A kung fu Bruceploitation giallo murder mystery? | Bruce Vs the Iron Finger (1979)
I am Jason Kleeberg, this is Force Five, and today I’m going to give you 5 reasons you might like the 1979 martial arts oddity Bruce vs. The Iron Finger, which you may also find under other titles like Bruce Against Iron Hand, The Fight of the King of Kung Fu or Shaolin Handlock, and make sure to stick around because at the end I’ll give you two top 5 lists this movie could easily make.
If you like murder mysteries with a little giallo flavor, I think you’re going to get a kick out of this subgenre mashup. The movie stars Bruce Li as a police inspector from New Zealand who visits Hong Kong and gets involved in an investigation where kung-fu masters are turning up dead with two mysterious puncture wounds in their necks. It’s basically a kung-fu whodunit with a masked killer taking out martial arts masters. Now, I’m not saying this is Deep Red with roundhouse kicks, it’s pretty fucking far from Agatha Christie and depending on which cut you watch, you may figure out who the killer is within a few minutes but there’s definitely a little giallo here, but instead of black gloves and a straight razor, this dude murders people by jamming his fingers through their necks. Actually, I bet Dario Argento wishes he’d thought of that first. If you like movies like The Bird with the Crystal Plumage or Kung Fu Killer, there’s something wonderfully strange about watching these mystery film mechanics trapped in an old-school martial arts flick.
If you like legitimately good kung-fu fights, there’s a lot to like in this one. The movie itself is ridiculous, but the fights are really well done. Bruce Li spent much of the 70s being sold as a Bruce Lee replacement but by the end of the decade he had developed into a really convincing screen fighter and this movie lets him fight a lot. Basically everywhere he goes someone is challenging him. The standout fight is Bruce Li against Bruce Leung, starting inside of his martial arts school and eventually spilling out onto a rooftop covered in television antennas. Bruce Leung also handled the choreography along with Leung Siu-Hung and the fights deliver. You’ll probably be laughing through a lot of the movie but when people start throwing hands, it’s time to pay attention.
Speaking of things to laugh at, if you like hilariously bad dubbing, there’s so much charm to this movie. If you’re a fan of 70’s fight films, this is not going to be something that’s a surprise, but all of the character dubs sound like they were recorded separately in different buildings without ever being told what emotion they were supposed to be feeling. People respond to murder with the urgency of someone being told the grocery store is out of their favorite cereal. My favorite line in the film has to be this one - “You know my kung fu stops me from having sex”. What, that’s not common knowledge? See, when you master the iron finger technique, you have incredible power and skin that can withstand attacks, but there’s a minor side effect - you can’t get it up anymore. Anyway, the dubbing turns an already bizarre movie into something you could listen to with your eyes closed and still be entertained.
Speaking of terrible voices, let’s talk about mine. If you’re not yet subscribed to Force Five, now is a good time to do so. Hit the button down below if you like concise, A.I. free movie recommendations, it really helps me and the channel out.
If you’re looking to get into the Bruceploitation subgenre, this is a fantastic jumping on point. If you want a full, in-depth look at what Bruceploitation is, there’s a genuinely fantastic documentary called Game of Clones that Severin released that gives you a ton of information, but the short version is that after Bruce Lee’s death in 1973, producers in Asia realized there was a huge demand for Bruce Lee movies, so they started making them with people who looked and acted like Bruce Lee. Bruce Li, Dragon Lee, Bruce Lai (L.A.I.), Bruce Liang, Bruce Bruce. Okay, that last one might not be real. But, it also might be. There are so many of these. Bruce Lee Against Supermen, Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave, Enter Three Dragons, The Clones of Bruce Lee, yes, all of those were actual titles. What makes Bruce vs. The Iron Finger interesting is that it’s during the part of Bruce Li’s career that he was trying to shed that imitation. He was credited under his real name, Ho Chung Tao that just happens to be a cop named Bruce. It’s still shameless exploitation of the Bruce Lee aura, but it’s got genuinely talented martial artists and it’s incredibly entertaining.
Why’s it entertaining? Well, because this movie is absolutely bonkers and this is really the reason I’d easily recommend this to people looking for something bizarre in the video store. There’s a woman in this movie who is very interested in sleeping with every martial artist she sees and at one point she tells a naked man to get on the floor so she can ride him like a horse, and then she does - she rides him around the apartment, slaps him in the face and drops a lit cigarette into his mouth. That’s the kind of movie this is, where something weird is happening at every turn, so get some drinks, some weed and some friends and let the Iron Finger do its thing because sometimes the difference between a bad movie and an incredible movie night is simply who you’re watching it with.
While I was watching this, I thought it could make a few Top 5 lists. The first is an obvious one, Top 5 Bruceploitation movies. I’d have it right up there with The Clones of Bruce Lee and The Dragon Lives Again, where Bruce goes to the afterlife and fights James Bond, Dracula and Popeye. The other is top 5 martial arts techniques - a fighting technique that lets you stab someone with your fingers but destroys your sex life seems like a pretty big tradeoff. Also on this list I’m thinking the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique from Kill Bill, The Dim Mak touch of death from Bloodsport, the Buddha’s Palm from Kung Fu Hustle and Jackie Chan’s drunken kung fu of course.
I know it’s a long shot, but f you’ve seen Bruce vs. The Iron Finger, what did you think of it? And what’s your favorite Bruce Lee performance? Let me know in the comments below. If you didn’t subscribe earlier, you can do it right here by clicking the logo and up there is another video YouTube think you’ll like. Finally, down below you’ll find the link to order the film on Physical Media as well as links to my other socials.
Life is short. Spend it with the people, and the movies, that you love.
