View source for Game of Death

{{Short description|Incomplete Hong Kong film by Bruce Lee}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Game of Death
| native_name      = {{Infobox Chinese/Chinese|child=yes|hide=no|header=none
| t ={{linktext|死亡|的|遊戲}}
|l=Death Game
| s  = 死亡的遊戏
| p      = sǐwáng de yóuxì
| j    = sei2 mong4 dik1 jau4 hei3}}
| image        = <div class="center" style="width: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">'''''The Game of Death'''''</div><div class="center" style="width: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">'''''死'''''</div><div class="center" style="width: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">'''''亡'''''</div><div class="center" style="width: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">'''''的'''''</div><div class="center" style="width: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">'''''遊'''''</div><div class="center" style="width: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">'''''戲'''''</div><div class="center" style="width: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"></div>
| caption        = ''[https://imdb.com/title/tt0297814/mediaviewer/rm3085963776 Bruce Lee's script notes]'' 
| director       = [[Bruce Lee]]
| producer       = [[Raymond Chow]]<br />Bruce Lee
| writer         = Bruce Lee
| starring       = Bruce Lee<br />[[James Tien (actor)|James Tien]]<br />[[Chieh Yuan]]<br />[[Dan Inosanto]]<br />[[Ji Han-jae]]<br />[[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]<br />[[Hwang In-shik]]
| music          = [[Joseph Koo]]<br />[[Peter Thomas (composer)|Peter Thomas]]
| cinematography = [[Nishimoto Tadashi|Tadashi Nishimoto]]<br />Ho Lan Shan
| editing        = Peter Cheung
| studio         = [[Orange Sky Golden Harvest|Golden Harvest]]<br />[[Concord Production Inc.]]
| distributor    = Golden Harvest<br />[[Media Asia Group]]<br />Fortune Star Media<br />[[Arrow Films]]
| released       = {{Film date|fy=no|df=yes|2000|10|22|incomplete DVD release|2023|07|17|incomplete Arrow Video release}}
| runtime        = 40 minutes {{small|(incomplete)}}
| country        = Hong Kong
| language       = Cantonese<br />English
| budget         = $850,000<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Bruce |title=Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit |date=2012 |publisher=[[Pan Macmillan]] |isbn=978-0-283-07081-5 |page=224 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Az31YkYFG2MC&pg=PT224}}</ref>
}}
'''''Game of Death''''' ({{zh|t=死亡的遊戲}}) is an incomplete Hong Kong [[martial arts film]], of which portions were filmed between September and October 1972, and was planned and scheduled to be released by 1973, directed, written, produced by and starring [[Bruce Lee]]. The project was paused to film and produce ''[[Enter the Dragon]]''.  For ''Game of Death'', over 120 minutes of footage was shot.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sickels|first1=Robert C.|title=100 Entertainers Who Changed America: An Encyclopedia of Pop Culture Luminaries [2 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Pop Culture Luminaries|date=2013|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-1598848311|pages=347|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kXCjAQAAQBAJ|access-date=16 May 2022}}</ref> The remaining footage has since been released with Lee's original Cantonese and English dialogue, with John Little dubbing Lee's Hai Tien character as part of the documentary titled ''[[Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey]]''. Much of the footage that was shot is from what was to be the climax of the film.

During filming, Lee received an offer to star in ''[[Enter the Dragon]]'', the first [[kung fu film]] to be produced by a Hollywood studio ([[Warner Bros.]]), and with a budget unprecedented for the genre ($850,000). Lee died of [[cerebral edema]] before the film's release. At the time of his death, he had made plans to resume the filming of ''The Game of Death''. After Lee's death, ''Enter the Dragon'' director [[Robert Clouse]] was enlisted to finish the film using two stand-ins; it was released in 1978 as ''Game of Death'', five years after Lee's death, by Golden Harvest.

The story of Lee's original 1972 film involves Lee's character who, in order to save his siblings, is forced into joining a group of [[martial artists]] who have been hired to retrieve a stolen Chinese [[national treasure]]{{request quotation|date=June 2022}} from the top floor of a five-story [[pagoda]] in South Korea, with each floor guarded by martial artists who must be defeated while ascending the tower.<ref name="Polly"/>{{additional citation needed|date=June 2022}} The 1978 film's plot was altered to a revenge story, where the [[mafia]] attempts to kill Lee's character, who fakes his death and seeks vengeance against those who tried to kill him. The final part of the film uses some of Lee's original film footage, but with the pagoda setting changed to a restaurant building, where he fights martial artists hired by the mafia in an attempt to rescue his fiancée Ann Morris (played by [[Colleen Camp]]). This revised version received a mixed critical reception but was commercially successful, grossing an estimated {{US$|50,000,000|year=1978|round=-7}} worldwide.

It was an influential film that had a significant cultural impact. The original version's concept of ascending a tower while defeating enemies on each level was highly influential, inspiring numerous [[action films]] and [[video games]]. The film is also known for Lee's iconic yellow-and-black jumpsuit as well as his fight scene with [[NBA]] player and student [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]], both of which have been referenced in numerous media.

==Original film==
===Plot===
The original plot involves Lee playing the role of Hai Tien (海天), a retired champion martial artist who is confronted by Korean underworld gangs. They tell him the story of a pagoda where guns are prohibited. The pagoda is under heavy guard by highly skilled martial artists; they are protecting a stolen Chinese national treasure ([[MacGuffin|which is not identified at all in any surviving material]]) held on its top level.

The gang boss wants Hai to be a part of a group of martial artists he assembled, to help retrieve said item by fighting the guardians. This is the boss's second team he's sending; the first team he sent was nearly wiped out. They force the reluctant Hai to participate by abducting his two younger siblings. Along with four other martial artists (two played by [[James Tien (actor)|James Tien]] and [[Chieh Yuan]]), Hai battles his way up a five-level [[Beopjusa|pagoda]]. The team encounters a different, and stronger, challenge on each floor.

As originally scripted by Lee, Hai and company enter the temple grounds, where at the pagoda's base, they fight 10 Karate black belts. Inside the pagoda, Hai's team encounters a different opponent on each floor, each one more formidable than the last. The other fighters assisting Hai are handily defeated by the pagoda guardians, as they're not as skilled as Hai; the guardian in turn must be defeated by Hai.

At the pagoda raid, Hai's group was to fight 25 floor guardians: 
* [[Bolo Yeung]] (sensei), [[Lam Ching-ying]], [[Yuen Wah]], [[Unicorn Chan]], Bee Chan, Wu Ngan, and 14 others as '''The Twenty Black-Belt Karate Fighters''' – Ground Floor Guardians (was never filmed)
* [[Hwang In-shik]] as '''Korean Hapkido Master #1''' – 1st Floor Guardian, (only Ground Floor footage)
*  [[Taky Kimura]] as '''Praying Mantis-style Shih-fu''' – 2nd Floor Guardian (was never filmed either)
*  [[Dan Inosanto]] as '''Eskrima Filipina''' – 3rd Floor Guardian
*  [[Ji Han-jae]] as '''Korean Hapkido Master #2''' – 4th Floor Guardian
* [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] as '''Mantis''' – 5th Floor Guardian

Hai would defeat all 25 formidable masters after his follow raiders were taken down by each master of the floor, the last one being James Tien's character. He's beaten by the final guardian ([[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]), a giant fighter who fights with a free and fluid fighting style similar to Hai's [[Jeet Kune Do]]. Because of the guardian's great size and strength, in addition to his potent martial artistry, he can only be defeated when Hai recognizes and exploits his greatest weakness: an unusually [[Photosensitivity|high sensitivity to light]].<ref name="warriors">Little, John. Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey (book). McGraw-Hill. {{ISBN|0-8092-9722-1}}</ref>

Immediately after defeating the giant guardian, Hai turns around and descends the staircase heading out of the pagoda. Despite all the talk of something awaiting up top of the (now unguarded) flight of stairs, there is no mention of anyone going up to retrieve it. No surviving material explains how this affects Hai or his captive siblings.<ref name="game">[http://www.cityonfire.com/game-of-death-game-over/ ''Game Over!'' by Joe Kenney] Cityonfire.com 1 January 2011, JJ Bona</ref> An additional character would be played by [[George Lazenby]], being a spiritual guru involved in some sort of war who would help Hai at the end.<ref name="game"/>

===Production===
Although the pagoda was supposed to have five floors, complete scenes were only shot for three of the floors: the "Temple of the Tiger", where Lee faced Inosanto; the "Temple of the Dragon", where he fought Ji Han-jae; and the final floor, known as the "Temple of the Unknown", where he fought Abdul-Jabbar. Hapkido master [[Hwang In-shik]] was slated to play the guardian of the first floor, a master of a kick-oriented style, while Bruce's long-time student and good friend [[Taky Kimura]] was asked to play the guardian of the second floor, a stylist of praying mantis [[kung fu]].<ref name="warriors"/>

The goal of the film's plot was to showcase Lee's beliefs regarding the principles of martial arts. As each martial artist is defeated (including Lee's allies), the flaws in their fighting style are revealed. Some, like Dan Inosanto's character, rely too much on fixed patterns of offensive and defensive techniques, while others lack [[Jeet Kune Do#Economy of motion|economy of motion]]. Lee defeats his opponents by having a fighting style that involves fluid movement, unpredictability, and an eclectic blend of techniques. His dialogue often includes comments on their weaknesses.<ref name="game"/><ref name="warriors"/>

===''Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey''===
Several years later, Bruce Lee historian [[John Little (writer)|John Little]] released ''[[Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey]]'', a documentary revealing the original footage and storyline of ''The Game of Death''. The documentary also includes a fairly in-depth biography of Lee and leads into the filming of ''The Game of Death''. Originally meant to be a documentary in its own right, it can now be found on the second disc of the 2004 Special Edition DVD release of ''Enter the Dragon'', along with the documentary ''[[Bruce Lee: The Curse of the Dragon]]''.

===''Bruce Lee in G.O.D: Shibōteki Yūgi''===
In 2000, the Japanese film ''[[w:ja:Bruce Lee in G.O.D 死亡的遊戯|Bruce Lee in G.O.D 死亡的遊戯]]'' was released on DVD. This film shows Lee's original vision of the film through the existing footage that was shot for the film before he died, interviews, and historical re-enactments of what went on behind the scenes. A "special edition" DVD was released in 2003.

===Cast===
====Filmed cast====
* [[Bruce Lee]] as "Hai Tien" (also called "the Yellow-Faced Tiger")
* [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] as "Mantis, the 5th Floor Guardian"
* [[James Tien (actor)|James Tien]] as "Tien Da, the Second Fighter"
* [[Chieh Yuan]] as "Chieh, the Third Fighter" (doubled by [[Hwang In-shik]])
* [[Dan Inosanto]] as "Eskrima Filipina, the 3rd Floor Guardian"
* [[Ji Han-jae]] as "Hapkido Master, the 4th Floor Guardian"
* [[Hwang In-shik]] as "1st Floor Guardian" (only Ground Floor footage)
* [[Lee Kwan]] as "Mr. Kuan the Locksmith" (voice is heard at film's end)

====Unfilmed cast====
* [[Taky Kimura]] as "2nd Floor Guardian"
* [[Robert Wall]] as "Mr. Wall, the American Fighter and Hai Tien's ally"
* [[George Lazenby]] as "Hai Tien's master"
* [[Nora Miao]] as "Hai Tien's sister"
* Uncast Child Actor as "Hai Tien's brother"
* [[Carter Wong]] as "Mr. Wong"
* [[Shih Kien]] as "Crime Lord"
* [[Tony Liu]] as "Huang"
* [[Wan Kam-leung]] as "Lee Guo-hao, the Fifth Fighter"
* [[Betty Ting Pei]] as "Hai Tien's wife"
* [[Bolo Yeung]] as "Black Belt Karate Leader – Ground Floor"
* [[Lam Ching-ying]], [[Yuen Wah]], [[Unicorn Chan]], Bee Chan, Wu Ngan, and 14 others as "Black Belt Karate Fighters – Ground Floor"
* [[Han Ying-chieh]] as "Thug 1"
* [[Yuen Biao]] as "Thug 2"
* [[Alan Chui Chung-San]] as "Thug 3"
* [[Corey Yuen]] as "Thug 4"
* [[Jackie Chan]] as "Fan who asks for Hai Tien's autograph"

====Intended cast====
* [[Wong Shun-leung]] was originally approached to play the role of the [[Wing Chun]]-oriented 2nd Floor Guardian, but he declined, and was replaced by Taky Kimura.
* Robert Baker, student of Lee's, was considered for the role eventually given to [[Robert Wall]].<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20140104212735/http://www.thejkdbrotherhood.com/history-of-jkd/JKD-Brotherhood/JKD-Brotherhood/bob-baker-oakland-jkd.html

Roy Cullen, the JKD Brotherhood</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N9cDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12|title=Black Belt Times|date=September 1972|newspaper=[[Black Belt Magazine]]|publisher=Active Interest Media, Inc.|pages=12–|access-date=23 August 2011}}</ref>
* [[Sammo Hung]] had been cast as the Third Fighter, but by the time Lee was ready to film with him, Hung had moved on to another project; Chieh Yuan took the part in his stead.

==''Game of Death'' (1978 film)==
{{Infobox film
| name           = Game of Death
| native_name    = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes
| t = {{lang|zh-Hant|死亡遊戲}}
| s  = {{lang|zh-Hans|死亡游戏}}
|ci={{IPA|yue|se̬imɔ̏ːŋ jɐ̏uhēi}}
|mi={{IPAc-cmn|si|3|wang|2|-|you|2|x|i|4}}
|p= Sǐwáng Yóuxì 
|j= Sei5 Mong4 Jau4 Hei3}}
| image          = Gameofdeath.JPG
| alt            = 
| caption        = ''Game of Death'' film poster
| director       = [[Robert Clouse]]<br />[[Bruce Lee]] <small>(G.O.D. footage)<br /> (action)</small><br />[[Sammo Hung]] <small>(action)</small>
| producer       = [[Raymond Chow]]
| writer         = Jan Spears {{small|(Clouse/Chow)}}<br />Bruce Lee <small>(HK Version Opening Credit)</small>
| starring       = Bruce Lee<br />[[Gig Young]]<br />[[Dean Jagger]]<br />[[Colleen Camp]]<br />[[Kim Tai-chung|Kim Tai-jong]]<br />[[Yuen Biao]]<br />[[Robert Wall]]<br />[[Hugh O'Brian]]<br />[[Dan Inosanto]]<br />[[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]<br />[[Mel Novak]]<br />[[Sammo Hung]]<br />[[Ji Han-jae]]<br />[[Casanova Wong]]
| music          = [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]]<br />[[Joseph Koo]]
| cinematography = Ho Lan-shan<br />Godfrey A. Godar
| editing        = [[Alan Pattillo]]
| studio         = [[Orange Sky Golden Harvest|Golden Harvest]]
| distributor    = Golden Harvest {{small|(International)}}<br />Columbia Pictures {{small|(US theatrical)}}<br /> [[EMI Films]] {{small|United Kingdom theatrical}} <br/> [[20th Century Fox]] {{small|(NA home video), (Kosovo)}}<br />[[Star China Media|Fortune Star Media Ltd.]] {{small|(current)}}
| released       = {{Film date|1978|03|23|Hong Kong|1978|07|22|United Kingdom|1979|06|09|USA|df=y}}
| runtime        = 103 minutes {{small|(Int'l cut)}}<br />94 minutes {{small|(HK cut)}}<br />125 minutes {{small|(HK premiere)}} <br />100 minutes {{small|(US cut)}}
| language       = Cantonese<br />English
| country        = Hong Kong
| budget         = 
| gross          = US$50 million ({{estimation}})
}}

'''''Game of Death''''' is a 1978 [[Hong Kong action cinema|Hong Kong action film]] co-written (under the pseudonym ''Jan Spears'' alongside [[Raymond Chow]]) and directed by [[Robert Clouse]], with action directed by [[Sammo Hung]]. The film stars [[Bruce Lee]], with [[Kim Tai-chung|Kim Tai-jong]] and [[Yuen Biao]] as his stunt doubles, along with [[Gig Young]], [[Dean Jagger]], [[Colleen Camp]], [[Robert Wall]], [[Hugh O'Brian]], [[Dan Inosanto]], [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]], [[Mel Novak]], [[Sammo Hung]], [[Ji Han-jae]] and [[Casanova Wong]].

===Plot===
The 1978 version uses portions of the original footage married to an entirely new plot involving a new character, Billy Lo (盧比利), struggling against a [[racketeering]] "syndicate" after gaining international success as a martial arts movie star. When Billy refuses to be intimidated by syndicate henchman Steiner and his gangs of thugs, syndicate owner Dr. Land orders his assassination to serve as an example to others.

Disguised as a stuntman, Land's assassin, Stick ([[Mel Novak]]), sneaks onto the set of Billy's new film, and shoots Billy during filming. A fragment of the bullet passes through Billy's face, leaving him alive but in need of plastic surgery which alters his facial features. Billy takes the opportunity to fake his death and disguise himself, exacting revenge against those who wronged him one at a time. When the syndicate threatens and kidnaps his fiancée, Ann Morris ([[Colleen Camp]]), Billy is forced to come out of hiding to save her.

In the revised but chopped footage, Bruce Lee's fight scenes inside the pagoda are assumed to take place in the upper floors of the Red Pepper restaurant:
* [[Dan Inosanto]] as '''Pasqual''' – Lower Floor Guardian
* [[Ji Han-jae]] as '''Restaurant Fighter''' – Middle Floor Guardian
* [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] as '''Hakim''' –  Quarter Floor Guardian
* [[Hugh O'Brian]] as '''Steiner''' – Top Floor Guardian

Dr. Land ([[Dean Jagger]]) and his thugs have laid an ambush, but in the end, Billy survives the ambush, rescues Ann, and destroys each of the main mobsters one-by-one.

===Cast===
* [[Bruce Lee]] as "Billy Lo" (archive footage from incomplete first version)
** [[Kim Tai-chung|Kim Tai-jong]] as "Billy Lo" (doubling for Bruce Lee)
** [[Yuen Biao]] as "Billy Lo" (doubling for Bruce Lee in acrobatics){{efn|Yuen Biao also played a biker in a black jumpsuit in the film.}}
** Albert Sham as "Billy Lo" (doubling for Bruce Lee)
** Chris Kent as the English voice of "Billy Lo" (dubbing for Bruce Lee)
** Bruce Lee's actual battle cries are used in the Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese versions instead of Chris Kent's battle cry voice.
* [[Gig Young]] as "Jim Marshall"
* [[Dean Jagger]] as "Dr. Land"
* [[Colleen Camp]] as "Ann Morris"
* [[Hugh O'Brian]] as "Steiner"
* [[Robert Wall]] as "Carl Miller"
* [[Dan Inosanto]] as "Pasqual"
* [[Ji Han-jae]] as "Restaurant Fighter"
* [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] as "Hakim"
* [[Mel Novak]] as "Stick"
* [[Sammo Hung]] as "Lo Chen"
* [[James Tien (actor)|James Tien]] as "Charlie Wang" (US version) / "Fong Chun" (HK version)
* [[Roy Chiao]] as "(Uncle) Henry Lo" (US version only)
* [[Casanova Wong]] as "Lau Yea-chun" (HK version only)
* [[Chuck Norris]] as "Fighter in Film" (archive footage)
* [[Alan Chui Chung-San|Chui Chung-san]] (Assistant stunt double, also One of Dr. Land's Guard)
* [[Tony Leung Chiu-wai]]
* Billy McGill
* Jim James
* Russell Cawthorne
* [[Lam Ching-ying]]
* John Ladalski
* David Hu
* Don Barry
* Jess Hardie
* Eddie Dye
* Peter Nelson
* Peter Gee
* Peter Chan
* [[Cheung Wing-fat|Mars]] as one of Dr. Land's guards (extra)
* [[Lau Kar-wing]]
* [[Fung Hak-On]] as Thug Wearing The Yellow Suit Fighting in Henry Lo's Opera Place (US version only)
* Tai San
* Jason Williams
* Kim Schmidt as Scriptgirl

===Production===
The revised version of the film uses only 12 minutes and 41 seconds of the footage from the original ''The Game of Death'', and for the vast majority of the film, the role of Billy Lo was shared by Korean [[taekwondo]] master [[Kim Tai-chung|Kim Tai-jong]] and Hong Kong martial arts actor [[Yuen Biao]], and was voiced by Chris Kent. The plot of the film allowed Kim and Yuen to spend much of the film in disguises, usually involving false beards and large, dark sunglasses that obscured the fact that they bore little resemblance to Lee. Many scenes, including fight scenes, also included brief close-up bits of stock footage of the real Bruce Lee from his pre-''Enter the Dragon'' films, often only lasting a second or two. These clips are easily recognisable due to the difference in film quality between the old and new footage. At one point in the movie, real footage of Lee's corpse in his open-topped casket is used to show the character Billy Lo faking his death. There is even a scene taking place in Billy's dressing room where a cut-out of Lee's face was taped to a mirror, covering the stand-in's own face.

===Soundtrack===
The American score was composed by [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]]. The vocal theme song "Will This Be The Song I'll Be Singing Tomorrow?" was sung by [[Colleen Camp]].<ref>{{cite web |title=John Barry – Game of Death |date=1991 |url=https://www.discogs.com/John-Barry-Game-of-Death/release/10458213 |publisher=[[Discogs]] |access-date=22 June 2020}}</ref>

====Theme song====
; "Game of Death" ({{lang|zh-Hant|死亡遊戲}})
:* Lyrics: [[James Wong (lyricist)|James Wong]]
:* Composition and Arrangement: [[Joseph Koo]]
:* Performance: [[Roman Tam]]

===Release===
''Game of Death'' was released in Hong Kong on 23 March 1978. In the United States, the film was released by [[Columbia Pictures]] on 9 June 1979. The film was released in the Philippines by Asia Films on 15 December 1988.<ref>{{cite news|title=Grand Opening Today|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8cBNEdFwSQkC&dat=19881215&printsec=frontpage|access-date=16 January 2019|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Standard Publishing, Inc.|date=15 December 1988|page=16}}</ref>

====Box office====
The film was successful at the box office in Hong Kong (23 March 1978 release), grossing {{HK$|3,436,169}}.<ref name="allaboutmovies">{{cite web |title=Game Of Death Movie Poster Original Daybill 1981 Bruce Lee Kung Fu |url=https://www.allaboutmovies.com.au/index.php/poster-formats/day-bill-posters/item/84947-game-of-death-movie-poster-original-daybill-1981-bruce-lee-kung-fu |website=All About Movies |access-date=28 November 2018}}</ref> Within three weeks of its release (by 13 April 1978), the film grossed nearly {{US$|8 million}} in the [[Far East]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watson |first1=Albert |title=Missing the Biggest Kick of All |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/796806504/ |access-date=16 April 2022 |work=[[Liverpool Echo]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=6 June 1978 |page=6 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In Japan (14 April 1978 release), it became the eighth highest-grossing film of 1978 with [[distributor rental]] earnings of {{JPY|1.45 billion|link=yes}},<ref>{{cite journal |title=キネマ旬報ベスト・テン85回全史 1924-2011 |journal=[[Kinema Junpo]] |date=2012 |page=370 |language=ja}}</ref> equivalent to estimated box office gross receipts of approximately {{JPY|{{#expr:1.45*<!-- rental-to-BO ratio -->(160509/66113) round 2}} billion}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Statistics of Film Industry in Japan |url=http://www.eiren.org/statistics_e/index.html |website=Eiren |publisher=[[:ja:日本映画製作者連盟|Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan]] |year=1978 |access-date=17 February 2019 |quote=1978 (...) Box Office Gross Receipts (...) in millions of Yen (...) 160,509 (..) Distributor's Income (...) in millions of Yen (...) 66,113}}</ref> ({{US$|{{#expr:3520/210.44 round 1}} million}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) – Japan |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1978&locations=JP&start=1977 |website=[[World Bank]] |access-date=28 May 2020}}</ref> In South Korea (May 1978 release), it sold 281,591 tickets in the capital city of [[Seoul]],<ref name="korea">{{cite web|title=KOFIC 영화관 입장권 통합전산망|url=http://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/mast/mvie/searchMovieList.do|website=[[Korean Film Council]]|date=September 2018|access-date=8 November 2018|language=ko}}</ref> equivalent to an estimated gross revenue of approximately {{KRW|link=yes}}{{formatnum:{{#expr:281591*1200}}|}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Park |first=Seung Hyun |title=A Cultural Interpretation of Korean Cinema, 1988-1997 |date=2000 |publisher=[[Indiana University]] |page=119 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ilEeAQAAMAAJ |quote=Average Ticket Prices in Korea, 1974-1997 [...] * Source: Korea Cinema Yearbook (1997-1998) * Currency: won [...] Foreign [...] 1978 [...] 1,200}}</ref> ({{US$|{{#expr:337909200/484 round 0}}|long=yes}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (KRW per US$, period average) |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1978&locations=KR&start=1974 |website=[[World Bank]] |year=1978 |access-date=7 December 2018}}</ref>

In the United States (1979 release), the film earned millions of [[United States dollar]]s in its first few weeks,<ref>{{cite news |title=Even After Death, Bruce Lee Draws Small But Loyal Group of Fans |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/albert-lea-evening-tribune-jul-25-1979-p-27/ |access-date=15 April 2022 |work=[[Albert Lea Evening Tribune]] |via=[[NewspaperArchive]] |date=25 July 1979 |page=27 |url-access=subscription |quote=A new film, "The Game of Death," was released a few weeks ago, even though Lee had completed only 15 to 30 minutes of footage when he died. It was completed by doubles, and already has earned millions.}}</ref> and went on to earn about {{US$|5 million}} in [[theatrical rental]]s,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=David A. |title=Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979 |date=2002 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=978-0-520-23265-5 |page=270 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HVygqYMVP2wC&pg=PA270}}</ref> equivalent to estimated [[box office]] gross receipts of approximately {{US$|{{#expr:5*(100/37.8) round 0}} million}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Vogel |first1=Harold L.  |chapter=Table 3.4. Motion picture theater industry statistics, 1965-2009 |title=Entertainment Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis |date=2010 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-139-49732-9 |pages=88–9 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BfyFFCyRvX0C&pg=PA88 |quote=1979 (...) MPAA U.S. rentals % of BO (...) 37.8}}</ref> In France, it was the 14th highest-grossing film of 1978 with 2,256,892 ticket sales,<ref>{{cite web |title=Charts – LES ENTREES EN FRANCE |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/charts_france.php?filtre=datefr&variable=1978 |website=JP's Box-Office |language=fr |access-date=28 November 2018 |archive-date=29 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129100259/http://www.jpbox-office.com/charts_france.php?filtre=datefr&variable=1978 |url-status=dead }}</ref> equivalent to an estimated gross revenue of approximately {{Currency|{{#expr:2256892*2.7 round 0}}|code=Euro|linked=yes}}<ref name="Europe">{{cite book |chapter=Cinema market |title=Cinema, TV and radio in the EU: Statistics on audiovisual services (Data 1980-2002) |date=2003 |publisher=[[Office for Official Publications of the European Communities]] |isbn=92-894-5709-0 |issn=1725-4515 |pages=31–64 (61) |edition=2003 |chapter-url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3217494/5648553/KS-BT-03-001-EN.PDF/3758081d-5ae4-4e21-9d78-fca7bcc68d5c#page=67 |website=[[Europa (web portal)|Europa]] |access-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> (US$8,264,929).<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical currency converter with official exchange rates (€6,093,608) |url=https://fxtop.com/en/historical-currency-converter.php?A=6093608&C1=EUR&C2=USD&DD=31&MM=12&YYYY=1978 |website=fxtop.com |date=31 December 1978 |access-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> In Germany, the film sold 750,513 tickets (575,000 tickets in 1978<ref>{{cite web |title=Charts – LES ENTREES EN ALLEMAGNE |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/charts_allemagne.php?filtre=dateall&variable=1978 |website=JP's Box-Office |language=fr |access-date=28 November 2018 |archive-date=29 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129054327/http://www.jpbox-office.com/charts_allemagne.php?filtre=dateall&variable=1978 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and 175,513 tickets in 1981),<ref>{{cite web |title=Die erfolgreichsten Filme in Deutschland 1981 |url=https://www.insidekino.com/DJahr/D1981.htm |website=Inside Kino |language=de |access-date=11 June 2020}}</ref> equivalent to an estimated gross revenue of approximately {{Currency|{{#expr:750513*2.5 round 0}}|code=Euro|linked=no}}<ref name="Europe"/> (US$2,544,854).<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical currency converter with official exchange rates (€1,876,283) |url=https://fxtop.com/en/historical-currency-converter.php?A=1876283&C1=EUR&C2=USD&DD=31&MM=12&YYYY=1978 |website=fxtop.com |date=31 December 1978 |access-date=23 May 2020}}</ref> In Spain, the film sold 1,112,793 tickets,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Soyer |first1=Renaud |title=Bruce Lee Box Office |url=http://www.boxofficestory.com/box-office-bruce-lee-c23465174 |website=Box Office Story |date=28 January 2013 |language=fr |access-date=30 June 2020}}</ref> equivalent to an estimated gross revenue of approximately {{Currency|{{#expr:1112793*1.3 round 0}}|code=Euro|linked=no}}<ref name="Europe"/> (US$1,962,106).<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical currency converter with official exchange rates (€1,446,631) |url=https://fxtop.com/en/historical-currency-converter.php?A=1446631&C1=EUR&C2=USD&DD=31&MM=12&YYYY=1978 |website=fxtop.com |date=31 December 1978 |access-date=23 May 2020}}</ref>

Combined, the film grossed a total estimated worldwide box office revenue of approximately {{US$|{{#expr:8000000+16700000+698160+13000000+8264929+2544854+1112793}}|long=yes|year=1978|round=-7}}

====Critical reception====
This version of the film received a mixed critical reception, holding a 46% [[Rotten Tomatoes]] score.<ref>{{cite web |title=Game of Death|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1008085_game_of_death |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=27 November 2018}}</ref> Criticism of the revised version included the inclusion of scenes that could be considered in bad taste, such as the incorporation of footage of Lee's actual funeral. Another scene, often pointed out by critics of the film, involved a shot of Kim looking at himself in the mirror, with an obvious cardboard cut-out of Lee's face pasted onto the mirror's surface.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/with-a-whimper-not-a-bang-15-particularly-depressing-1798217038|title=With a whimper, not a bang: 15 particularly depressing cinematic swan songs from talented actors|date=22 June 2009|website=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref>

Upon its North American release, Cecilia Blanchfield in ''[[The Calgary Herald]]'' rated it three stars, praising the climactic fight scenes as "Bruce Lee at his best" while criticizing the "abysmal" writing and "clumsily executed" production up until then, calling the film a "poor tribute to a remarkably talented man."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Blanchfield |first1=Cecilia |title=Game of Death: milking the Bruce Lee legend |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/482557766/ |access-date=18 April 2022 |work=[[The Calgary Herald]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |date=1 June 1979 |page=25}}</ref>

Bey Logan points out a few logic issues with the 1978 film. In order for the henchmen to remain low key, they should be wearing more casual clothes instead of the multicolored tracksuits seen at various parts of the film. But as a rationale, this explains why Lee wears the yellow tracksuit. Also, during the fight between Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the scene near the vase in Logan's opinion appears to look choppy, along with the short fight with Hugh O'Brian. In the first half of the English version, during the fight sequences, Lee is seen to be beaten down instead of making short work of the henchmen.

''Game of Death'' could be considered more accessible to Western audiences than Lee's previous films. Compared to other Bruce Lee films like ''[[The Big Boss]]'', ''[[Fist of Fury]]'', and ''[[The Way of the Dragon]]'', ''Game of Death'' has more Western characters and the story structure is more straightforward and less culturally specific to Asia.<ref name="GameofDeath">{{cite video | title = ''Game of Death'', Bey Logan audio commentary disc one (DVD featurette) | medium = DVD | publisher = [[Hong Kong Legends]], UK |date = 2001}}</ref><ref>Graeme Clark, [http://www.thespinningimage.co.uk/cultfilms/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=2051 Game of Death review], ''The Spinning Image''</ref>

==''Game of Death Redux'' (2019)==
On 19 July 2019, timed with the 46th death anniversary of Bruce Lee, producer Alan Canvan premiered a newly edited version of Lee's ''Game of Death'' at the Asian American/Asian Research Institute in [[New York City]], with biographer [[Matthew Polly]] joining Canvan in discussing the film and answering audience questions.<ref name="AAARI">{{cite web|author1=Canvan, Alan |author2=Polly, Matthew|title=Bamboo, Nunchucks & Dirty Footprints: A Retrospective of Bruce Lee's 'Game of Death' |url=https://aaari.info/19-07-19canvan/|website=Asian American / Asian Research Institute|date=19 July 2019|access-date=14 April 2020}}</ref> The ''Redux'' edit only uses footage shot during the original production, while combining the score composed by [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]] for the 1978 version.<ref name="AAARI"/> It also restores dialogues that were missing in the 1978 version of ''Game of Death''.<ref>{{cite web|last=C|first=Alan|title=Bamboo, Nunchucks & Dirty Footprints|url=https://www.36styles.com/kungfufandom/index.php?/topic/25013-bamboo-nunchucks-dirty-footprints/|website=Kung Fu Fandom|access-date=14 April 2020|page=1|date=12 June 2019}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The film was released as a special feature (standard definition) in [[The Criterion Collection]]'s Blu-ray box set of Bruce Lee films on 14 July 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits|url=https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/3205-bruce-lee-his-greatest-hits|website=[[The Criterion Collection]]|publisher=The Criterion Collection|access-date=14 April 2020}}</ref>

== ''The Final Game of Death'' (2023) ==
On 17 July 2023, [[Arrow Films]] released a 4K UHD/Blu-ray box set covering Bruce Lee's films at Golden Harvest.<ref>{{Citation |title=Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest 4K Blu-ray |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=32463 |access-date=2023-07-19}}</ref> Included in the set is a 223-minute documentary on the production of ''Game of Death''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Final Game of Death |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-final-game-of-death-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdezmzm0 |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=bbfc.co.uk}}</ref> The documentary includes all two hours of footage shot for the project by Lee before his death, restored from an interpositive.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-12 |title=Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest 4K Blu-ray Review |url=https://www.avforums.com/reviews/bruce-lee-at-golden-harvest-4k-blu-ray-review.20955/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=AVForums}}</ref> The documentary also includes an assembly of the footage, alongside a newly filmed introduction to cover the plot elements that were never shot.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1655896486045970432|user=jamesflowerfilm|title=This may be controversial: we also dabbled in some Bruceploitation of our own by filming a short prologue that condenses the pre-pagoda exposition Bruce never got to film.|author=James Flower|date=2023-05-09}}</ref>

==Legacy==
===Other ''Game of Death'' films===
After the death of Bruce Lee, several studios exploited the situation by making their own versions of ''Game of Death'' based on what they had learned of the story from production stills and magazine articles. Some of these films pre-dated Robert Clouse's official ''Game of Death'' (1978).
* The Game of Death! (1974)
* ''[[Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Enter the Game of Death]]'' (1978)
* ''[[The True Game of Death]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Game of Death II]]'' (''Tower of Death'') (1981)
: Clouse's film had a sequel in 1981, ''Game of Death II'', a kung fu action mystery film directed by [[Ng See-yuen]] which used cut footage from Lee's ''[[Enter the Dragon]]'' to have him make an appearance in the beginning of the film, only to be killed off midway, allowing his on-screen brother to take on the role of protagonist. Aside from the international English dub giving the "Bruce Lee" character the name [[Billy Lo]], this movie appears to have no connection with Clouse's film.

Wong Jing's film ''[[City Hunter (film)|City Hunter]]'' has a similar premise for a scene. [[Jackie Chan]] as Ryu Saeba takes on two tall black men, and the film uses clips of Lee's fight scene against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to get the better of the two.

===Influence===
The original film's concept of ascending a tower while defeating enemies on each level was highly influential, inspiring numerous [[action films]] and [[video games]].<ref name="Polly">{{cite book |last1=Polly |first1=Matthew |title=Bruce Lee: A Life |date=4 June 2019 |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |isbn=978-1-5011-8763-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5bGWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA381}}</ref>

====Film====
Italian film scholars Simone Bedetti and Lorenzo De Luca identified ''Game of Death'' as an early example of what they call the "arcade movie" genre of [[action films]]. These "arcade movies" have three characteristic elements: the achievement of a ''goal'', passing a series of ''levels'', and ascending through a ''path'' (whether physical or symbolic). This is presented in ''Game of Death'' as Lee going up higher floors while facing increasingly dangerous opponents as he ascends the tower. Later examples of action films which Bedetti and De Luca identify as "arcade movies" include Bruce Lee's own ''Enter the Dragon'', the [[Bruce Willis]] movie ''[[Die Hard]]'' (1988), [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'' (1989), [[Paul W. S. Anderson]]'s ''[[Mortal Kombat (1995 film)|Mortal Kombat]]'' (1995), and the [[Jean-Claude Van Damme]] movie ''[[Sudden Death (1995 film)|Sudden Death]]'' (1995).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bedetti |first1=Simone |last2=Luca |first2=Lorenzo De |title=Il cinema secondo Van Damme: l'evoluzione del cinema d'azione da Bruce Lee a Bruce Willis |trans-title=Cinema according to Van Damme: the evolution of action cinema from Bruce Lee to Bruce Willis |date=2000 |publisher=[[Castelvecchi]] |isbn=978-88-8210-185-5 |page=71 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eSGNMOlAzo8C&pg=PA71 |language=it |quote=Van Damme si era cimentato nei filoni più in voga del ''techno action'', adattandosi alle nuove esigenze di Hollywood – con l'apparente complicità dei producttori – e allontanandosi dai personaggi che gli avevano regalato la fama per aderire al nuovo corso hollywoodiano e seguire il genere nel «definitivo», filone dell{{'}}''arcade movie''. (...) Il gioco immortale (...) In ''The Game of Death'' (''L'ultimo combattimento di Chen'', 1973/1978, di Robert Clouse), salendo a piani superiori, Billy Lo affronta avversari sempre più pericolosi; in ''Enter the Dragon'', Lee deve sconfiggere in un torneo gli avversari più terribili con prove sempre più ardite; in ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' (''Indiana Jones e l'ultima crociata'', 1989, di Steven Spielberg) Indiana Jones deve affrontare un serie di prove sempre più dure per conquistare il Santo Graal; in Die Hard, John McClane deve superare livelli sempre più arditi salendo e scendendo dentro lo spazio chiuso di un grattacielo; in ''Mortal Kombat'' (Id., 1994, di Paul Anderson) – tratto da un videocioco – vincere il torneo diventa l'unico modo per salvare il mondo; in ''Sudden Death'' (...) Tutti questi film sono caratterizzati da tre elementi fondamentali: 1) il raggiungimeno di un ''obiettivo''; 2) il superamento di ''livello''; 3) il percoso di ascesa (spaztiele e/o simbolico). Questi tre elementi contraddistinguono l{{'}}''arcade movie''.}}</ref>

''[[The Raid (2011 film)|The Raid]]'', a 2011 [[Indonesian film]], was influenced by ''Game of Death''. It has a similar plot structure, set in a single main location, a grungy high-rise building, with grunts at the bottom and the big boss at the top.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singer |first1=Matt |title='The Raid' is Like a Video Game, Apparently |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2012/03/the-raid-is-like-a-video-game-apparently-130144/ |access-date=20 July 2020 |work=[[IndieWire]] |date=23 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Franich |first1=Darren |title='The Raid 2' and the death of the Hollywood Action Movie |url=https://ew.com/article/2014/04/03/entertainment-geekly-the-raid-2-death-of-hollywood-action-movies/ |access-date=20 July 2020 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]  |date=3 April 2014}}</ref> This ''Game of Death'' formula was also used in the film ''[[Dredd (film)|Dredd]]'' (2012) and appeared in an episode of ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gill |first1=Patrick |title=Street Fighter and basically every fighting game exist because of Bruce Lee |url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/2020/9/24/21440150/bruce-lee-movies-street-fighter-fighting-games |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |access-date=24 March 2021 |date=24 September 2020}}</ref>

Several films pay homage to the fight scene between Bruce Lee and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The scene is parodied in two [[Jackie Chan]] films, ''[[City Hunter (film)|City Hunter]]'' (1993) where Chan fights two tall black men,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hunt |first1=Leon |title=Kung Fu Cult Masters |date=2003 |publisher=[[Wallflower Press]] |isbn=978-1-903364-63-5 |page=78 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=36vMAQPlPRoC&pg=PA78}}</ref> and ''[[Rush Hour 3]]'' (2007) which reverses it by having a shorter [[African-American]] man [[Chris Tucker]] fight a taller Chinese basketballer [[Sun Mingming]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecTPwICYeBU |title=How Bruce Lee Changed the World |date=17 May 2009 |type=television documentary |publisher=[[History Channel]] / [[Discovery Channel]] |access-date=16 May 2022 |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> The [[Keanu Reeves]] film ''[[John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum]]'' (2019) pays homage in a scene featuring [[NBA]] [[basketball]] player [[Boban Marjanović]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rottenberg |first1=Josh |title=How the 'John Wick 3' team and an NBA player pulled off that fight in a library |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-john-wick-3-fight-breakdown-20190518-story.html |access-date=20 July 2020 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=18 May 2019}}</ref> The French film ''[[La Tour Montparnasse Infernale]]'' (2001) parodies the scene when [[Ramzy Bedia]] fights with Bô Gaultier de Kermoal, wearing the same costumes as Lee and Abdul-Jabbar.

[[William Zabka]] referenced ''Game of Death'' during his audition for the role of [[Johnny Lawrence (character)|Johnny Lawrence]] in ''[[The Karate Kid]]'' (1984), when the director [[John Avildsen]] asked him "how old are you? You're a little bigger than our karate kid." Zabka responded, "Bruce Lee was smaller than Kareem Abdul Jabbar, but he beat him" in reference to ''Game of Death'', to which Avildsen responded "Yeah, that's true." That convinced Avildsen to cast Zabka for the role.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nemiroff |first1=Perri |title='Cobra Kai's William Zabka Teases Interest in Directing an Episode, Revisits Working on 'How I Met Your Mother' and More |url=https://collider.com/cobra-kai-season-4-william-zabka-interview-how-i-met-your-mother/ |access-date=22 February 2022 |work=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |date=2 June 2021}}</ref>

====Video games====
The plot structure of ''Game of Death'', where a series of martial arts opponents each have a weakness that must be discovered and exploited, established the "end-of-level [[Boss (video games)|boss]]" structure used by [[beat 'em up]] games for decades.<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite news |last1=Stuart |first1=Keith |title=Bruce Lee, UFC and why the martial arts star is a video game hero |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/09/bruce-lee-ea-sports- |access-date=20 July 2020 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=9 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="polygon">{{cite web |last1=Leone |first1=Matt |title=Street Fighter 1: An oral history |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/7/21270906/street-fighter-1-oral-history-takashi-nishiyama |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |access-date=16 July 2020 |date=7 July 2020}}</ref> This structure first crossed over into video games with the 1984 [[arcade game]] ''[[Kung-Fu Master (video game)|Kung-Fu Master]]'', which established the [[beat 'em up]] genre.<ref name="The Tao of Beat-'em-ups">{{cite web |last1=Spencer |first1=Spanner |title=The Tao of Beat-'em-ups |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/the-tao-of-beat-em-ups-article?page=2 |access-date=20 July 2020 |work=[[Eurogamer]] |date=6 February 2008 |page=2}}</ref><ref name="The Guardian"/> ''Kung Fu Master'' was initially released as ''Spartan X'' in Japan, as a [[tie-in]] for the 1984 [[Jackie Chan]] film ''[[Wheels on Meals]]'' (titled ''Spartan X'' in Japan), before an international release as ''Kung-Fu Master'' (sans ''Spartan X'' license).<ref name="The Tao of Beat-'em-ups"/> Its boss battle gameplay also became the basis for [[fighting games]] such as ''[[Street Fighter]]'' (1987).<ref name="polygon"/> ''Kung-Fu Master'' also inspired ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' (1985),<ref name="Miyamoto">{{cite AV media |people=[[Shigeru Miyamoto]] |date=December 2010 |title=Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary – Interview with Shigeru Miyamoto #2 |language=Japanese |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNa0M1gymgA  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/DNa0M1gymgA |archive-date=2021-12-22 |url-status=live|publisher=[[Nintendo Channel]] |access-date=12 April 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> the [[Red Ribbon Army]] saga (1985–1986) in the [[manga]] and [[anime]] series ''[[Dragon Ball]]'',<ref>{{cite book |script-title=ja:DRAGON BALL 大全集 2: STORY GUIDE|year=1995|publisher=[[Shueisha]]|pages=261–265|language=ja|isbn=4-08-782752-6|url=https://www.kanzenshuu.com/translations/daizenshuu-2-akira-toriyama-super-interview/}}</ref> and the French film ''[[Kung Fu Master (film)|Kung Fu Master]]'' (1988).<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |author1-link=Roger Ebert |title=Kung-fu master! |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kung-fu-master-1989 |website=[[RogerEbert.com]] |date=17 November 1989 |access-date=16 March 2021}}</ref>

====Comics====
The [[superhero]] [[Shang-Chi]] was created as a result of the kung-fu craze started by Bruce Lee in 1973, with artist [[Paul Gulacy]] using Lee as a visual inspiration for Shang-Chi.  The "Game of Rings" storyline from the comic series ''Shang-Chi and the [[Mandarin's rings#Ten Rings (Ta-Lo)|Ten Rings]]'' was inspired by ''Game of Death''.

===Yellow-and-black jumpsuit===
The yellow-and-black [[jumpsuit]] which Lee wore in the film has come to be seen as something of a trademark for the actor, and is paid homage to in numerous other media. In the Clouse-directed remake, the filmmakers rationalised its presence by including a scene where Billy Lo disguises himself as one of Dr. Land's motorcycle-riding thugs, who all wear striped jumpsuits.

In the warehouse scene, Billy Lo wears a pair of yellow Adidas shoes with black stripes and white shelltoes. Towards the end of the film, Billy wears a pair of yellow [[Onitsuka Tiger]] shoes, with black stripes. This is because the real Bruce Lee wore the latter when he was filming, and the double wore the former in the 1978 version to resemble his shoes.

In the Lee-directed unfinished version, the jumpsuit should portray personal freedom in the art of combat, without being bounded to a certain fighting style. The cinematic explanation for its presence was the nickname of Hai Tien, Yellow-Faced [[Tiger]], because his fighting outfit and shoes resemble the colours of a Tiger. Over the years, there were many speculations about the colour of the jumpsuit and its meaning. According to [[Andre Morgan]] from Golden Harvest, they had a yellow suit with black bars and a black suit with yellow bars. Lee first chose the black suit, but changed it to the yellow because Abdul-Jabbar's footprints were better visible on it.

====Film====
* [[Uma Thurman]] wears a similar suit in ''[[Kill Bill: Volume 1]]'' when she travels to Japan to take on an underworld boss and assassin played by [[Lucy Liu]]. In homage to both the film and the remake, Thurman wears a two-piece suit and the Onitsuka Tiger sneakers as part of her motorcycle-riding gear, and keeps the suit on during her battle with Liu and her gang, the Crazy 88.
* In ''[[Shaolin Soccer]]'', a similar suit is worn by the goalie "Empty Hand" ([[Danny Chan Kwok-kwan]]), who resembles Lee.
* In the [[Jet Li]] film ''[[High Risk (1995 film)|High Risk]]'', [[Jacky Cheung]] plays an [[action film]] star who is losing his fighting ability due to his cowardice and drunkenness. When he regains his courage at the end of the film, he wears a copy of the yellow tracksuit. The role is generally felt to be a parody of [[Jackie Chan]], but the references to Bruce Lee are also obvious.
* The 1985 film ''[[The Last Dragon]]'', produced by [[Motown]] founder [[Berry Gordy]], centred around a Bruce Lee fan, portrayed by [[Taimak]], in search of reaching martial arts enlightenment who instructed his students wearing the same tracksuit.
* In ''[[Revenge of the Nerds]]'', [[Brian Tochi]]'s character, Toshiro Takashi, wears the yellow jumpsuit while riding a tricycle during the inter-Greek competitions.
* In the live-action ''[[City Hunter (film)|City Hunter]]'' film (directed by [[Wong Jing]]), the scene in which [[Jackie Chan]] dispatches his own taller opponents references Lee's fight with Abdul-Jabbar.
* In ''[[Police Story 4: First Strike]]'', [[Jackie Chan]] wears a similar suit that he gets from a wardrobe of an hotel room, claiming that he is a dry cleaner to the owner, with the same colors and the left and right black line.
* In ''[[Finishing the Game]]'', Breeze Loo, played by [[Roger Fan]], wears a yellow and black striped jumpsuit.
* In the 2011 [[British comedy]] film ''[[On the Ropes (2011 film)|On the Ropes]]'', writer and director [[Mark Noyce]] added a scene in homage to his idol [[Bruce Lee]] which featured Mick Western (played by [[Ben Shockley]]) wearing a yellow tracksuit.

====Music====
* A short promotional video for the virtual band [[Gorillaz]] showed the fictional animated guitarist Noodle taking on a pack of thugs while dressed in the tracksuit and imitating Lee's fighting style. Noodle also wore the suit in the ''Game of Death'' short clip from ''[[Phase One: Celebrity Take Down]]''.
* The band [[Sugar Ray]], in their video for the single "[[When It's Over (Sugar Ray song)|When It's Over]]", included a segment in which one of its band members ([[Rodney Sheppard]], [[Guitarist]]) fantasizes about having a kung fu battle similar to the fight scene between Lee and [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]. The band member wears Lee's tracksuit, his opponent wears a beard, clothes and sunglasses similar to Abdul-Jabbar's, and the video duplicates the scene in which a seated Kareem kicks Lee in the chest, knocking him down and leaving a huge footprint on his chest.
* Avant-garde guitarist [[Buckethead]] released a cover of "Game of Death" in 2006.<ref>[http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=56820 BUCKETHEAD Covers 'Game Of Death': Audio Available – 21 August 2006] Blabbermouth.net</ref> He also wore a yellow tracksuit while playing live and performed with [[nunchaku]]s on stage.
* American band [[Far East Movement]]'s song "Satisfaction"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNCvu4ssIYg|title=Far East Movement-Satisfaction|via=[[YouTube]] }}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref> featured the yellow jumpsuits in the song's music video; said song was the soundtrack to the 2007 [[mockumentary]] ''[[Finishing the Game]]''.
* Canadian hard rock duo [[Indian Handcrafts]]' song "Bruce Lee" uses the film as lyrical inspiration, while the music video features the two band members performing an over-the-top fight scene, with guitarist Daniel Brandon Allen wearing the signature yellow jumpsuit.
* In the music video for the [[Iggy Azalea]] song "[[Black Widow (Iggy Azalea song)|Black Widow]]" (featuring [[Rita Ora]]), based on ''[[Kill Bill]]'', Azalea wears a white & black tracksuit and Ora wears a black & red tracksuit. Both suits resemble [[Uma Thurman]]'s version of the tracksuit.
* In the video for [[Black Label Society]]'s 2009 song "Overlord", frontman [[Zakk Wylde]] wears the iconic tracksuit, and the video pays humorous homage to the film.

====Manga and anime====
* In the ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' episode "The Mendo Family's Masquerade War", [[Ataru Moroboshi|Ataru]] wears a yellow tracksuit with black stripes while trying to court Mendou's sister, who is sporting nunchakus. Both Ataru's yellow tracksuit and the Mendou sister's nunchakus are a homage to Bruce Lee.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://lum-chan.bbox.org/eps-guide/81-90.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20000516065505/http://lum-chan.bbox.org/eps-guide/81-90.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=2000-05-16 | title=Episode 81-90}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://forum.lum-chan.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=69c683315fecb1bc88ab48bd4e4592f0&topic=517.new#new | title=Redirecting: The World of Urusei Yatsura's Lum | access-date=10 July 2006 | archive-date=9 October 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009131716/http://forum.lum-chan.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=69c683315fecb1bc88ab48bd4e4592f0&topic=517.new#new | url-status=dead }}</ref>
* In the anime/manga ''[[Tenjho Tenge]]'', there is a short appearance of a character named "Inosato Dan" who is the leader of the "Jun Fan Gung Fu club" (Jun Fan is Bruce Lee's Chinese name). He resembles Bruce Lee very much, and wears the jumpsuit. However, in the anime the colors of the jumpsuit are switched to a black suit with yellow stripes.
* Duel No. 25 of the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' manga features some references to Bruce Lee. [[Yugi Mutou|Yugi]]'s fighting-game character of choice is a Bruce Lee clone called Bruce Ryu. His opponent, the villain of the chapter, wears the yellow jumpsuit and calls his fight with Jonouchi a "Game of Death". The subsequent "Death-T" arc then follows a similar structure to the movie with Yugi fighting his way up to the top stage where he has a one on one bout with [[Seto Kaiba]].
* The second episode of the anime series ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'', "Stray Dog Strut", further pays homage with the episode's main antagonist being named Abdul Hakim (after [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]'s character) and bearing a strikingly similar appearance.
* The character Mr. Tanaka from ''[[Sonic X]]'' wears the suit in an episode.
* The character Sasshi from the anime ''[[Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi]]'' also gets a uniform called the Game of Death suit, later imitating Lee in both appearance and mannerisms.
* Another reference is found in ''[[Great Teacher Onizuka]]'' in which the main character, Onizuka Eikichi, wears the same suits when performing feats of strength like breaking a baseball bat with a kick in front of his class.
* In episode 18 of the anime ''[[Gintama]]'', Kagura wears a suit similar to Bruce's suit in this movie.
* The cover for the third volume of the American DVD release of the anime ''[[Pani Poni#Anime|PaniPoni Dash!]]'' features the main character [[List of Pani Poni characters#Main characters (Class 1-C)|Rebecca Miyamoto]] wearing a track suit similar to Bruce Lee's. The subtitle for the DVD, "Class of Death", also pays homage to ''Game of Death''.
* In episode 20 of ''[[Hayate the Combat Butler]]'', Hayate asks Maria if she knows "the art of assassination". She denies it, but Hayate does not believe her and Nagi imagines what Maria would look like wearing a yellow jumpsuit and holding nunchucks.
* In episode 11 of ''[[HeartCatch PreCure!]]'', the guest characters for the episode, brothers Masato Sakai and Yoshito Sakai, both wear the yellow tracksuit. Masato Sakai styles himself as a Kung Fu master and his brother is his pupil.
* In episode 23 of ''[[Kuromukuro]]'', the character Shenmei Liu wore a yellow tracksuit and does a flying kick similar to Bruce Lee's when her friends were filming a movie.
* In episode 8 of ''[[Akiba's Trip#Anime|Akiba's Trip: The Animation]]'', the character Arisa Ahokainen wore a yellow tracksuit during her training days with her master.
* In episode 10 of ''[[Seton Academy: Join the Pack!]]'', one of the impala species wore a yellow tracksuit.
* In episode 8 of ''[[Tonikaku Kawaii]]'', during the sightseeing in Nara, Tsukasa and Nasa were having a conversation that has a reference of Bruce Lee's ''Game of Death'' similar to the theatrical poster.
* When cosplaying the character Hong Kong from the anime series ''[[Hetalia Axis Powers]]'', fans love to portray him wearing the yellow tracksuit.

====Cartoons====
* In "Karate Island", a fourth-season episode of ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' (which is itself a take-off of ''Game of Death''), [[Sandy Cheeks]] wears a yellow tracksuit similar to Bruce's.
* The character [[List of characters in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy#Mandy|Mandy]] from ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy]]'' wore a yellow jumpsuit in the episode "[[List of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy episodes#Season 6 (2006–07)|Modern Primitives / Giant Billy and Mandy All-Out Attack]]". The episode also had parodies of ''[[Akira (manga)|Akira]]'' (Mandy drives a bike similar to Kaneda's in the series), the ''[[Godzilla]]'' franchise (there are several giant monsters that parody monsters from the franchise including the name of the episode) and ''[[Kill Bill]]'' (a check-off list plus a red-screened close-up mimicking the [[The Bride (Kill Bill)|Bride]]).
* A game sprite resembling an Asian man can be seen wearing Bruce Lee's yellow suit during the first and third seasons of ''[[ReBoot]]''.
* A Gorillabite from the band [[Gorillaz]] is titled ''Game of Death''. In the bite, [[Noodle (Gorillaz)|Noodle]], the guitarist, dons the yellow tracksuit to take on Russel.
* Episode 100 of the 2003 ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' cartoon depicts [[Splinter (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Master Splinter]]'s former owner, Hamato Yoshi, wearing the yellow tracksuit.
* In ''[[The Boondocks (TV series)|The Boondocks]]'' episode "[[Let's Nab Oprah]]", [[Oprah Winfrey|Oprah]]'s bodyguard Bushido Brown is seen as a reference to [[Jim Kelly (martial artist)|Jim Kelly]]'s character Williams in ''Enter the Dragon''. Brown also tells the main protagonist [[Huey Freeman]] "You come straight out of a comic book", a reference to ''[[Enter the Dragon]]''. However, he wears a [[karate gi]] version of the yellow and black tracksuit in the episode "Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy".
* In episode 18 of ''[[Xiaolin Showdown]]'', the character of Kimiko Tohomiko is seen wearing yellow track pants with a black stripe. The rest of her outfit is yellow with long black gloves.
* In "Tofu-Town Showdown", an episode of the second season of the TV show ''[[Chowder (TV series)|Chowder]]'', the character Schnitzel wore a yellow tracksuit and a similar Bruce Lee-style haircut; he then turns into a Super Saiyan in a parody of ''[[Dragon Ball]]''.
* In the ''[[Jackie Chan Adventures]]'' episode "The Chosen One", a man is dressed in a yellow jumpsuit and uses nunchucks.

====Video games====
* [[Marshall Law (Tekken)|Marshall Law]] and [[List of Tekken characters#Forest Law|Forest Law]] from the ''[[Tekken (series)|Tekken]]'' series of fighting games resemble Bruce Lee with their move set, whoops and yells and wear a sleeveless version of the tracksuit.
* In ''[[Dead or Alive 4]]'', Jann Lee's third costume is none other than the tracksuit, and his ending movie includes him watching Bruce Lee films to help him practice Jeet Kune Do.
* In the [[SNK Playmore|Playmore]] fighting game ''[[Rage of the Dragons]]'', Mr. Jones (who already bears a striking resemblance to Kareem Abdul Jabbar) wears a suit very similar to the famous yellow jump suit.
* The suit is present in the [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG]] ''[[Anarchy Online]]'' as a piece of equipment for powerful martial artist characters.
* In ''[[Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow]]'', one equippable item is the "kung fu suit", whose icon is a yellow tracksuit with black vertical stripes along the sides.
* Although the suit does not appear in any ''[[Street Fighter]]'' games, [[Fei Long]] wears it in several issues of the [[UDON]] ''Street Fighter'' comic book and in Masahiko Nakahira's ''Cammy'' manga.
* In ''[[Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories]]'', the main character can wear an identical outfit called the "Dragon Jumpsuit".
* In ''[[Shadow Hearts]]'', Wugui's signature move is called "Game of Death".
* In ''[[Shadow Hearts: From the New World]]'', talking cat and drunken master Mao confronts the master of cat martial arts, the tracksuit-clad "Bruce Meow".
* In ''[[WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008]]'', the tracksuit is available in the "Create a WWE Superstar" mode.
* In ''[[Persona 4]]'', the character [[Chie Satonaka]]'s Persona is dressed in the same yellow jumpsuit, and fights with a combination of spears and Jeet Kun Do.
* In ''[[Street Fighter IV]]'', the character [[Rufus (Street Fighter)|Rufus]] wears a yellow and black tracksuit. The suit matches his personality of having a great love for martial arts movies, leading to his style being adopted from imitating martial arts movies and mail order courses.
* In the online game ''Dragon Fist 3: Age of the Warrior'', one of the characters from martial arts films is [[Billy Lo]] (with Lee being animated out) from this film, dressed in the yellow-and-black jumpsuit, fighting with [[Jeet Kune Do]], using a yellow [[nunchaku]] (which is not found in the Character Editor) as a weapon, and the [[one inch punch]] as a special move.
* In most servers of the ''[[Dragonica]]'' online game, the gladiator class can summon a [[Bruce Lee]]-styled character named Bro Lee who wears the jumpsuit to perform some Kung Fu moves. The players can also buy the suit from the cash shop to equip on their characters.
* The yellow-and-black tracksuit can be bought in ''[[Mortal Kombat: Armageddon]]'' for use in the Kreate-A-Fighter mode.
* In ''[[Rumble Fighter]]'', Billy's jumpsuit is available in yellow, blue and green under the name "Billy Lo". Jeet Kune Do is also available as a fighting style.
* A similar tracksuit can be found and worn in the Capcom game ''[[Dead Rising 2]]''.
* In ''[[Sleeping Dogs (video game)|Sleeping Dogs]]'', Wei Shen can wear the "Hai Tien Vintage Jumpsuit".
* In ''[[The Last of Us]]'', one of [[Ellie (The Last of Us)|Ellie]]'s unlockable costumes is the yellow jumpsuit that can obtained after beating the game on survivor difficulty.
* In ''[[Animal Crossing: New Leaf]]'', there are several pieces of clothing that resemble this iconic outfit. They are referred to as the "Dragon Suit".
* In ''[[My Talking Tom]]'', your Tom can unlock the "Jumpsuit Fur" when he reaches level 30.
* In ''[[EA Sports UFC]]'' and ''[[EA Sports UFC 2]]'', the unlockable Bruce Lee character wears yellow-and black-compression shorts modeled after the yellow track suit.
* In ''[[Anarchy Reigns]]'', [[Bayonetta (character)|Bayonetta]] (from the [[Bayonetta|titular franchise]]) appears as a downloadable character and features a yellow-and-black costume resembling the tracksuit. Bayonetta's later appearances in ''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U]]'' and ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'' also features a similar yellow-and-black costume.

====TV====
* In ''[[Taskmaster (TV series)|Taskmaster]]''{{'s}} seventh series, [[Phil Wang]] wore a costume inspired by the yellow and black jumpsuit from Game of Death. However, this jumpsuit was very revealing of his genitals, leading to jokes at his expense throughout the series from the rest of the cast.

====Comics====
* [[Shang-Chi]] wore two different suits that were inspired by the yellow and black jumpsuit.  The first one, which had a one time appearance in ''[[Secret Avengers]]'' #18 (2011), was a black tracksuit with red bars.  Shang-Chi's second suit, that he wore starting with ''[[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]]'' vol. 5 #1 (2012), was a modernized version of Lee's tracksuit that was a red jumpsuit with a black pattern on the sides and chest.
* In ''Iron Fist: The Living Weapon'' #8 (2014), [[Iron Fist (character)|Iron Fist]] gained an updated suit that was modeled off Lee's yellow and black tracksuit.  The new suit was a black (green in some artwork) tracksuit with yellow bars, sported yellow Onitsuka Tiger shoes and included a yellow [[Collar (clothing)|collar]], mask and Iron Fist's signature dragon insignia on the chest.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Francisco |first1=Eric |title=THE EVOLUTION OF IRON FIST'S SUPERHERO COSTUME|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/48701-iron-fist-season-2-netflix-costumes |website=[[Inverse (website)|Inverse]] |date=6 December 2018 |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref>

==Home media==
As one of Bruce Lee's perennially popular handful of films to receive wide exposure to Western audiences, ''Game of Death'' has seen many reissues in every home video format. It is particularly widespread on [[DVD]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=559|title=Game of Death DVD comparisons|work=DVDCompare.net|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref> and [[Blu-ray]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=17341|title=Game of Death Blu-ray comparisons|work=DVDCompare.net|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref> and was released on the latter in a new [[4K resolution|4K]] restoration in 2016, scanned from the original negative.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.play-asia.com/bruce-lee-s-last-game-of-death-remastered-in-glorious-4k/5f/748i9|title=Bruce Lee's Last, Game of Death, Remastered in Glorious 4K!|work=Play-Asia.com|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/action-adventure/game-of-death-collector-s-edition|title=Game of Death Collector's Edition|date=6 December 2016|work=ShoutFactory.com|access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Hong Kong|Film|Martial arts}}

* ''[[Finishing the Game]]''
* [[Bruce Lee filmography]]
* [[Sammo Hung filmography]]
* [[Yuen Biao filmography]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikiquote|Game of Death Redux|Game of Death Redux (Special Features)}}

* [https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=537662 Comparison: Final Game of Death reconstruction vs. A Warrior's Journey / Bruce Lee in G.O.D. / Redux reconstructions] at Movie-censorship.com
* [https://www.miramax.com/movie/game-of-death Official website] at [[Miramax]]
* {{IMDb title|0077594|Game of Death}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|1008085_game_of_death}}

{{Bruce Lee|state=expand}}
{{Robert Clouse}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Game of Death}}
[[Category:Game of Death| ]]
[[Category:1978 films]]
[[Category:1978 action films]]
[[Category:1978 martial arts films]]
[[Category:1970s Cantonese-language films]]
[[Category:1970s Hong Kong films]]
[[Category:1970s vigilante films]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]
[[Category:Concord Production Inc. films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Bruce Lee]]
[[Category:Films directed by Robert Clouse]]
[[Category:Films directed by Sammo Hung]]
[[Category:Films about actors]]
[[Category:Films about sportspeople]]
[[Category:Films scored by Peter Thomas (composer)]]
[[Category:Films set in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Films set in South Korea]]
[[Category:Golden Harvest films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong films about revenge]]
[[Category:Hong Kong action thriller films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong martial arts films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong neo-noir films]]
[[Category:Hong Kong vigilante films]]
[[Category:Jeet Kune Do films]]
[[Category:Media Asia films]]
[[Category:1970s unfinished films]]