Movie Talk - Bolo Yeung

Next up for the month is a look at movies that featured a man by the name of Yang Sze. You would probably know him by another title: BOLO. That’s right, folks! The guy who I said was my favorite henchman years ago gets his own post. I thought why not devote a post to the guy since I’ve probably mentioned him a lot during these months.

While you can wiki this info, here’s a little information on him. Yang Sze, aka Bolo Yeung, was born in China in 1946. He began to train in martial arts at 10 years old. Later, he decided to  take up body-building and even had the Mr. Hong Kong championship title for a few years. Because of his muscle-bound stature, he went into the movie business and was the stereotypical henchman for years. The dude was in a lot of kung fu movies from the 70’s to the 90’s. He’s most remembered for the role of Bolo (that’s where the stage name came from) from Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon. He’s also known for being in Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Bloodsport.

I got five movies for today. Most of them range from decent to “what in the heck was that.” While Bolo (I’ll just call him by that) is usually a bright point in movies, the movies aren’t always the best. First up is Chinese Hercules from 1974. Next, we have Bloodspo--, I mean, Bloodfight from 1989. Then, there’s the all time “classic”, Ironheart, from 1992. Finally, I finish it off with the Shootfighter movies from 1993 and 1996. With all that said, I’ll get to it.

Chinese Hercules

Chinese Hercules was released in 1974, sometime after Bolo’s big break in Enter the Dragon. The movie also stars Michael Wai-Man Chan and Yeh Fang. In the movie, Shen (Chan) supposedly kills his girlfriend’s brother, so he runs away from home and swears off fighting. He ends up changing his name and becoming a dockworker. Unfortunately, the pier he works at has a corrupt boss. Shen tries to help his new friends out but doesn’t fight back. Things get worse when a crime syndicate boss (Fang) shows up to close the pier. The workers revolt, so the boss sics his enforcer, Chiang Tai (Bolo), on them. Shen must overcome his guilt and shame in order to save his friends.

Chiang Tai was pretty cool. He even had a good quip.

I thought this movie was fine for the most part. The story it was trying to tell was pretty decent. We really feel for Chan’s character here since he didn’t want to kill the guy. The guy started it and Chan had to defend himself. We see him wrestle with his guilt especially when his new friends start to get harassed. While Bolo only really lets loose in the last half of the film, it’s a good beating. In fact, a lot of the fighting in the film was good for the most part. It was pretty brutal in some places too. There were also some fine humorous moments as well.

My negatives are few but important. While I liked the story, it took a long time for Shen to get back in action. He pretty much does nothing but mope and get beaten up throughout 80% of the movie. The movie kind of drags because of that. We really only see him let loose at the beginning and the end of the film. While I did like the fighting, there were a couple of fights that weren’t that good. Other than those things and some small nitpicks, this was a nice movie in the end.

Bloodfight

Next up is the obvious rip-off to Bloodsport. What’s even funnier is that Bolo pretty much plays the same character here. The movie also stars Yasuaki Kurata and Simon Yam. The movie revolves around Masahiro Kai (Kurata), a former fighter looking for another way back to the top. He ends up finding a good student by the name of Ryu (not that Ryu). Unfortunately, Ryu is killed in the Free Fighting Tournament by Chong Lee, the Vietnamese Snake (Bolo). Because of this, Masahiro hits a bad depression and almost loses everything. He eventually gets out of his depression and decides to get back at Chong Lee by training for the Tournament himself.

Ryu: Will I be able to do that spinning kick in the air?

Masahiro: Wrong franchise.

This movie was okay for the most part. While it is a rip-off to Bloodsport, it’s not a complete rip-off. It has bits and pieces of Rocky in there and it does revolve around the teacher instead of the student. I did think the story was fine. Even though I didn’t like Masahiro that much, it was interesting to follow him throughout the movie. The movie also had some nice training montages in there. It even had a song that reminded me of Europe’s “The Final Countdown.” I’m mixed on the fight scenes, but I did like the street fights and the bouts involving Bolo and Masahiro.

As for the negatives, I do have a few. They really got away with making Bolo Chong Li again, didn’t they? Can you actually do that or is there some unspoken rule? They could have at least changed his name. While the story was fine,  it did feel a little thin at points. I didn’t like Masahiro that much since he kinda felt underwritten. Even when he won at the end, it felt a little empty. The acting was also not that good especially since the actors were doing this in their own English. Lastly, the tournament fights weren’t that good. Other than those things and that weird circus music during some montages (seriously, what was up with that?), this movie was okay.

Ironheart

Next up is this movie. We got Bolo in the role of a lead henchman this time. Even though he’s headlining the movie, this is pretty much a show piece for martial artist, Britton K. Lee. The movie also stars Richard Norton, another martial artist, and is directed by Robert Clouse, the director of Enter the Dragon. In the movie, Milverstead (Norton) and his enforcer, Ice (Bolo) kidnap a dancer named Cindy and kill a LAPD officer. John Keem, the dead officer’s partner, hears about his death and goes to Portland to investigate. While he’s there, he befriends Cindy’s teacher, Kristi. Keem must do all he can in finding Cindy and getting revenge. This includes fighting in slow-motion, making out with annoying women, looking cool in doors, and being pretty freakin’ dull.

Bolo: I'm the only good thing in this movie, right?

God: Yep. Sorry dude. I'll make it up to you.

So… this movie is horrible! I vaguely remember seeing this when I was younger, so I don’t know what I thought about it then. This movie is pretty much a  trainwreck from beginning to end. One wonders what happened to Robert Clouse when the 90’s rolled around because everything about this movie was bad. It all has to do with the lead star. Britton K. Lee has one acting credit to his name and it’s easy to see why. He’s just dull and the movie is dull whenever he’s doing anything. That even includes fighting. The acting from everyone else is kinda crap too, though the writing may be to blame for that.

While Bolo does get to do his thing, even he’s hindered by the badness. At least he gets to shoot off a machine gun! I haven’t seen that before! What makes it worse is the fight scenes. I can tell that Lee knows what he’s doing, but the choreography and the shots just look bad. Even Keem’s fight with Ice at the end lacks a lot! The only good things in the movie are the songs at the dance club! Also, the women look nice and Bolo does try to be cool here. There were also some moments where I had to laugh at the badness. That’s all I got for it, though. It’s a dud.

Shootfighter: Fight to the Death

Next up, we have Bolo in one of the only roles where his a good guy. It took him years to get there, didn’t it? We also have two familiar faces: Martin Kove and William Zabka from The Karate Kid. The movie also stars Michael Bernardo, Maryam d’Abo, James Pax (Big Trouble in Little China),  Hakim Alston (Mortal Kombat), and Edward Albert (Wes’s dad from Power Rangers: Time Force). I also noticed that Power Rangers even has a little relation to this film. We got Judd Lynn, one of Power Ranger’s producers and writers, as a writer here. Most of the actors (Bernardo and Alston) were in a live-action martial arts show called WMAC Masters. Then, there’s Edward Albert from Time Force. It was just something I noticed.

That's one way to kick the habit of smoking!

In the movie, Shingo (Bolo) runs a dojo with Reuben (Zabka) and Cheryl (d’Abo). We find out that he was once a champion Shootfighter in China, and he only left the sport when Lee (Kove) killed his friend. Since Lee was kicked out of the tournament for killing someone, he starts his own illegal tournaments in Mexico. In order to lure Shingo into a final bout, he lures Reuben and Cheryl’s brother, Nick (Bernardo), in with the promise of money. Reuben gets pulled in too far, so Nick and Shingo have to rescue Mr.  “I Can’t Dodge a Crane Kick.”

This was a fine movie for the most part. It was pretty cool to have Bolo team up with Johnny from the Karate Kid to face the evil John Kreese! At least that’s how the movie feels like. I liked seeing Bolo do the hero role for once. Thankfully, it’s not the only time he’s in that type of role. I also like Nick and Reuben as characters. The story wasn’t too bad either. Of course, Kove was pretty cool as the evil villain. It even had some intentional and unintentional funny moments. Finally, while I was mixed on the fight scenes, I did like them for the most part. You could tell a lot of these guys knew what they were doing. Also, they would get a little gory at times.

Looks like Bolo had to take a move from another legend...

Now there were things I didn’t like about the movie. While the story was fine, it could get a little “meh” at times. Kove was a good villain but his plan was a little convoluted. Also, outside of a couple of actors, the acting was kinda crap. Whenever Nick’s love interest showed up, I just had to cringe. While I did like some of the fight scenes, you had lackluster ones. Even Shingo’s and Lee’s final fight felt a little lackluster. Most of the sound quality wasn’t good especially during the fight scenes. Lastly, what was up with that basketball scene? So cheesy. Overall, this was a fine movie.

Shootfighter 2

Finally, we have Shootfighter 2 which was released in 1996. Bolo, William Zabka, and Michael Bernardo are back in their respective roles of Shingo, Reuben, and Nick. The movie also stars former kickboxer Joe Son, Lew Rawlins, Brett Clark, and Marc Macaulay. In the movie, Shingo, Reuben, and Nick are blackmailed by Lt. Randolph (Rawlins) to participate in another Shootfighter tournament in Miami. Randolph’s son was killed in this contest, so he wants to bring in the ones responsible by staging a sting. Things get personal for Shingo when he finds out that his own brother, Lance (Son), is heading the tournament. Of course, things go haywire, and the three fighters must do their thing once more.

Shark: We're in a movie with Bolo, man. Ain't that cool?

While some sequels tend to get a bad rep, I can’t say that for this one. In fact, I kind of think it’s better than the first movie. Yeah, the novelty of “Bolo vs. John Kreese” is gone, but this wasn’t half bad. The story is simpler but not bad. It’s just focused on what it needs to be since this is an action movie, after all. I still liked Shingo, Reuben, and Nick. I also thought Shark (Clark) was funny. The music was pretty snapping. Finally, the fight scenes were a little better here. They were better shot and better choreographed, though the goriness is taken away. That’s weird considering this movie was much more adult (more cussing and a sex scene) than the last movie. Bolo’s final fight with his brother was also pretty cool and trumped the final fight from the first movie.

I still got a few negatives though. Most of the acting could be pretty subpar. While Lance (Son) was a fine villain, I couldn’t take him seriously with that voice of his. I wonder if Son was later dubbed or something. While the fight scenes were better, you had some subpar moments. Also, that love scene kinda came out of nowhere, but that’s more of a nitpick. This movie also ends pretty horribly as well. What’s up with these action movies that have bad endings? It’s like they ran out of film or something. Overall, this was a nice sequel and a little better than its predecessor.

…………………………………………………

Well, that’s all I got for Bolo. From what I can tell, he’s still alive, but he hasn’t acted much since the 1990’s. His son, David, also went into body-building and is a strength trainer for MMA.  He’s pretty cool as well. Whether he’s the villain or hero, Bolo will always be a bright spot for me in these movies. Well, that’s all I got for now. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and let someone else take on the muscle-bound guy.