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Cast:
Bruce
Li
Lo
Lieh
Ti
Fung
Quin
Lee
Yasukoshi Shikamura
James Nam
Action:
Tommy
Lee
Producer:
Siu Fung
R.P. Shaw
Director:
Siu
Fung
Score:
  
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FIST
OF FURY II
AKA:
Fist Of Fury 2 ||
Chinese Connection 2 || Fist Of Fury Part
Two
Year:
1979 Reviewer: Phil
Mills
Although
Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) has now passed on, the Chinese Ching-Wu
school continues to suffer at the hands of the ruthless
Japanese. Without a strong fighter such as Zhen,
they are left utterly exposed and are forced to go into
hiding. To their surprise though, a mysterious stranger
appears on the scene and begins to fight back against the
Japanese. This stranger turns out to be Chen Shen (Bruce
Li), the brother of Chen Zhen, and he has come to Shanghai
seeking revenge for both his brother and the good name
of the great Chinese nation. With so many new and
powerful Japanese on the scene though, will Shen be able to
fend them off alone or will he end up going the same way as
his recently deceased brother?
Following
the death of Bruce Lee, numerous movie producers decided to
cash in on his popularity by churning out several so-called
sequels to his back catalogue. The majority of these
films rarely did justice to the originals but 'Fist Of Fury
II' is one of the elite few that actually manages to maintain
a degree of credibility. Despite lacking the physical
presence of Lee, the film is primarily carried by an
entertaining storyline which is essentially a retelling of the
original. Although somewhat simplistic in theory, the concept of the little guy
vs. the bullies is an easy theme to warm too and quickly has
the audience cheering for the hero. This aspect is
further enhanced by a decent performance from Bruce Li who
does an admirable job with the material provided, even if he
is still obliged to throw in the mandatory Bruce-isms.
Added to this, the action on show is a notch above the standard
chop socky affair as Tommy Lee throws in a number of differing
styles and focuses on Li's obvious
strengths in the kicking department.
Although
still quite a way off classic standards, 'Fist Of Fury II'
just goes to show that it is possible to make a "Bruceploitation"
flick that is fun to watch. Through a combination of
solid action and an uplifting storyline, this is
definitely one of the best films to come out of this bizarre
sub-genre and is likely to find favour with many fans of old
school kung fu films.
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