Sonny Chiba has a reputation as the Japanese alternative to Bruce Lee, but he probably didn't built it on films like "Soul of Bruce Lee"! This is a real hack job, with disastrous continuity and a story that's almost incomprehensible though the part that matters (Chiba seeking revenge for the murder of his kung fu master) is quite simple. Sometimes it's hard to even tell who is who (and even harder to care). The new DVD version is pretty poor as well, with a supposedly "widescreen" print that's still clearly missing a lot of picture information on the sides. Chiba does get the chance to show his skills on several occasions, and also undergoes one of the weirdest training methods ever (receiving electric shocks from a machine to increase the speed of his movements!). Regrettably, Etsuko Shiomi and Bolo Yeung get only ONE fight each. A hard-to-sit-through film, and the presentation takes away even from the fights. (*1/2)
Review of Soul of Chiba
Soul of Chiba
(1977)
It's a terrible film, but Sonny Chiba completists might want to see it
1 September 2008