Game of Death. 1978. Directed by Robert Clouse, Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung. With Lee, Colleen Camp, Hung, Dean Jagger, Robert Wall, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 90 min.
Starring and originally written and directed by Bruce Lee, Game of Death was only partially shot when the production was put aside for Lee to focus on Enter the Dragon. His unexpected death shortly before the release of the latter put the production of Game of Death in a limbo. The film was completed posthumously, with Enter the Dragon director Robert Clouse at the helm and action icon Sammo Hung in charge of the action scenes. A stand-in actor, conveniently masked behind sunglasses and facial hair, covers Lee’s missing scenes—and quickly confirms Lee’s irreplaceability. Game of Death might not be what Lee envisioned, but it did leave his fans some of the most unforgettable memories of the hero, clad in his trademark yellow jumpsuit, exhilaratingly fighting off a succession of opponents—culminating with the indomitable, towering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Digital.