Bruceploitation

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Bruceploitation is a cultural phenomenon mostly seen in the 1970s after the untimely death of martial artist and actor Bruce Lee in 1973. Movie makers in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan hired a great number of Bruce Lee-like actors to star in many cheap knock-off martial arts movies in the 1970s.

"Bruceploitation" is a portmanteau of the name "Bruce" and exploitation film.

1 Actors
2 Movies
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Actors

Bruce Lee's name in Mandarin Chinese is Lǐ Xiǎolóng (李小龍). After his death, many actors by the names such as Bruce Li (黎(Lí)小龍 from his real name Ho Chung Tao (何宗道)), Bronson Lee, Bruce Chen, Bruce Lai, Bruce Le (呂(Lǔ)小龍 from his real name Wong Kin Lung), (黃建龍)), Bruce Lei, Bruce Lie, Bruce Liang, Bruce Ly real name Binhslee, Bruce Thai, Bruce K.A. Lea, Brute Lee, Bruce Leung, Myron Bruce Lee, Lee Bruce and Dragon Lee were hired by studios to play Lee-styled roles.

Jackie Chan, who started his movie career as an extra and stunt artist in some of Bruce Lee's movies, was also given roles where he was promoted as the next Bruce Lee. It was only when he made some comedically themed movies for another studio that he was able to gain box-office success.

[edit] Movies

Some of the movies were simply rehashes of Bruce Lee's classics, such as Re-enter the Dragon, Enter Two Dragons, Return of Bruce, Return of the Fists of Fury or Enter the Game of Death. Others were about telling the very life of Bruce Lee and his mysteries, such as Exit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger (one of the best according to the viewers, where Bruce Li is asked by Bruce Lee to replace him after his death), My Name Called Bruce and Bruce's Fist of Vengeance.

Some others simply told crazy stories such as Clones of Bruce Lee (where a scientist makes clones of Bruce Lee played by some of the actors above) or The Dragon Lives Again (where Bruce Lee fights James Bond and Dracula in hell). Others, such as Bruce Lee Fights Back From The Grave, featured Lee imitators but with a plot having nothing to do with Bruce Lee.

One of Lee's fight choreographers, actor/director Sammo Hung, famously satirized the phenomenon of Bruceploitation in his 1978 film, Enter the Fat Dragon.