REVIEW: ‘Fist of Fear, Touch of Death,’ newly restored
Photo: Fist of Fear, Touch of Death has been restored for its 40th anniversary by The Film Detective. Photo courtesy of The Film Detective / Provided by Greenleaf & Associates with permission.
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death is a 1980 oddity that poses as a bonafide celebration of Bruce Lee. Fans of the martial arts master will not receive actual footage of him fighting, but instead they will experience a bizarre satire that looks at the events surrounding his death and a reimagining of his childhood. If that sounds strange, well, welcome to the world of Fist of Fear, Touch of Death.
The Film Detective has painstakingly restored the film on its 40th anniversary, and preorders are being taken for the limited DVD and Blu-ray copies. There are several bonus features, such as interviews with stars Fred Williamson and Ron Van Clief, plus several members of the creative time, including director Matthew Mallinson.
The movie opens after Lee has died in real life, and the World Karate Championship is continuing on with the legacy of the master still casting a long shadow over the proceedings. Lee had dominated the championship and martial arts headlines for so long, and now it is time to figure who will be his heir apparent. Throughout the ringside drama Adolph Caesar plays himself, an interviewer who asks fighters about Lee’s legacy and who they think will win the karate contest.
Inexplicably (and quite jarringly) the action in the present day ceases, and the audience is whisked away to a tale of Lee’s childhood, which feels fake, trivial and a bit stereotypical. This is not some mere flashback amounting to a few minutes of lost time; this back-in-the-day memory represents the middle chunk of the narrative. It’s so long — and seemingly off-topic — that one almost completely forgets about the karate championships back at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
There is a lot of decent fighting in the film, including a reenactment of a famous cinematic moment that put Lee on the map, but this tribute to the master (dubbed Bruceploitation) does not feeling terribly honorable or valedictory. In fact, audience members will soon enough find themselves yearning for authentic Lee fighting.
One thing that Fist of Fear, Touch of Death proves is that there’s no ripping off an original.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death (1980). Directed by Matthew Mallinson. Written by Ron Harvey. Starring Fred Williamson, Ron Van Clief, Adolph Caesar and Aaron Banks. Running time: 82 minutes. Rating: 
Click here for more information on the new DVD and Blu-ray release.
