Meanwhile in Japan...after the Toho-Towa release of "Enter The Dragon", renowned movie company Toei decided to create their own martial arts hero. The "incomparable" Sonny Chiba, was chosen to play, Terry Tsurugi, "The Streetfighter". Chiba already an established star thanks to a number of big screen outings and the highly successful "Key Hunter" TV show would reach new heights with his interpretation of this excessively violent character. The movie when distributed internationally was of course retitled "Enter The Streetfighter" to conform with current trends and it�s popularity paved the way for another unlikely Japanese Bruceploitation spin-off. Cashing in on the fanbase of both, Bruce Lee and "Death Wish" star, Charles Bronson, New Line Cinema released "Bronson Lee Champion". A pretty routine adventure, the plot once again revolved around a martial arts tournament. Unfortunately, the overdubbed Bruce Lee style soundtrack would ensure that star, Tadashi Yamashita took his place in the exploitation history books. Much to his dismay and disgust Yamashita would continue to be billed as "Bronson Lee" for many years to come in a string of movies none of which were associated with the Little Dragon.

Whilst several Bruceploitation productions were harmless and often entertaining, the "golden age" of the genre had a much darker side. It is a testament to his skill that the most famous impersonator, Bruce Li could ever recover from appearing in a production as distasteful as "The Bruce Lee Story". After a very bad start Li went on to amass an army of fans in his own right and would eventually gain recognition under his real name, Ho Chung Tao. Alongside him, Wong Kin Lung, better known as Bruce Le would in time become quite an accomplished filmmaker away from the genre. However, there are some movies, from some companies, that remain unforgivable. "Bruce Lee - His Last Days, His Last Nights" is the mother of them all!

Also known as "I Love You Bruce Lee" or "Bruce Lee And I", this was Betty Ting Pei's contribution to the genre. The title speaks for itself and tells a "love story" from Ting Pei's perspective. The direction of the plot is laid out within the opening scenes as Li Hsiu Hsien playing the part of Lee drives to Ting Pei's apartment. He takes a shower, whilst she prepares the bed. The next scene leaves a real nasty taste in the mouth for all Lee fans. Bruce and Betty have sex whilst the Little Dragon is depicted smoking cannabis, popping pills and washing the mix down with a glass or two of the hard stuff. Next up, Betty takes a shower, Bruce is dead and she feels responsible. That's just for starters, all before the opening credits!

Throughout the film Bruce is depicted as an immature playboy and sexually assaults a girl in his desperation to have Betty. What makes the whole thing worse, is the fact that this cheap soft-core "porn flick" was distributed by the mighty and reputable Shaw Brothers. That said, the movie did have some pretty cool kung fu scenes, two of which would later appear in Ho Chung Tao's "Dynamo", but even this could not compensate for the overwhelming "trash factor". The circumstances surrounding Bruce's death remain a talking point to this day, so in 1976 when this movie materialised, it gained instant recognition for all the wrong reasons. Quickly escaping the confines of Bruceploitation, lead actor Li Hsiu Hsien is now much better known as Danny Lee. Lee would soon become a star in his own right and remains active in Hong Kong today. He is perhaps best known for his work alongside the enigmatic Chow Yun Fat in "City On Fire" and "The Killer".

At the opposite end of the spectrum, "The Dragon Lives Again" was one of the greatest and craziest of all Bruce Lee exploitation movies. Featuring the lesser known Bruce Liang, this was tongue in cheek from start to finish with a synopsis that was and still is unbelievable. The Little Dragon has passed over and is in purgatory anticipating judgement from the gods. Whilst there he tangles with a vast array of fictionalised and popular characters, all awaiting their individual fate. Bond is there. That�s right, James Bond, along with "prince of darkness" Dracula and erotic icon, Emmanuelle. Now if that wasn't wacky enough, Bruce teams up with his good friends, Kwai Chang Caine and wait for it ... Popeye to defeat the enemy! Of course the Little Dragon does have a secret weapon, known simply as "the third leg of Bruce" (ouch!). The movie was dedicated to all fans of the great master, but whilst hilarious today, audiences would fail to see the humour at the time of it's release.

Many other "clones" tried to emulate Lee's persona during the late seventies. Honourable mention should go to Bruce Thai, Bruce Lea and another Bruce Lei, (not Dragon Lee). This actor is also often confused by distributors and film companies as Bruce Le, however Le was a much better performer and martial artist. Bruce Lei was a little mundane and showed up in a number of cheap chop sockies including "Return Of Fist Of Fury" and "Cobra". Meanwhile Thai and Lea completed the cast of "The Clones Of Bruce Lee" and "Enter Three Dragons". Jackie Chan fans will no doubt be aware that their hero too was once involved in the exploitation scene. "New Fist Of Fury" was Lo Wei's "official" sequel to the Bruce Lee classic. Even with a young Chan it failed to capture the magic of the original and Bruce Li's "Fist Of Fury 2" was a much better effort. Oddly, the great Sammo Hung also got mixed up in Bruceploitation when the excellent "Enter The Fat Dragon" was mistaken by some critics as an exploitation entry. Hung's film is actually a satire on the whole "clone" scene and undeniably a classic of which no self respecting kung fu fan should be without!

By the early eighties the genre was becoming stagnant. For distributors such as Serafim Karalexis, Dick Randall and Harry Hope it was a case of too many Bruces spoil the plot! Bruce Li had even spawned his own imitator in the form of Bruce Ly and others, all of whom failed to ignite the once blazing Bruceploitation box office. Nobody wanted Bruce Lees anymore. The audience had now become much more interested in exploding Ninja, until one day legendary record company Motown had a strange idea. The "Motor City" music legends became involved with the financing of American martial arts movie project, "The Last Dragon". With a pumping eighties disco beat and unknown martial artist, "Taimak" in the lead role as "Bruce Leroy", the movie quickly became a cult success.

Two years later the mythical spirit of Bruce Lee would be resurrected again in low budget actioner, "No Retreat, No Surrender". This movie of course launched the career of "The Muscles From Brussels", Van Damme but also featured a name very familiar with exploitation aficionados. Kim Tai Chung, (sometimes credited as Tang Lung) played the ghost of Lee in a throwback to the glory days of Bruceploitation. This was possibly Kim's finest hour. Having been used as a stand-in for Golden Harvest's "Game Of Death" and appearing in the sequel, "Tower Of Death", Tai Chung had been stuck in exploitation limbo for a number of years. However, his performance in "No Retreat No Surrender" was one to be proud of.

Along with Bruceploitation comes the bonafide Bruce Lee "tribute" movie. The aforementioned "Fat Dragon" stands alongside the likes of John Landis's spoof, "Kentucky Fried Movie", and other reworkings on familiar themes. "Force Five", a confessed remake of "Enter The Dragon", whilst not a box office success remains a cult favourite and most recently Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" has given Lee's famous yellow tracksuit a new lease of life. From a "high-octane" perspective, two of the greatest Hong Kong talents, Donnie Yen and Jet Li have both been involved in Lee related projects. After the success of his TV show, "Fist Of Fury", Yen has been working on the big screen version for some time, whilst Li's, "Fist Of Legend" remains one of the very best in his back catalogue.

Bruce Lee and the Little Dragon legacy is undoubtedly as popular as ever, with that in mind comes a whole new generation of Bruceploitation. Donnie Yen unfortunately seems to have been beaten to the mark by, "Fist Of Fury - Return Of Dragon". This production stars Stone Tenryu, an alleged practitioner of Jeet Kune Do and student of Bruce Lee's philosophies. There are also rumours that Jay Chou, a singer-songwriter from Taiwan is set to star in the Hollywood remake of what the American's call "The Chinese Connection". However, it looks like the mysterious, Dragon Shek could become the new "King of Bruceploitation". Thanks to notorious, legendary producer, Joseph Lai, Shek will burst onto the screens with a number of productions from IFD Films and Arts Limited. Two adventures are already in the can, namely "Big Boss Untouchable" and "Dragon The Master". If these projects are anywhere near as successful as IFD's "classic" Ninja offerings then Dragon could go all the way!

And so... just when you thought it was safe to go back into the video store, Dragon Shek brings Bruceploitation into the 21st century. From the glory days of the seventies, to the seemingly dying breaths of the eighties, Bruce Lee exploitation cinema has become one of the most successful, yet questionable sub-genres of all time. Within the last decade or so, the Little Dragon lookalikes have generated their biggest ever audience and remain steadfast amongst the legends of martial movie history. Thus, as we prepare for the thirtieth anniversary of Lee's death, Bruceploitation is here to stay. The reinforcements have arrived and the "attack of the clones" will no doubt continue for many more years to come.