Game of Death II (1981) [Film Review]

Game of Death II; or, The Towers of Silence
     Dear Bobby, how are you? I was hoping to see you, but you were out. Sorry I missed you. I gather you are not studying or training so hard lately. I guess I don't have to tell you that to become an expert in the art of Kung Fu, you must practise more. There'll be time for girls later. Take care of yourself.
After the release of Robert Clouse’s Game of Death in 1978, one could think that producer Raymond Chow was done and dusted with the phenomenon of Bruceploitation movies, but three year later, he greenlit yet another Game of Death, this time directed by Ng See-yuen and distributed solely by Golden Harvest.

Release Info

Directed by: Ng See-yuen Starring: Tong Lung, Hwang Jang-lee, Roy Horan, Roy Chiao

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 死亡塔 Runtime: 96 min

Synopsis
Billy Lo (Tong Lung posing as Bruce Lee) leaves his younger brother, Bobby Lo (also Tong Lung), under the care of his former teacher, Chin Ku (Hwang Jang-lee). However, it turns out that Chin Ku suddenly dies in mysterious circumstances. Billy Lo goes to Japan to investigate the matter, but he gets killed while trying to protect the remains of his master. Bobby Lo takes up the challenge and goes after the men who led to the death of his brother.

Down and Out in a Crack Den
Allegedly, there are three cuts of Game of Death II, so after a brief investigation, I found out that my dilapidated DVD copy contains an international UK version which clocks in at 96 minutes (there are also Hong Kong and South Korean cuts out there).

To be honest, I am pleasantly surprised with this film. From the get go you can clearly see that it is a vast improvement over the 1978 Game of Death. The storyline is super easy to follow and the stock footage of Bruce Lee (taken mainly from Enter the Dragon (1973)) blends in very neatly with the fight scenes. The filmmakers even included scenes of young Bruce Lee at the very beginning of his acting career!

That being said, our Billy Lo/Bruce Lee protagonist works only for the first half of the film until he is killed off in a debilitating manner (and yeah, the horrific coffin mug shot returns with a vengeance as well). From this point on, it is up to Bobby Lo to save the honour of the flick.

Just when you think that the movie is on the verge of completely falling apart (bad guy eating raw meat, etc.), it manages to remain an entertaining action showcase. Obviously, Bruce’s pagoda footage is not reused here, but at least the concept of it is kept for the finale. We see Bobby entering an inverted tower buried within an underground compound (it is basically a villain’s base from Moonraker (1979)) and facing a few imposing baddies. The final showdown is ridiculous fun!

Basically, Game of Death II is not so much about exploiting Bruce Lee, but about replicating the spirit of what made his movies so great. Had Bruce been alive and well to do this picture, Game of Death II could have been a classic. Still, it is a fairly enjoyable ride.

Recommendations
If you are in a desperate need for a Bruce Lee film without Bruce, then Game of Death II is the best choice for you. Ditch the atrocious Robert Clouse’s movie and play this one instead. Huge respect for the filmmaking team behind this flick: Ng See- yuen, Yuen woo-ping, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao.Overall score: 8/10

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