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View Full Version : The Lady Killer (1977) Review (starring Robert Lee)


mpm74
03-28-2011, 08:18 AM
http://www.cityonfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ladykiller.jpg

A popular singer named Ah Hui (Robert Lee) is approached by gangsters who want him to perform at their nightclub. When Ah Hui rejects, they set him up by making him believe he murdered an innocent man; Of course, Ah Hui falls for it

With nowhere to turn and the fear of being sent to jail, Ah Hui accepts help from the gangsters. In return he has to sign an exclusive singing contract with them. Little does Ah Hui know, they have other sleazy plans in store for him.

Before Brandon and Shannon Lee were called into Hong Kong to make “Legacy of Rage” (1986) and “Enter the Eagles” (1998) respectively; Robert Lee, Bruce Lee’s younger brother, was cast to appear in “Lady Killer,” an extremely bizarre 1977 film that also stars Sylvia Chang.

Watching Robert Lee in a movie makes me realize how much he looks nothing like Bruce. In fact, he’s totally opposite. Robert is feminine, soft, and he doesn’t appear to have any muscle whatsoever. Funny thing is, that didn’t stop the filmmakers from reminding the audience that this was indeed Bruce’s blood.

Early on in the movie, there’s a quick action scene where Robert’s character gets into a fight; as he gets into stance, Joseph Koo’s theme music from “Way of the Dragon” starts playing in the background. It’s awkward to watch, but hey, this is a 1970′s Hong Kong movie with Bruce’s little brother in the lead. Whatever sells tickets, right?

As for Robert’s fighting skills? Well, why don’t we just say that he was doing some basic moves that really don’t require any formal training of any kind. His fight scenes aren’t laughably bad, but when you’re Bruce’s brother, you’ll be living a life of comparisons, whether you like it or not.

Thankfully (and I think Robert would agree), that’s the only martial arts sequence in the movie. From that point on, Robert’s character relies more on his singing to win over the women; And more on wit, to fight off the gangsters.

Like I said earlier, this is one bizarre flick filled with partial nudity, sex, forced prostitution, gang rapes and women getting smacked around. One minute Robert Lee is singing joyful pop songs, the next minute, Sylvia Chang is forced into being a whore. Don't let the cartoon heads on the film's poster fool you...

Robert’s overall performance is passable. Sylvia is actually amazing in this mess of a film, which isn’t really a surprise, considering the acclaimed actress and filmmaker she has become today.

“Lady Killer,” as a whole, is a bad movie. But it’s one of those terrible pieces of entertainment that holds your interest. It’s edgy, silly, goofy and serious – all at the same time.

Here are more interesting tidbits:

- Gam Dai (Ah Koon from “Way of the Dragon”) and Lee Kwan (Ah Koon from “The Big Boss”) briefly appear together as a team. Where else are you going to see them together like this? Some people actually believe they’re the same actor.

- Charles Bernstein’s soundtrack to “Gator” plays in the movie a lot and that’s a good thing. To be exact, the track is called “Flight In the Night,” which is a typical tune in many kung fu flicks of the 70′s. You’ll recognize it once you hear it.

- Robert performing pop songs. We all know that Robert’s a musician who made a name for himself in the late 60′s. He was the leader/founder of a successful Hong Kong beat band called “The Thunderbirds.” He also recorded duet tracks with popular Eurasian singer, Irene Ryder. Just don’t expect to hear music off his 1974 LP, “The Ballad of Bruce Lee.”

- Judging from the trailer, this film has been cut to shreds. Apparently there was a lot more nudity and even some extended fight sequences.

Robert Lee would star in two more Hong Kong movies: “Con Artists” (1978) and “A Little Reason” (1979) before calling it quits. Recently he did an introduction in “Bruce Lee, My Brother” together with his older sister, Phoebe Lee.

Recommended.

OpiumKungFuCracker
03-28-2011, 11:44 AM
Damn, I had no idea Robert Lee was in a movie whatsoever... So many interesting tidbits surrounding the Lee family that I had no general idea of??

mpm74
03-29-2011, 06:04 AM
Damn, I had no idea Robert Lee was in a movie whatsoever... So many interesting tidbits surrounding the Lee family that I had no general idea of??

Yeah, I feel like i should have known about this earlier. I'm sure Peter Lee was approached as well. I'm still surprised at how messed up LK was. lol

makone
04-01-2011, 05:44 PM
i knew he had made a film but didn`t know what it was until last year when i saw the vcd on yesasia. waited for the dvd and it was no where near as bad as i thought it would be (thought it was a comedy going by the cover).
the trailer indicates that their must have been 2 cuts because you see naked girl scene in trailer then exact same scene in the movie and the girls are clothed.
any info onthe other 2 movies.
hated the singing scenes it reminded me of an old cliff richard movie

mpm74
04-02-2011, 05:10 AM
any info onthe other 2 movies.

No, couldn't find info on Robert Lee's two other movies. Oddly enough, Hong Kong Cinemagic doesn't even list Robert Lee in their Lady Killer post: http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/movie.asp?id=3282

His other two movies are listed here: http://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?id=4227&display_set=eng

Jack J
02-16-2012, 06:45 PM
Someone mentioned to me that the FS dvd contains a "clothed" version. This brief review mentions "lots of nudity" so I assume there is another version:

http://brns.com/pages4/drama167.html

Do any of you know where it was released and in which format? I don't assume it's available anywhere? Cheers.

CatNap
02-17-2012, 10:20 AM
I wouldn't have sat through it. Robert is a singer and always has been and has never had any inclination to sports, martial arts or fighting in any way. The only connection to Bruce is his parents. He's a very nice person, as are all of Bruce's siblings, but none have the talent of their brother and it's clearly exploitation of their name.

Laura