Blu-ray Review: The Black Dragon’s Revenge

The Black Dragon’s Revenge is a 1975 martial arts film starring Ron Van Clief as himself (though in the opening credits he’s listed as Ron Van Cliff for some reason). The film takes place in 1973, just after Bruce Lee’s death, and Van Clief is hired to find out just how Bruce Lee died, the implication being that someone killed him. In the film, however, Bruce Lee is only referred to by his first name, due to some cutting and audio manipulation.

Ron Van Clief enlists the help of his friend, Charles “La Pantera” Bonet, whom at one point he refers to as Charlie Woodcock, and the two begin investigating. Of course, it’s not long before they’re attacked, leading to some delicious martial arts sequences. And those scenes are what the film is all about. There are some terrific acrobatic moves. Some other folks are clearly pursuing the same lines as Van Clief, but they have to fight each other before realizing they’re on the same side, with the same goals. There is also certainly some silliness, like when Van Clief goes to the antique shop asking for Charlie Woodcock and the clerk responds, “Sorry sir, what cock?” And there is more playfulness with a rickshaw in one scene.

The movie has some problems, to be sure. Right at the beginning, it feels like some frames must be missing from the negative, because right after Van Clief and his employer sit down, we get what seems like a reaction shot of Van Clief, and after a pause he says, “Haven’t missed yet.” No idea what he’s replying to. There are some less-than-stellar supporting performances, as well as clunky dialogue and some poorly done ADR, but that’s all part of the movie’s charm. After all, this is not a great movie, and it doesn’t feel like it was ever meant to be. It doesn’t have much of a plot. And what’s up with that sweater that Van Clief wears in a few scenes?

Well, no matter, if you watch this movie, it will be for the martial arts sequences and for the 1970s silliness, with lines like “We must know them well in order to kill them” from one of the villains. One of my favorite scenes is with a man who claims to have killed Bruce Lee with his iron fist. His reactions to being hit are wonderful. And it’s great hearing Van Clief say to the villain, “You jive turkey.” So take a break from the news of the country’s ills and enjoy some 1970s martial arts goofiness.

Special Features

The disc includes the film’s trailer, as well as a very short piece about the use of Bruce Lee’s name, or lack thereof. In the movie, every time someone says “Bruce Lee,” “Lee” is basically cut. This short piece shows the director deliberately distorting the track, because the producers worried that the Bruce Lee estate would sue. This piece also shows an attempt to replace the last name into the film for the Blu-ray release.

The Black Dragon’s Revenge was released on Blu-ray on January 31, 2017 through The Film Detective as part of its Restored Classics series. The film is presented in its 2.35:1 aspect ratio.