Qi lin zhang (1973)

Director:

Ti Tang

Writer:

Ti Tang (writer)

Release Date:

1 March 1973 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Tagline:

The most exciting kung fu picture ever directed by Bruce Lee

Plot Keywords:

Martial Arts

Cast

Unicorn Chan	...	Ah-Lung
Wai-Man Chan
Ching Chen
Tina Fei Chin	...	Hung Mei
Alan Chui Chung San
Alexander Grand	...	Rensky
Han Jae Ji	...	Chi Han Kuang
Yasuaki Kurata	...	Sun
Wen Chung Ku
Siu Kee Lun
Hoi Mang	...	Hsiao-Hu
Mars	...	Boy
Chui Meng
Sha Wang
Ping-Ao Wei
Ing-Sik Whang

Also Known As:

Bruce Lee and I (USA)
Bruce and I
Fist of Unicorn (International: English title)
Force of Bruce Lee's Fist
Kei lun cheung (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
The Unicorn Palm (Hong Kong: English title) (video title)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Ontario) | USA:R

Company:

Sing Hui Film Co.

Trivia:

Bruce Lee wasn't actually meant to be in Fist of Unicorn. He was only there doing action choreography as a favour to long-time friend, Unicorn Chan. The enterprising producers filmed Bruce Lee working, and edited the footage into the film. Lee was reportedly less than impressed.

Directed by Bruce Lee??? Not quite!

Unicorn Chan, a childhood friend of Bruce Lee, completed this movie in 1973, right before Lee's death. To make our heroic, scrawny runt Unicorn Chan (FIST OF FURY, RETURN OF THE DRAGON, THE BLOOD HERO, BRUCE LEE: THE MAN THE MYTH) seem like a good fighter, he had his superstar pal Bruce Lee help choreograph the fights. As the story goes, Unicorn released the movie briefly under the title "Bruce Lee and I", to capitalize on his soon to be ex-friend's fame. I read somewhere that Lee felt betrayed, and never spoke to Unicorn again, for the rest of his life—which, admittedly, was only a few months. Other stories go so far as to say that Bruce Lee has a "walk on cameo", or that Lee appears in the outtakes. I watched this average chop sockey movie closely, and couldn't see any obvious Bruce Lee shots other than a still shot at the beginning.

I did, however, spot a young Jackie Chan in a microscopic cameo as a background henchman (blink and you'll miss him), at least I think so. Regardless, as an early 1970s kung fu romp, it's okay. There are cool fights, but most of the better ones don't involve Unicorn Chan. There's some other hero, and a heroine who do their share of kicking, so the battles are fast-paced and enjoyable. Otherwise, it's so ultra-average and predictable, I'm at a loss for words.

There's an interesting role reversal in the cast: Yasuaki Kurata plays the Chinese translator, and it's Wei Ping Ao who who plays an actual Japanese this time (with a Hitler mustache, no less), not the interpretor. It's another "good Chinese vs. bad Japanese movie", but also has some subplot about Buddhist acupuncture.