Synopsis: Two CIA agents – one a kung-fu master and the other a suave womanizer – fight to keep up with the stolen formula for a super-sterility drug, tracking it from Spain to Hong Kong while battling Neo-Nazi terrorists and a Vietnamese spy ring before it's too late! (88 Mins)

 

Views: Long before the East-meets-West buddy action-comedies of Yes Madam! (1985), Magic Crystal (1986), The Inspector Wears Skirts (1988), City Cops (1989), Rush Hour (1998), and the brilliant Sammo Hung series, Martial Law (1998), came a team-up so wild and so brilliant that it should have been a much bigger deal upon release. That film was Challenge Of The Tiger; one of Bruce Le's most exciting and well-made films featuring a great cast and explosive martial arts action! Now, that doesn't mean I think that it's perfect by any means – a film so surreal that I can only describe it as a late 70s James Bond adventure with a blend of For Your Height Only (1981), Karate Bullfighter (1975), Wheels On Meals (1984) – and then some!

 

Written and directed by popular Taiwanese Bruce Lee clone, Bruce Le, who also stars as the leading man of the piece and chief fight choreographer, Challenge Of The Tiger would be his fourth directorial effort after Bruce The Super Hero (1979), Bruce – King Of Kung Fu (1980), and Bruce Strikes Back (1982) although his first as a writer. Starting his acting career like many at the Shaw Brothers studios with roles in films such as Hong Kong 73 (1974), Gossip Street (1974), Rivals Of Kung Fu (1974), The Tea House (1974), Big Brother Cheng (1975) and Super Inframan (1975), his career would soon shift into the world of Bruceploitationas clone roles in 1976 with roles in The Big Boss Part 2 and Bruce's Fingers. Between then and Challenge Of The Tiger, Le would ham it up in films such as Return Of Bruce (1977), Bruce & Shaolin Kung Fu (1977), Enter The Game Of Death (1978), Bruce Le's Greatest Revenge (1979) and many more – going onto star in over 20 Bruceploitation films through to the late 80s. But his role here, as the ass-kicking globe-trotting CIA agent, is definitely one of my favourites! In Challenge Of The Tiger, Le oozes a certain coolness, looks fantastic and busts some great moves – even taking on a bull single-handedly which was pretty wild...

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Co-starring alongside him as his suave 007-type partner is the mighty, muscle-bound and prolific Richard Harrison – a man who is both laughed at and praised for his roles in many IFD/Godfrey Ho cut-and-paste ninja movies such as Majestic Thunderbolt (1984) and its many sequels, Ninja Dragon (1985), Ninja Terminator (1985), and the Ninja Operation Series that saw 7 films pumped out between 86 and 87. But before all of that, which actually came after Challenge Of The Tiger, Richard had long been working the screen between Hollywood and Italy, starring in an incredible amount of gladiator-style movies and spaghetti westerns that made him one of the biggest names in the sword-and-sandals genre and Italian cinema. But, much like his co-star, Richard's first foray into Hong Kong cinema would start at Shaw Brothers where he would debut as the titular character in Marco Polo (1975) before playing the General in Chang Cheh's Boxer Rebellion (1976) soon after. Here, Harrison is super cool as the gun toting agent whose introduction as a rich playboy sees him greeted at home by a bevy of topless women, before he proceeds to play tennis and swim with them. It's a great role for him and definitely made for a change from all the aforementioned ninja roles that followed...

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The third highlight of the film for me is the addition of the the amazing Hwang Jang Lee; super-kicker extraordinaire who has entertained audiences in classics such as The Secret Rivals (1976), The Secret Rivals 2 (1977), Snuff-Bottle Connection (1977), Snake In The Eagles Shadow (1978), Drunken Master (1978), Dance Of The Drunk Mantis (1979), Hitman In The Hand Of Buddha (1981) and Ninja In The Dragon's Den (1982) as well as modern hits such as Hard Bastard (1981), Millionaires Express (1986), Where's Officer Tuba? (1986), Magnificent Warriors (1987), Iron Angels (1987) and so much more. In Challenge Of The Tiger, Hwang's powerful kicks and slick moves add even more impact to Le's already exciting fight scenes, and is always a joy to see in action. Around the same period, Hwang would also star alongside Bruce Le in Bruce Strikes Back (1982) which would also see appearances from Challenge co-stars Dick Randall and the powerful Bolo Yeung. While a kung-fu star in his own right, appearing in numerous Shaw Brothers titles and more, Bolo would fast become a fan favourite over the years and is one of the most recognised Chinese actors in the west due to his appearances in Western films such as Bloodsport (1988), Double Impact (1991), Fearless Tiger (1991), Tiger Claws (1992), Shootfighter (1993) and others. But, of course, after his memorable appearance in Bruce Lee's Enter The Dragon (1973) where he would adopt his new namesake, the burly fighter has becomes cinematic gold for film-makers who were on the Bruceploitation train and would do anything they could to have him star, or at least cameo, in their new production. Many of these were with Bruce Le himself, such as roles in Bruce's Fingers (1976), Bruce & Shaolin Kung Fu (1977), Enter The Game Of Death (1978), Bruce The Super Hero (1979) and many more. As expected, the pair get to trade moves in Challenge Of The Tiger which doesn't disappoint.

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Everyone's favourite bad guy, Chiang Tao, also co-stars in yet another villainous role and doubles-up duties as the fight choreographer alongside Le. He is joined by Harrison's fellow sword-and-sandals star Brad Harris joining in the fun as the no-bullshit muscular bad guy known as Leopard, with both stars getting to join in on the action a number of times throughout. Familiar faces such as Ng Kit Keung, Mak Wai Chung, Liu Hok Ming, Sham Chin Bo, and Yeung Sai Gwan appear as thugs throughout while Way Of The Dragon (1972) actor, the late Jon Benn, makes an appearance as the Head of the Agency. And finally, German actress Nadiuska from Conan The Barbarian (1982) co-stars as Maria; the eye-candy for red-blooded males who plays alongside Le and Harrison during their mission, while there are appearances from Hollywood stars Morgan Fairchild and Jane Seymour - although they don't know it...

 

While it obviously has its flaws and some questionable moments and gaping plot-holes, Challenge Of The Tiger never fails to entertain and proves to be a well-shot, and neatly directed piece overall. The action on show is some of Le's finest, with very little mimicking of the real Bruce Lee which allows him to have a bit more fun. This includes an early kick-ass street-fight, a car chase and shoot-out that leads to another bout, a dirt-bike chase that quite possibly inspired a similar scene in Wheels On Meals (1984), a bullfight that sees Le take on the animal with his bare hands ala Sonny Chiba in Karate Bullfighter (1975), exciting showdowns with all the aforementioned bad guys which is a joy to watch – especially that with Hwang Jang Lee – and a grand finale that doesn't let up. Released as part of The Game Of Clones Bruceploitation Collection from Severin Films, Challenge Of The Tiger has never looked better with a new restoration that really shows the film in its best presentation ever!

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Overall: Wildly entertaining and action-packed, Challenge Of The Tiger is a lot of fun and one of my favourite Bruce Le and Richard Harrison films!

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Severin Films Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary with Michael Worth & C. Courtney Joyner, Severin's Kung Fu Theatre with Michael Worth, Trailer