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Considering the iconic status of Enter the Dragon, it's not easy to find a suitable follow-up that doesn't involve Bruce Lee, but Heroes of the East is one film that can fill that void. Easily the most famous of the five movies that Bruce Lee starred in, Enter the Dragon is credited with helping shape the martial arts genre into what it is today. Its decision to follow three fighters of different backgrounds helped provide the setup for one of the greatest martial arts tournament movies ever made, if not the best kung fu film of all time.
Another film that explores that particular martial arts subgenre is Heroes of the East, a lesser-known release from 1978. Heroes of the East was made by Shaw Brothers, the biggest kung fu movie studio in Hong Kong as well as the main rival of Golden Harvest, the company behind all of Bruce Lee's movies. Helmed by prominent martial arts movie director Lau Kar-Leung, Heroes of the East was an old-school kung fu film set in the 1930s. Headling the movie was Gordon Liu, who played Ho Tai, a Chinese practitioner of kung fu who finds himself fighting karate experts in Japan.
Heroes Of The East Borrows Some Of Enter The Dragon's Best Story & Action Elements
Heroes of the East begins with Ho Tai arriving in Japan for an arranged marriage he'd rather not be a part of. As a result of a misunderstanding, he winds up in a martial arts competition where he has to contend with some of the best fighters in the country. Ho Tai's shenanigans in Heroes of the East set in motion a story that's reminiscent of the best parts of Enter the Dragon. Part of what made Enter the Dragon so special is that it effectively tries to become more than just a kung fu movie; its tournament format and premise allowed it to offer a mix of styles of techniques, creating some interesting challenges for its characters.
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Heroes of the East leans in a similar direction. It forces Ho Tai to go up against a multitude of Japanese fighters, each of which being a fighter with their own specialty, including spear-fighting, judo, Ninjitsu, and more. But ultimately, Heroes of the East - like Enter the Dragon - is a movie where the kung fu expert is the real star. Just as Bruce Lee triumphs over all his foes with kung fu, Ho Tai uses Chinese martial arts to overcome his opponents in a series of amazingly choreographed fight scenes. One of these even utilizes Bruce Lee's trademark nunchuk fighting style.
Heroes Of The East Is One Of The Best 1970s Kung Fu Movies
Gordon Liu Is In Top Form in Heroes Of The East
Despite not having a reputation on par with that of Enter the Dragon, Heroes of the East certainly deserves to be counted among the best kung fu movies of the 1970s. Of course, that's owed in large part to the exceptional performance of Gordon Liu, who makes the action more than worthwhile with his genuine talent as a martial artist. But ultimately what makes its fights so fun to watch is the masterfully choreographed fight scenes overseen by Lau Kar-Leung, one of the greatest martial arts movie directors of all time. The diversity of the action sequences in terms of the weapons and styles incorporated only add to the excitement.
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