The Way Of Lee

 

 (imdb)

THE WAY OF THE DRAGON-1972-In Rome, Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) meets Chen Ching Hua (Nora Miao; also in FIST OF FURY). She's having trouble with her restaurant business. The boss and his thugs want the land and threaten potential customers. He also meets Ah Quen (Ti Chen) and Uncle Wang (Wang Chung Hsin). Lung helps defend his friends against the bad guys and when he proves too much the boss' toady Ho (Wei Ping-ao) sends for Colt (Chuck Norris), a US martial artist. Their intense battle in the finale is great! 

Also known as RETURN OF THE DRAGON, it was written and directed by Lee (in his directing debut) who co-produced with Raymond Chow.

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Chuck Power

 

 (imdb)

AN EYE FOR AN EYE-1981-After his partner Pierce (Terry Kiser) is killed in a shootout, undercover cop Sean Kane (Chuck Norris) resigns under pressure from his boss (Richard Roundtree). Pierce's widow Linda (Rosalind Chao) is a reporter who discovers a secret operation. Unfortunately, she's killed by a club foot Asian strongman (Prof. Toru Tanaka). Morgan Canfield (Christopher Lee), the head of a TV station seems helpful but acts suspiciously. Another reporter Heather (Maggie Cooper) helps Kane track down suspect Montoya (Mel Novak). Later Kane teams with Linda's father James (Mako). After he and Heather have sex, it's revealed that the whole drug shebang is headed by Canfield, helped out by Kane's corrupt cop friend McCoy (Matt Clark).

 Director Steve Carver (BIG BAD MAMA (1974), DRUM (1976)) worked with Norris again on probably his best movie LONE WOLF MCQUADE (1983). EYE isn't bad but what it needs more emotion from Norris.

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Norris Is So Tough, He Makes Onions Cry!

 

 (wikipedia)

INVASION USA-1985-Soviet terrorist Rostov (Richard Lynch) wants revenge on retired CIA agent Matt Hunter (Chuck Norris; also one of the screenwriters). After failing to kill him at his home in the Everglades he plots the invasion of America. Hunter agrees to go after him. There's lots of violence and killing (families, teens at party, shoot out at a crowded mall) and ridiculous car chases. The invaders disguise themselves as police and soldiers to cause unrest. A woman reporter (Melissa Prophet) who's life Hunter saves several times isn't even grateful. Billy Drago has a small role as a coke dealer who's killed. 

Director Joseph Zito directed Norris in MISSING IN ACTION the same year and also made the horror movies THE PROWLER and FRIDAY THE 13TH:THE FINAL CHAPTER.

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Super Chuck

FORCED VENGEANCE-1982-Josh Randall (Chuck Norris) is head of security for a gambling casino in China owned by his Jewish father (David Opatoshu) by adoption who's actually retired with the whole operation run by his real son (Frank Michael Liu). Josh lives on a boat with his girlfriend/school teacher Claire (Mary Louise Weller). The real son gets into trouble with some gangsters and he and dad are killed. Later Josh goes on the run with Claire and his half sister Joy (Camila Griggs) because a mob leader wants the casino. His friend LeRoy (Bob Minor) tries to help but is bear hugged to death by a huge henchman (Japanese pro-wrestler Seiji Sakaguchi) who also rapes and kills Claire. Josh puts on his Air Force uniform and gets revenge with a little help from an international agent (Lloyd Kino). Norris beats up a lot of guys in this violent, typical martial arts crime drama. It turns out that the real villain is an old Chinese gang lord and Josh has to fight his weird bastard son. In the finale he avenges Claire's death (a toilet bowl figures in the final fight). 

 The director James Fargo had previously directed Clint Eastwood in THE ENFORCER and EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE.

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Lee's Game

GAME OF DEATH-1978-Every martial arts movie fans' favorite paste up job. The legendary Bruce Lee began this film as producer/writer/director in 1973.

While filming Lee got an offer from Warner Bros. to star in the most expensive budgeted martial arts at the time (ENTER THE DRAGON). He planned to resume shooting on GAME but died of a cerebral edema (some might disagreed with the cause of death) before DRAGON's release leaving behind about 100 minutes of footage. In 1978 DRAGON's director Robert Clouse was hired to make a movie out of the remaining footage.

The story concerns a martial arts film star Billy Lo (either Kim Tai-jung aka Tony Lung, or Yuen Biao doubling for Lee who appears briefly in close-ups and in scenes from WAY OF THE DRAGON (used as the film he's working on; Chuck Norris also appears). He's under pressure from a syndicate boss Dr. Land (Dean Jagger) and his smart ass henchman Steiner (Hugh O'Brian; still alive at the time of this writing). Billy refuses to buckle under the syndicate's grip so Land sends an assassin (Mel Novak) to kill the star. Billy is shot but not killed but with the help of his reporter/friend (Gig Young in his last role) fakes his death and has plastic surgery so he can get revenge on the gang. He wears various disguises (so he doesn't look like the real Lee) and beats up a corrupt American martial artist (real pro Karate fighter Robert Hall). Later, after his girlfriend (Coleen Camp) has been kidnapped,  in the film's most famous scenes, Billy (the real Lee) has to fight three guardians played by Don Insanto (his real life student), Korean Hapkido master Ji Han-jae and former pro basketball player Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

Writer/director Robert Clouse does a good job of editing together scenes of the real and fake Lees but even still the movie doesn't ring true and the re-editing and Lee doubles ultimately do in the production.

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