Although Bruce Lee’sGame of Deathis unfinished, fans ofEnter the Dragonare still likely to get a lot out of the classic martial arts movie. Given his outsized influence on the martial arts movie genre, it can be easy to forget just how tragically young Bruce Lee was when he passed away. The legendary martial artist and movie star was only 32 years old when he died, leaving behind a legacy thatchanged Hollywood martial arts movies forever.
Althoughmartial arts movies became less popular in Hollywoodafter Lee’s death, the actor’s output didn’t end with his passing. There were a slew ofso-called Brucesploitation moviesthat cashed in on the actor’s popularity with lookalike stars such as Bruce Le, titles that purported to be sequels to Lee’s hits, and other shameless tactics to draw in viewers who enjoyed the martial artist’s movies during his life. However, there were also some more legitimate late additions to Lee’s filmography, like the hotly contested unfinished movieGame of Death.
Enter The Dragon Fans Will Surely Love Bruce Lee’s Unfinished Game Of Death
Lee’s Unfinished Game of Death Started Filming Before Enter The Dragon
Game of Deathbegan filming in 1972 and was set to be directed and written by Lee himself. The movie originally told the story of Lee’s heroic protagonist saving his younger siblings by working with a group of martial artists to retrieve a stolen national treasure. Since the treasure was stored on the top floor of a South Korean pagoda,Game of Death’s unfinished story saw Lee and his fellow martial artists defeat a new set of fighters on each floor of its pagoda setting.
This premise gaveGame of Deathan opportunity to show off Lee’s fighting skills while also showcasing a variety of martial arts from his opponents. If the setup sounds familiar, that might be because it was reused in everything fromThe Raidto a standout sequence in Tony Jaa’sWarrior Kingto 2012’sDredd. More broadly, the concept of the hero traversing various levels to take on progressively tougher enemies is one that has informed generations of video game storytelling, and many early platformers owe their inspiration to Game of Death’s central conceit.
How Much Of Game Of Death Was Filmed & How It Was Finished
Significant Portions of Game of Death Were Filmed Before Bruce Lee’s Death
Game of Deathwas left unfinished when Lee died in July 1973and the movie spent years languishing in development hell as Bruce Lee’s work inspired countless martial arts movies. Eventually,Enter the Dragondirector Robert Clouse hired Hong Kong action cinema legend Sammo Hung to directGame of Death’s action and clobbered together a new storyline. In this version, Lee’s character, now named Billy Lo, was targeted by a mafia syndicate and forced to fake his death.
1978’s revised version ofGame of Deathchanged the setting of the finale to a multi-story restaurant rather than a pagoda.
Colleen Camp played Lo’s fiancée Ann Morris, who was kidnapped by the mafia to lure Billy out of hiding. 1978’s revised version ofGame of Deathchanged the setting of the finale to a multi-story restaurant rather than a pagoda, but kept much of the available footage Lee filmed before his passing. Unfortunately, Clouse’s movie also includes a lot of awkward scenes starring Kim Tai-chung as Billy, and the lack of a resemblance between himself and Lee resulted in some outrageous comedy disguises and knockabout farce that stalls the movie’s pacing.
Game Of Death Is Responsible For Bruce Lee’s Iconic Yellow Jumpsuit
Bruce Lee’s Posthumous Movie Started Two Distinct Trends
Fortunately,1978’sGame of Deathisn’t the only version of the movieavailable to fans of Lee in 2025. In 2023, Arrow Films released an almost four-hour long documentary onGame of Death’s production that includes the two hours of footage Lee shot for the movie, restored alongside a new introduction that makes sense of the choppy, unfinished plot. WhileEnter the Dragonremains Lee’s best movie, this version ofGame of Deathproves just how much promise the star’s final unfinished project had.
Bruce Lee’s 3 Game Of Death Opponents Explained
Bruce Lee’s unfinished movie Game of Death sees him fighting three opponents, and each fight scene has a deep meaning regarding Lee’s philosophy.
Before 2023’s full-length restoration ofGame of Death, producer Alan Canvan offered viewers a stripped-back version of the movie that was later released as part of the Criterion Collection’s Bruce Lee box set. TitledGame of Death Redux, this 2020 release combines John Barry’s score from Clause’s 1978 movie with footage from Lee’s original shoot. Like the 2023 version, the end result is something closer to Lee’s vision.
Game of Deathalso features Lee’s famous fight with NBA icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
All three versions feature Lee’s iconic yellow jumpsuit, a costume choice that went on to famously influence the outfit Uma Thurman’s Bride wears in theKill Billmovies.Game of Deathalso features Lee’s famous fight with NBA icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which went on to become one of his best-remembered sparring sessions. Although it may not enjoy as much mainstream fame and acclaim asEnter the Dragonthanks to the movie’s troubled production and unfinished nature,Game of Deathremains an unmissable Bruce Lee outing.
