Game of Death (1978)
Game of Death (1978)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently Game of Death is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Microsoft Store, Fandango At Home, Pluto TV, Kanopy
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
Cast & Crew.
Bruce Lee
Billy Lo / Producer / Writer / Director
Gig Young
Jim Marshall
Dean Jagger
Dr. Land
Hugh O'Brian
Steiner
Colleen Camp
Ann Morris
Robert Wall
Carl Miller / Stunt Coordinator / Stunts
Mel Novak
Stick
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Hakim
Chuck Norris
Colt
Dan Inosanto
Pasqual
Billy McGill
John
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
Lo Chen / Stunt Coordinator / Stunts
Roy Chiao
Henry Lo
Kim Tae-Jeong
Billy Lo / Stunt Double
James Tien Chun
Charlie Wang
Yuen Biao
Billy Lo / Stunt Double / Stunts
Jim James
Surgeon
Wang Ho
Lau Yea-chun (archive footage)
Stephen Chang
Ming Tao (uncredited)
Warwick Paul Evans
Ringside Commentator (uncredited)
Lam Ching-Ying
Macau Fighter (uncredited)
Mars
Macau Fighter (uncredited) / Stunt Double
Robert Clouse
Carl's Second #1 (uncredited) / Writer / Director
Yuen Wah
Lo Chen's Second (uncredited) / Stunts
Nora Miao
(archive footage) (uncredited)
Lau Kar-Wing
(uncredited)
Paul Chung Fat
(uncredited)
Betty Ting Pei
(uncredited)
André E. Morgan
(uncredited) / Associate Producer
Godfrey A. Godar
Director of Photography
John Barry
Original Music Composer
Alan Pattillo
Editor
Raymond Chow
Producer
David Chan
Production Manager
William H. Burton Sr.
Stunt Driver
Sam Wong
Unit Manager
Mike Gowans
First Assistant Director
Buddy Joe Hooker
Stunt Driver
David R. Ellis
Stunt Driver
Ip Sam
Second Assistant Director
Media.
Details.
Release DateMarch 23, 1978
Original Name死亡遊戲
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 41m
Content RatingR
Budget$850,000
Filming LocationsMacau, China
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
Game of Death (Chinese: 死亡的遊戲) is an incomplete Hong Kong martial arts film, of which portions were filmed between September and October 1972, and was planned and scheduled to be released by 1973, directed, written, produced by and starring Bruce Lee. The project was paused to film and produce Enter the Dragon. For Game of Death, over 120 minutes of footage was shot. The remaining footage has since been released with Lee's original Cantonese and English dialogue, with John Little dubbing Lee's Hai Tien character as part of the documentary titled Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey. Much of the footage that was shot is from what was to be the climax of the film.
During filming, Lee received an offer to star in Enter the Dragon, the first kung fu film to be produced by a Hollywood studio (Warner Bros.), and with a budget unprecedented for the genre ($850,000). Lee died of cerebral edema before the film's release. At the time of his death, he had made plans to resume the filming of The Game of Death. After Lee's death, Enter the Dragon director Robert Clouse was enlisted to finish the film using two stand-ins; it was released in 1978 as Game of Death, five years after Lee's death, by Golden Harvest.
The story of Lee's original 1972 film involves Lee's character, in order to save his younger sister and brother, joining a group of martial artists who are hired to retrieve a stolen Chinese national treasure from the top floor of a five-story pagoda in South Korea, with each floor guarded by martial artists who must be defeated while ascending the tower. The 1978 film's plot was altered to a revenge story, where the mafia attempts to kill Lee's character, who fakes his death and seeks vengeance against those who tried to kill him. The final part of the film uses some of Lee's original film footage, but with the pagoda setting changed to a restaurant building, where he fights martial artists hired by the mafia in an attempt to rescue his fiancée Ann Morris (played by Colleen Camp). This revised version received a mixed critical reception but was commercially successful, grossing an estimated US$50,000,000 (equivalent to $230,000,000 in 2023) worldwide.
It was an influential film that had a significant cultural impact. The original version's concept of ascending a tower while defeating enemies on each level was highly influential, inspiring numerous action films and video games. The film is also known for Lee's iconic yellow-and-black jumpsuit as well as his fight scene with NBA player and student Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, both of which have been referenced in numerous media.