Bruce Leeis perhaps the single most iconic martial arts movie star of all time, but the sequels to his films are shockingly underground, with many audiences not even realizing they exist. DespiteBruce Lee only starring in five films, one of which was completed posthumously following his tragic sudden passing at age 32, the expert fighter and inventor of Jeet Kune Do left behind a massive legacy. Few fans realize just how many sequels to these five movies there are, obscure though they may be.
Following his death, none of the sequels to Bruce Lee’s films were able to see him reprise his old roles. That didn’t stop them from recasting other actors in his likeness and emulating his trademark style in a bizarre genre that came to be known as “Bruceploitation”, with studios willing to do anything they could to attract his fans and extract a quick buck. Other sequels to his films were more spiritual and respectful, especially when it came toFist of Fury.These strange sequels are just one of the many waysBruce Lee forever impacted the martial arts genre.
Only a few years after Bruce Lee’s death,Fist of Furydirector Lo Wei decided to move forward with a sequel anyway, titling itNew Fist of Fury.Considering Lee’s character from the first film also died in a vicious shootout, a new protagonist was found to carry on the mantle, undergoing a similar struggle against imperial Japanese forces. This new hero would markJackie Chan’s second-ever leading role, making the film incredibly important from a martial arts legacy perspective.
Passing the torch of theFist of Furyfranchise to Jackie Chan introduced the world to his martial arts talents for the first time, beginning a whole new legacy for the next icon of the genre.Fist of Furyactress Nora Miao, who played Chen Zhen’s love interest, also returned for this initial sequel, connecting the two films by canon as well as themes. Just like its predecessor,New Fist of Furyends with its hero charging bravely to his death, making it one of the few Jackie Chan movies to kill off one of his characters.
9Game Of Death 2
Continued An Interesting Postmortem Legacy For Lee
Game of Deathstands out among Bruce Lee’s filmography for being the only film to be released posthumously. Due to receiving an offer he couldn’t refuse to star in the Warner Brothers-producedEnter the Dragon, Bruce Lee leftGame of Deathin the middle of filming, intending to finish production later. Sadly, he would pass away before being able to make good on this promise, leavingGame of Deathto be cobbled together from what they had already shot and pre-existing stock footage of Lee.
The sequel,Game of Death 2continued the story made from the archival edit of Bruce Lee’s character Billy Lo. While Bruce Lee had only partially completed filming for the first movie,Game of Death 2had to be assembled from pre-existing footage entirely, somehow fashioning a story out of shots left on the cutting room floor or seen before in older films likeEnter the Dragon.The only Bruce Lee movie sequel that can boast to technically star Lee after his death,Game of Death 2is a bizarre footnote in Lee’s career.
8Way Of The Dragon 2
Introduced The World To A Bruce Lee Look-Alike
The last major film to be completed by Lee prior to his death and still one of thebest movies starring Chuck Norris, despite being his debut appearance,The Way of the Dragonis a beloved staple of Lee’s five films. Also written and directed by Lee,Way of the Dragonseems to be the most impossible film to follow up on without input from the star himself. That wouldn’t stop director Lu Po Tu from trying, essentially creating the Bruceploitation genre.
Despite being titled after and using the same character fromTheWay of the Dragon, Way of the Dragon 2inexplicably takes more inspiration fromFist of Furyfor its plot. The film introduced audiences to Bruce Le, an actor who made a career out of emulating Bruce Lee long after his death. Cheap, perhaps even tasteless, but not altogether a bad action movie when removed from its baggage,Way of the Dragon 2marked the beginning of a huge wave of Bruceploitation films.
7The Big Boss Part II
A Tantalizingly Rare Sequel To Lee’s Most Underappreciated Flick
ThoughThe Way of the Dragon, Fist of Fury,and evenGame of Deathare all likely to come up in conversations for Bruce Lee’s greatest film,The Big Bossis perhaps the most unsung of all of Lee’s movies. That didn’t stop Hong Kong filmmakers from making a sequel out of it, however, picking up right whereThe Big Bossleft off. The film stars Lo Lieh as the brother of Bruce Lee’s Cheng Chao-an, Cheng Chao-chun.
The Big Boss Part IIis a confusing addendum to the story ofThe Big Bossfor those familiar with it. The titular villain that Lee’s character supposedly killed off in the first film is revealed to be actually still alive. More confusing still, Lo Lieh’s Cheng Chao-chun then inherits his nickname of “The Big Boss”. An incredibly rare film to get ahold of now considered to be lost media, there may be a good reason whyThe Big Boss Part IIholds the title of the single most obscure Bruce Lee sequel.
6Fist Of Fury II
Took A Branching Path From New Fist Of Fury
Fist of Furywas a popular enough film to get not just one, but two branching paths of canon from filmmakers hoping to cash in on Bruce Lee’s fame. Existing in a separate canon fromNew Fist of Fury,Fist of Fury IIintroduced yet another spiritual successor character to the dead Chen Zhen, this time his literal brother, Chen Shan. This new character is played by yet another Bruce Lee impersonator, Bruce Li, not to be confused with Bruce Le ofWay of the Dragon 2fame.
Fist of Fury IIis more of a direct sequel toFist of Fury,establishing stakes that are a direct result of the aftermath that follows Chen Zhen’s execution. Once again, a cultural clash between Chinese and Japanese martial artists fuels the plot, with Lo Lieh returning tothe rich Bruceploitation era, then in full-swing, as the main antagonist.Fist of Fury IImarked the point at which Hong Kong studios were ready to be utterly shameless in their attempts to make money off of Bruce Lee’s late likeness.
5Fist Of Fury III
Officially Continued A Bruce Lee Story To The Third Installment
Fist of Fury IIIdeserves special mention as one of the only Bruce Lee sequels to make it all the way to a third installment in a consistent story. FollowingFist of Fury II, Bruce Li reprized his role as Chen Shan, who gets out of prison some time after the second film after his actions landed him there. His vows to never get into trouble by fighting ever again are complicated when a Japanese crime syndicate starts causing trouble once more.
Fist of Fury IIIis packed with enough hilariously over-the-top melodrama, such as the fact that Chen Shan’s mother went blind from crying so much while he was in prison, to stand out on distinctive qualities beyond copying Bruce Lee. It seemed as though being several films removed from the original forced director Lee Tso-nam to get a bit more creative with the story. However, at the end of the day, it’s another rote story about one of the Chen brothers taking on Japanese thugs in the name of Chinese cultural victory.
Not all movies taking the name of Bruce Lee’s classics are cheap cash grabs. In the mid 90s, the same studio that first produced the originalFist of Fury,Golden Harvest, decided to create a remake homaging the original while providing its own modern spin on the story. The result wasFist of Legend, a loose retelling of Chen Zhen’s story that loosely incorporated the same elements as the Bruce Lee film while distinguishing itself enough to stand on its own.
In particular,Jet Li’s take on Chen Zhentruly elevated the legacy of the character to new heights, reacting with rage as he finds his master slaughtered. Most notably, Chen Zhen actually survives the massacre at the end of the film, unlike the original, being revealed to have faked his own death. This reboot outdoes anyFist of Legendsequel by doing more than simply copying Bruce Lee’s signature style.
3Exit The Dragon, Enter The Tiger
One Of The Most Well-Known Bruceploitation Films
Perhaps the most infamous and recognizable of the late 70s Bruceploitation knockoffs isExit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger, a film that hilariously plays on the title ofEnter the Dragon.Once again, Bruce Li returns to fill the shoes of his namesake, playing a spiritual successor character that takes over the story from the original model. This time around, he plays David “The Tiger” Lee, a student and protégé of Bruce “The Dragon” Lee, the only character Bruce Lee played to be named after himself.
The story sees this new Lee (of no blood relation) chasing answers regarding the mysterious death of Bruce Lee (the character), which apparently happened in between the two films. The hunt for the truth leads him to Hong Kong to confront the dangerous head of a local crime syndicate known simply as “The Baron”. Crafting a plot centering on the mysterious death of Bruce Lee’s self-named character at a time in which conspiracy theories surrounding Lee’s actual death were running rampant was a bold move, if also a tasteless one.
2Return Of The Tiger
Yet Another Bruce Lee Threequel
Fist of Fury IIIwasn’t the only third entry in a Bruce Lee film series to be piloted by Bruce Li.Return of the Tigergives Li a brand-new role as Chang Hung, building off the fact that he played multiple characters inExit the Dragon, Enter the Tiger.Li’s new character joins forces with his new partner, played by Angela Mao, to take down an insidious heroin ring run by the imposing Paul the Westerner, played by Paul L. Smith, best known for his role as Bluto in thelive-actionPopeyemovie.
It’s great seeing Bruce Li’s skill go up against Paul L. Smith’s brawn, and the flimsy plot is nothing but a vehicle to make it happen. LikeFist of Fury III, this Bruceploitation film is far enough removed from its source material to be forced to rely on some shockingly original ideas, even if not all of them pan out for the best. Yet because of that factor,Return of the Tigermight be the single most worthwhile Bruceploitation film starring Li.
In the 2010s, Donnie Yen became the latest martial arts icon to be bequeathed the honor of playing Chen Zhen, alongside Jet Li and Bruce Lee himself.Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhenis a bit of a misleading title, as it’s actually a sequel to the 1994 remake, despite the change in actors. This time around,the Chinese freedom fighter takes on a more superhero-like role, complete with a domino mask and secret identity.
The film elaborates on the idea that the same Chen Zhen ofFist of Legendfaked his own death, continuing to fight in the throes of World War I. Of course, Chen leads a local resistance fighting against the tyranny of the occupying Japanese forces, cementing himself as even more of a folk hero. Donnie Yen is excellent as this take on the character, and surely doesBruce Leeproud as one of the better sequels made in his name.
