For no other reason than because I felt like it, it's Bruce Lee Month here on the INCspotlight! Every Monday this March, I'll be reviewing one of Lee's movies (so if that's not your thing, I guess I'll see you back here in April).
Bruce Lee was born Lee Jun-fan in San Francisco on November 27th, 1940 (not only in the Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac, but also in the hour). His family relocated to Hong Kong three months later, right before the Japanese invaded. His father, Lee Hoi-chuen, was a famous star of Cantonese opera and film, and Bruce followed in his footsteps at a young age, appearing in a number of comedies as a kid and teenager, often as a rebellious roughneck. (That's right - Bruce Lee is a former child star.)
Cheng Chao-an (Bruce Lee) has just arrived in Thailand, where he's come to live with his cousins and work at an ice factory (since there's no work for them back in Hong Kong). Cheng wears a jade pendant around his neck as a reminder of a promise he made to his mother never to fight again, and that's all the backstory we get on that, although it's supposedly explained further in promotional materials. However, the ice factory is nothing more than a front for a drug-smuggling ring masterminded by Hsiao Mi (Han Ying-jie). More and more of Cheng's cousins and friends are done away with to cover up the factory's illicit activities, including his cousin Hsiu Chien (James Tien). When his lovely cousin Chiao Mei (Maria Yi) is kidnapped by Hsiao's son (Tony Liu), it falls to Cheng to avenge his family, rescue Chiao Mei, and destroy Hsiao Mi in a brutal fight.