Fist Of Fury II
CAST

Bruce Li
Lo Lieh
Ti Fung
Quin Lee
Yasukoshi Shikamura
James Nam

ACTION
Tommy Lee
WRITER

N/A

PRODUCER
Siu Fung
R.P. Shaw
DIRECTOR

Jimmy Shaw
Lee Tso Nam

RATING
   Fist Of Fury II
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 that is likely to find favour with many fans of old school kung fu films.

Distributor : Platinum
Region : 0 (NTSC)
Running Time : 94 mins
Video :
Full screen only. This print has clearly seen better days as it's quite badly damaged in places as well as severely lacking in detail throughout. Colours are passable but this is really in desperate need of a remaster.
Audio :
English dubbed soundtrack that is laughable at times but ultimately serves it's purpose.
Extras :
None.
Notes :
Sadly, all current DVD releases of this film (both UK and US) have been sourced from a UK print that edits out the use of nunchaku in one particular scene.
Fist Of Fury II
Fist Of Fury II
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