metal hand and a variety of disguises. Min-kyu also choreographs the action, which features the likes of Kim Ki-ju, Han Myeong-hwan, Choi Hyeong-keun, and the previously mentioned Kwon Il-soo.

Min-kyu is one of those familiar faces who always puts in a solid performance, and as expected he clocks in an energetic one under his own fight choreography, as does everyone else. The fight action is definitely of the Korean variety – a lot of taekwondo kicks, and an equal amount of head scratching wirework. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many instances of people leaping into the top of trees, dropping back down on top of someone’s head, and then bouncing off into the next tree. It’s like some kind of bizarre precursor to Super Mario Bros. There’s even a scene where a character runs across the tree tops, beating Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to it by a whole 22 years. Seems like Yuen Woo-Ping is a closet Dragon Lee fan. The ability to walk on air at head level proves a major source of hilarity, as the villains constantly find themselves being kicked in the face when said walk involves passing their heads. It’s completely crazy.

Amidst the craziness though, there’s some legitimately good stuff. The exaggerated posturing of Lee is nicely offset by Qiu’s acrobatic flourishes (and her deadly half hat, half flying guillotine), and its refreshing to hear those electronic beeps replaced by a constant stream of Bruce-esque battle cries. The final fight involves the pair teaming up for back-to-back 2 vs 1 showdowns against Min-kyu followed by Ye-min, and there’s plenty of grounded high impact kicks thrown amongst the craziness. Similar to Min-kyu’s action direction in Dragon, the Young Master 3 years later, the culmination of the fight features Lee and Qiu literally ripping the shirt off the villains back. It must be a Korean thing, but apparently beating people to a pulp just isn’t enough, you have to leave them in a state of humiliated undress as well.

Like any Dragon Lee flick, the ferociousness of the fights is complimented by the ferociousness of the dubbing. 2 minutes don’t pass by without someone being called a bastard, and the threat of dying is constant. Some highlights include – “You bitch, you must be crazy! You must want to die!”, “You bastard, you must be in a hurry to die!”, “We’re going to put an end to your life”, and “Very clever, you’d better stay smart if you want to live.” I see what they did with that last one. Despite the fun on offer in Dragon Lee vs. the 5 Brothers though, there are definitely lulls in the pace, and Lee surprisingly isn’t onscreen as much as expected. It almost feels like its supposed to be more of an ensemble piece, but perhaps after the success (don’t quote me on this) of Last Fist of Fury, they decided to make it a starring vehicle for Lee. Whatever the case, he’s not as front and centre as he’d be just a couple of years later.

This is a small flaw though in what’s still a healthy dose of crazy Korean kung fu. Featuring bare chested heroics, a booby-trapped sedan chair, and more metal fisted action than you can shake a stick at, if you’re looking to get your kung fu fill, Dragon Lee vs. the 5 Brothers is more than likely to deliver it.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10

Warning: The following clip contains a potential spoiler.