Synopsis: Tough cop Bruce Li arrives in Hong Kong to investigate a series of strange murders, with each victim bearing two piercing marks on their necks. Soon, Li finds out that the killer is an expert in the Iron Finger technique, and begins his mission in finding the person responsible to stop the murders once and for all! (90 Mins)

 

Cargo Movies German Blu-ray Synopsis (Shaolin Handlock): Hong Kong 1979. In the city, a masked killer murders two men... including the Kung Fu master Wong Kal. Chen is an excellent Kung Fu fighter and offers to help the overwhelmed police. He takes on the two murder cases. The two victims were killed using the “Iron Fingers” technique. One is Hu Pao, who runs a Kung Fu school, the other is Ling Sao. Chen infiltrates Nu Pao's Kung Fu school but he also investigates in the other direction, with Ling Sao. Ling Sao also helps some illegal migrants, but has a rock-solid alibi for the murders. And Hu Pao, a ruthless gangster, sets his killers on Chen. There will soon be a brutal showdown between Chen and Nu Pao and his henchmen in the harbour district of Hong Kong. And Ling Sao bravely intervenes in the events..! (85 Mins)

 

Views: Mysterious murders, kung-fu killers, and deadly detectives are the ingredients for Bruce & The Iron Finger; known in Germany as Shaolin Handlock which is an odd choice of title considering Shaolin doesn't appear in it once – not to mention that, only the year before, Shaw Brothers released a popular film of the same name starring the wonderful David Chiang, Lo Lieh, Michael Chan Wai Man and Chen Sing. Regardless, and no matter what title you may know it by, Bruce & The Iron Finger is a highly entertaining piece with plenty of incredible martial arts action and a stellar cast that is worth checking out!

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Bruce Li/Ho Tsung Tao does an amazing job as the cop on a mission, kicking ass wherever he goes and taking on a host of fighters throughout. This is one of my favourite Bruce Li films with Bruce & The Iron Finger allowing him to show some charm and humour, along with some fantastic moves that really impress. Starting in the industry in 1972 with a role as a Japanese boss in Duel In The Tiger Den, Ho Tsung Tao starred in a few Joseph Kuo titles including The Death Duel (1972), Triangular Duel (1972), Rikisha Kuri (1973) and Iron Man (1973) before making his debut as Bruce Lee in the oddly fun Super Dragon (1974) which really started to take him on a new direction. Going on to star in around 15 Bruceploitation titles, Ho quickly gained a huge following of martial arts movie fans and is still considered today, to be the best Bruce Lee clone ever. Rarely allowed to rest, Ho Tsung Tao would appear in 5 other films in the year of 1979 alongside this such as The Lama Avenger, Fist Of Fury 3, The Gold Connection, Blind Fist Of Bruce, and Fists Of Bruce Lee which would also mark his directorial debut.

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The idea of a highly skilled martial artist being revealed as a serial killer is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it's been the storyline for many classic kung-fu flicks throughout the decades, both from Hong Kong and Taiwan. It's probably worth pointing out that both Cynthia Rothrock's Tiger Claws (1992) and Undefeatable (1993) carry many similarities to Bruce & The Iron Finger in some respects – albeit minus the Hong Kong-style comedy and intricate fight choreography. Directed by actor-turned-director To Man Bo, sometimes known as To Lo Po, the film proves to be one of the best for its main star Bruce Li/Ho Tsung Tao and the first of many Bruceploitation flicks for the director. His sixth project after The Return Of The Hero Of The Water Front (1973), Magic Curse (1975), The Star, The Rogue & The Kung Fu Kid (1977), Fists, Kicks & Evils (1979), and Invincible Kung Fu (1979), and only one of seven from 1979, To would keep himself busy for around two decades delivering some pretty fun titles over the years including Bruceploitation flicks such as Fist Of Fury 3/Avenging Fury with Bruce Li and Bruce Le's Greatest Revenge with Bruce Le also in 1979, along with Dragon Bruce Lee Part II and Dragon Lee Fights Again with Dragon Lee in 1981. But many of his best would feature fight choreography from and star the incredible and hugely talented Bruce Leung Liu Lung.

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Son of well-loved fight director Leung Siu Chung and brother to the equally talented Tony Leung Siu Hung, super-kicker Bruce Leung would begin his working relationship with To on the fun 1977 film The Star, The Rogue & The Kung Fu Kid – sharing the screen with many of his co-stars here in Bruce & The Iron Finger. Straight after, the pair would work on Fists, Kicks & Evils (1979) before going onto Invincible Kung Fu (1979), this little gem, Iron Fisted Eagle's Claw (1979), My Kung Fu 12 Kicks (1979), and again in Eight Diagram Cudgel (1988). As well as entertaining in his role as the feisty fighter who eventually helps Li, Leung delivers some incredible fight choreography that makes Bruce Li shine and, when Leung himself is in action, often equals that of what Jackie/Sammo/Yuen Biao put out in the 80s. Here, Bruce is aided by his brother Tony Leung Siu Hung – an underrated name that has shared the same duties with Bruce on many titles over the years, as well as impressing on-screen himself in films such as Enter The Fat Dragon (1978), 36 Crazy Fists (1979), Monkey Kung Fu (1979), Magic Crystal (1986) and so much more. Of course, it's worth noting that this is the same guy that directed enjoyable action flicks such as Guns Of Dragon (1993), Satin Steel (1994), Superfights (1995) and Bloodmoon (1997) with Gary Daniels.

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Of course, Bruce and Bruce had plenty of talented screen fighters sharing the screen with them, namely Shaw Brothers legend Ku Feng. Making his film debut back in 1959, the prolific actor went onto star in well over 380 movies including an endless amount of Shaw Brothers titles and modern hits such as Tsui Hark's Peking Opera Blues (1986), Brandon Lee's Legacy Of Rage (1986), Michelle Yeoh's Magnificent Warriors (1987), Lau Kar Wing's Dragon Family (1988), Chow Sing Chi's Hail The Judge (1994), Jackie Chan's Rob-B-Hood (2006) and so much more. In fact, Feng would appear in most of the aforementioned To Man Bo and Bruce Leung titles and previously shared the screen with Bruce Li in the awesome Dynamo (1978) just the year before. He is joined by Thai-born martial-arts actor Fong Yau who also made his debut at the Shaw Brothers studio. Having starred in a number of great titles over the years, including Bruceploitation flicks such as The Dragon Lives (1977), Dragon On Fire (1978), Bruce Le's Greatest Revenge (1979) and more including 10 Magnificent Warriors (1977) which he also wrote, produced and directed. The fantastic Addy Sung, who also starred in most of To Man Bo's efforts, appears throughout and gets the chance to take part in a number of fight scenes, and the wonderful Lee Hoi San pops up for a fun fight scene against Bruce Li in yet another collaboration with the star. Shaw Brothers star Wang Kuang Yu co-stars while busting some great moves, as does Chow Kong – bit-player of many Shaw Brothers and early Golden Harvest titles.

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A little bonkers, yes, but still a lot more sane than many Bruceploitation films of the same period, Bruce & The Iron Finger is an awesome fight-fest with plenty of laughs and fun to be had. Popular cinematographer Wu Fa Shen does a great job in capturing it, while director To Man Bo delivers an entertaining piece for fans of the genre. Released as part of The Game Of Clones Bruceploitation Collection from Severin Films, Bruce & The Iron Finger has never looked better with a new restoration that really shows the film in its best presentation ever!

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Overall: Fight-filled and brilliantly choreographed, Bruce & The Iron Finger is one of Bruce Li's finer moments and a fun watch all round!

 

Severin Films Blu-ray Extras: Audio Commentary with Michael Worth, Round-table Discussion with Michael Worth, Tatevik Hunanyan, John Kreng & Ron Strong, Deleted Scenes, Severin's Kung Fu Theatre with Michael Worth, Trailers

 

Cargo Movies Blu-ray Extras: 90 Minute Reconstructed Longer Version, Trailer, Photo Gallery