A kung-fu giallo? | Bruce and the Iron Finger (1979)
I’ve watched a lot of kung-fu movies over the years, but I’m always happy when I find one that feels like it wandered in from another genre.
Bruce and the Iron Finger stars Bruce Li as a police inspector who gets involved in the investigation of two murdered martial-arts experts. Both victims have strange marks on their necks, there’s a mysterious Buddha pendant floating around and the killer appears to be using a deadly kung-fu technique called the Iron Finger.
That alone would probably be enough for me, but this movie also gives us Bruce Leung, wild English dubbing, some legitimately good fights and enough bizarre decisions to make it a pretty fantastic group watch.
Here are five reasons you might want to check it out.
Watch the Bruce and the Iron Finger Video
5 Reasons to Watch Bruce and the Iron Finger
#5. It’s Basically a Kung-Fu Murder Mystery
The setup feels less like a traditional kung-fu movie and more like someone decided to mash martial arts together with a detective story. Bruce Li plays Captain Chen, who starts looking into a series of murders where the victims have been killed using a specialized finger technique. One of them even manages to rip a Buddha pendant from the killer before dying, which gives Chen something tangible to start following.
The further he gets into the case, the more the movie starts feeling like a cheap Hong Kong cousin to a giallo. There’s a mysterious killer, unusual murder methods, a collection of possible suspects and plenty of sleazy side characters. I’m not going to tell you the mystery itself is brilliant, because it absolutely is not, but the combination makes the movie feel different from the dozens of revenge stories and tournament movies surrounding it. The basic “kung-fu serial killer” concept is enough to get me in the door.
#4. The Fights Are Actually Good
Bruceploitation can be a mixed bag when it comes to the actual martial arts. Sometimes you’re getting talented performers doing great work. Other times you’re basically watching someone in a Bruce Lee haircut make noises and hope nobody notices.
Bruce and the Iron Finger lands on the better side of that equation. Bruce Li gets a lot of opportunities to fight and Bruce Leung eventually becomes a major part of the action. Leung also worked on the film’s fight choreography, alongside his brother Tony Leung Siu-Hung, and the movie has a steady supply of junkyards, stairwells, martial-arts schools and other perfect 1970s Hong Kong fight locations.
The movie gets even better once Bruce Li and Bruce Leung are working in the same orbit. They have very different screen presences, but both are fun to watch and the movie understands that eventually we just want these guys kicking the hell out of people.
#3. The English Dub Is Incredible
There are bad dubs and then there are dubs that become part of the entertainment.
Bruce and the Iron Finger falls firmly into the second category. The voices are broad, the delivery is frequently ridiculous and at least one line has now permanently lodged itself into my brain:
“You know my kung fu stops me from having sex.”
I don’t know what else you want me to say after that. The dub gives the whole movie another layer of personality, especially if you’re watching it with friends. This is not one of those movies where I’m going to tell you the original-language track is the only respectable way to experience it. The English version is part of the fun.
#2. It’s a Perfect Introduction to Bruceploitation
If you’ve never wandered into Bruceploitation before, the history is almost as interesting as the movies.
After Bruce Lee died in 1973, distributors and producers around the world realized there was still enormous demand for movies that looked and sounded like Bruce Lee films. Actors with names like Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee and Bruce Liang started appearing in movies designed to capitalize on that demand. Some were cheap knockoffs, some were legitimately good martial-arts movies and a lot of them were completely insane.
Severin’s Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1 does a fantastic job documenting that history. The set contains twelve restored Bruceploitation films along with David Gregory’s documentary Enter the Clones of Bruce, which tracks down many of the actors and filmmakers who were involved in the movement.
Bruce Li is one of the better performers to come out of that era, and this movie is a nice gateway because it gives you the Bruce Lee imitation elements without feeling like it’s simply trying to recreate one of Lee’s movies scene by scene.
#1. This Movie Is Just Weird as Hell
This is ultimately why I’m recommending it.
There are better martial-arts movies. There are better mysteries. There are certainly more polished movies. But Bruce and the Iron Finger has that special quality where every few minutes something happens that makes you look over at whoever you’re watching it with.
There are strange characters, sexual detours, wild dubbing, kung-fu techniques based around fingers and a detective who appears to spend most of his vacation getting attacked by martial artists. Bruce Leung shows up looking like he wandered in from another movie and eventually starts fighting with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
That’s the sweet spot for me. I like martial-arts movies that are good enough to appreciate sincerely but weird enough that they become a great party movie too. Bruce and the Iron Finger gives you both.
Who Should Watch Bruce and the Iron Finger?
This is an easy recommendation if you already enjoy old-school kung fu, Bruceploitation or the stranger corners of 1970s Hong Kong cinema. Fans of Bruce Li and Bruce Leung should especially put it on the list because both get plenty to do.
It’s also a good gateway for anyone who likes movies that are fun with a group. If your movie nights regularly include things like Miami Connection, The Dragon Lives Again, Samurai Cop or other movies where genuine entertainment and accidental comedy live comfortably next to each other, you’re probably in the right place.
Where to Watch Bruce and the Iron Finger
This one is considerably easier to find than it used to be. In the United States, Bruce and the Iron Finger is currently available free with ads on Tubi and Plex, while subscription options include Night Flight Plus and Fandor. It can also be rented or purchased through Fandango at Home.
Watch Bruce and the Iron Finger free on Tubi
For physical-media collectors, the best option is Severin’s Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1. The current seven-disc Region-Free set includes twelve restored movies, Enter the Clones of Bruce, a 100-page book and more than 22 hours of extras. Bruce and the Iron Finger gets an HD restoration along with a Michael Worth commentary and a Bruceploitation roundtable.
Prefer to Listen?
You can also listen to this Force Five recommendation as a podcast episode.
Bruce and the Iron Finger on the Force Five Top 5 Radar
Top 5 Bruceploitation Movies
This one is basically inevitable. There’s an entire cinematic ecosystem built around actors pretending to be, evoking or just vaguely reminding audiences of Bruce Lee, and the Severin box set has made exploring it much easier than it used to be.
Bruce and the Iron Finger probably wouldn’t automatically take the number one spot, but it would absolutely be in the conversation.
Top 5 Martial-Arts Techniques
There are plenty of legendary martial-arts techniques in movies, but “Iron Finger” earns points purely for sounding like something a nine-year-old would invent immediately after watching his first kung-fu movie.
More Force Five
Burning Paradise (1994)
Ringo Lam takes Chinese martial-arts folklore and turns it into a violent, dark fantasy kung-fu movie. This is the next stop if you want something much more polished without leaving Hong Kong martial arts behind.
Tiger Claws (1991)
Bolo Yeung, Cynthia Rothrock and Jalal Merhi investigate the murders of martial-arts masters in another movie where police work and kung fu become basically the same job.
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
This one connects directly to my larger love of kung-fu cinema. It talks about how Kill Bill helped ignite the kung-fu collection I have now, so it’s a natural bridge for anyone exploring the genre through Force Five.
