The Black Dragon's Revenge (1975) - A Review

Classic 70s cinema.

The Black Dragon's Revenge (also known as The Death Of Bruce Lee) is a martial arts/blaxploitation/Bruceploitation movie released in 1975 and stars Ron van Clief, Charles Bonet, Jason Pai Piao, Yuen Qiu, Lau Hok-Nin, and Thompson Kao Kang. It was directed by Tony Lou Chun-Ku, with martial arts directed by Chan Lau, Ron van Clief, Jason Pai Piao, and Leung Pasan.

Ron van Clief is the man in this movie.

In The Black Dragon's Revenge, Ron van Clief plays...himself. He gets hired by a mysterious wealthy man (played by Thompson Kao Kang) to find out why and how Bruce Lee died. Ron, being a close personal friend of Bruce, accepts the assignment. So he goes to Hong Kong in search of answers. Ron meets up with his friend Charlie Woodcock (played by Charles Bonet), an antique dealer and martial artist, and they travel throughout Hong Kong interrogating people. They face off against thugs who seem to want to stop them from finding out the truth. Little do our heroes know, there are students from a kung fu school who are also looking for answers about Bruce Lee's death. Perhaps if they worked together, they could find out what really happened to Bruce Lee.

Yuen Qui (left) and Jason Pai Piao more than hold their own in this movie.

I first learned of Ron van Clief from the Top Fighter documentary, and have always kept him in mind when looking for martial arts movies to watch. I watched that documentary in the 1990s, and in 2023 I finally watched a Ron van Clief movie! I knew (from the documentary) that he is a legit martial artist, and I watched his UFC fight back in the day, so I had high expectations for his action scenes. Ron van Clief does not disappoint in The Black Dragon's Revenge...unfortunately, everything else does.

This movie is straight up weird. Ron and Charlie go around asking people about Bruce Lee and about the way he died (even asking a Betty Ting Pei analogue questions at her apartment). Basically, the movie talks about all the different theories on how Bruce Lee died. This did not feel right to me. It felt...exploitive. I guess this shouldn't be a surprise, considering this is a blaxploitation and a Bruceploitation movie. The acting is stiff and awkward; there are many scenes of characters just walking to their destination, no dialogue or anything to keep it interesting; and the plot seems a bit convoluted, until the end when everything comes together.

Despite all that, Ron van Clief is very cool in this. He has an awesome look (the afro and mutton chop sideburns), and he has this swagger about him throughout. Also cool to see Yuen Qui in an early role (she played the Landlady in Kung Fu Hustle, 2004). She's really good in this! Jason Pai Piao is also cool in this movie. Charles Bonet, as Ron's friend Charlie, is interesting in this. Their friendship seemed genuine. Also, this has some cool music; though I must say it seemed a bit too upbeat in some scenes.

Ron van Clief kicks major butt in this movie!

The main reason to watch The Black Dragon's Revenge is the action. The fight scenes are the best part of this movie. Ron van Clief is the real deal as a martial artist, and he kicks butt in this. Ron's style is powerful and straightforward. Charles Bonet, as Charlie Woodcock, is a kung fu fighter, so his style is more fluid. Yuen Qui is also an awesome fighter in this, and she gets to show off her skill pretty well here. The fight scenes are rough and rugged, but very entertaining. They may not compare to the fight scenes that would happen about three years later in Hong Kong, but they are still very good. I also liked how the Hong Kong martial arts students in the movie were respectful of Ron van Clief's karate-based style. Very cool.

So, should you watch The Black Dragon's Revenge? I would say yes, just so you can see Ron van Clief in his prime kicking butt. The movie itself is very weird and awkward, with some weird comedic scenes as well. The music is good, Ron van Clief and his allies are good, and the fight scenes are good. Ron van Clief doesn't get talked about enough when it comes to great martial arts movie stars, so I thought I'd shine a light on him. Ron van Clief is the real deal!

Reviewed by David Williams