"Listen to the bloody scream of heroes..
it's the echoes of the evermore battle..
a battle that lies within us..
dedicated to those who keep struggling in their own game of death"
The Complete Game of Death is a movie Directed by Nicholas Weintraub.This was originally going to be one of Bruce Lee's last three films, before Enter the Dragon was in process. It is speculated that filming the rest of the footage will start in 2024.
Original Plot[]
The original plot involves Lee playing the role of Hai Tien, a retired champion martial artist who was confronted by the Korean underworld gangs. They tell him the story of a pagoda where guns are prohibited, and under heavy guard by highly skilled martial artists who are protecting something (which is not identified at all in any surviving material) held on its top level. The gang boss wants Hai to be a part of a group whose purpose is to retrieve said item. They would be the second group to try to do so as the first attempt with a previous group had failed. When Hai refuses, his younger sister and brother are kidnapped, forcing him to participate. Hai, as well as four other martial artists (two of which were played by James Tien and Chieh Yuan), then fight their way up a five-level pagoda, encountering a different challenge on each floor. The setting of the pagoda was at Beopjusa temple in Songnisan National Park in South Korea.
The pagoda, called Palsang-jon, is the only remaining wooden pagoda in South Korea. At the base of the pagoda they fight 10 people, all black belts in Karate. While inside the pagoda, they encounter a different opponent on each floor, each more challenging than the last. Although his allies try to help out, they are handily defeated, and Hai must face each of the martial artists in one-on-one combat. He defeats Filipino martial arts master Dan Inosanto, hapkido master Ji Han Jae, and finally Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who fights with a free and fluid style mirroring Lee's Jeet Kune Do. Because Abdul-Jabbar's character has great size and strength in addition to a fighting style as potent as Lee's, he can only be defeated once Hai recognizes that an unusually high sensitivity to light is his greatest weakness.[1]
Immediately after defeating the giant guardian, Hai turns around and descends the staircase, heading out of the pagoda. Despite all the talk of something awaiting up top of the (now unguarded) flight of stairs, there is no mention of anyone going up to retrieve it. No surviving material explains how this will affect Hai or his captive siblings.[2]
Original production[]
Although the pagoda was supposed to have five floors, complete scenes were only shot for three of the floors: the "Temple of the Tiger," where Lee faced Inosanto; the "Temple of the Dragon", where he fought Ji Han Jae; and the final floor, where he fought Abdul-Jabbar was the "Temple of the Unknown". Hapkido master Hwang In-Shik was slated to play the guardian of the first floor "The Hall of the Buddha", a master of a kick-oriented style, while Bruce's long time student and good friend Taky Kimura was asked to play the guardian of the second floor, "The Hall of the Praying Mantis", a stylist of praying mantis kung fu.
The goal of the film's plot was to showcase Lee's beliefs regarding the principles of martial arts. As each martial artist is defeated (including Lee's allies), the flaws in their fighting style are revealed. Some, like Dan Inosanto's character, rely too much on fixed patterns of offensive and defensive techniques, while others lack economy of motion. Lee defeats his opponents by having a fighting style that involves fluid movement, unpredictability, and an eclectic blend of techniques. His dialogue often includes comments on their weaknesses.
Original Cast[]
Filmed cast[]
- Bruce Lee as "Hai Tien"
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as "Mantis - 5th Floor Guardian"
- James Tien as "Mr. Tien"
- Chieh Yuan as "Mr. Yuan"
- Dan Inosanto as "Dan - 3rd Floor Guardian"
- Han-Jae Ji as "4th Floor Guardian"
Unfilmed cast[]
- Hwang In-Shik as "1st Floor Guardian"
- Taky Kimura as "2nd Floor Guardian"
- Robert Wall as "Mr. Wall - Hai Tien's American Ally"
- Nora Miao as "Hai Tien's sister"
- George Lazenby as "Hai Tien's guru"
- Lee Kwan as "Mr. Kuan the Locksmith"
- Carter Wong as "Mr. Wong"
- Kien Shih as "Crime lord"
- Bolo Yeung as "Karate Black Belt Sensei"
- Lam Ching Ying as "Black Belt Karate Fighter"
- Sammo Hung as "Gatekeeper"
- Han Yin-Chieh as "Thug 1"
- Yuen Biao as "Thug 2"
- Jackie Chan as "Fan who asks for Hai Tien's autograph"
- Betty Ting as "Hai Tien's Wife"
- Unseen Actor as "Uncle Wong"
- Unknown Actor as "Lee Guo Hao the yellow-faced Tiger"
- Uncasted Child Actor as "Hai Tien's brother"
- Wu Ngan as "Back Belt Karate Fighter"
- Wong Shun Lung as "Upper Floor Guardian"
- Yuen Wah as "Black Belt Karate Fighter"
- Bee Chan as "Black Belt Karate Fighter"
Intended cast[]
- Robert Baker, student of Lee's.
- Chuck Norris
- Jim Kelly
- Tony Liu
New parts of the cast[]
- Danny Chan Kwok-Kwan as Hai Tien
- Bian Xiaoxao as Hai Tien's sister
- Jackie Chan as Mr. Kuan
- Wu Chun as Mr. Tien
- Robin Shou as Mr. Yuan
- Lee Kang-Sook as Mr. Wong
- Psy as the Boss
- Gary Daniels as Mr. Wall
- Tony Leung as 1st Floor Guardian
- Liu Dong as 2nd Floor Guardian
- Ning Li as 3rd Floor Guardian (as used for the "Log Scene")
- Leung Siu-lung as Black Belt Karate Sensei
- Harrison Ford as Hai Tien's guru
Intended Cast[]
- Ray Park (Chuck Norris)
- Will Ferrell (Robert Baker)
- LeBron James (Jim Kelly)
Footage so far[]
Bruce Lee's "Game of death" the unknown truth
A video that contains lost audio of some of the fights scenes in the original Game of Death, which will all be used in my version later.
