Aug 13, 20232 min read

Island Of Death (1975) DVDRip XViD

Napoleon is played by two actors, Daniel Gélin as a young man and Raymond Pellegrin in later life; the switch takes place during a scene at a barber. Director/actor Guitry played the role of Talleyrand, controversial diplomat and first Prime Minister of France, narrating the story from a drawing room as if having just heard of Napoleon's death on the island of Saint Helena in 1821. Guitry had played Talleyrand before, in 1948's Le Diable boiteux. Yves Montand appears as Marshal Lefebvre and Maria Schell as Marie-Louise of Austria. The film also has cameo appearances by a number of notable actors, particularly Erich von Stroheim as Ludwig van Beethoven, and Orson Welles as Napoleon's British jailor, Sir Hudson Lowe.

Lee (Bruce Lee) is a Hong Kong Shaolin martial artist. His master tells him about a former student Mr. Han who has turned into a crime lord on his own private island. British agent Braithwaite sends Lee to a tournament run by Han. O'Hara is Han's menacing henchman who pushed Lee's sister to her death. Mei Ling is an agent on the island but the agency has lost contact with her. Roper (John Saxon) owes money to gangsters and his 'nam buddy Williams (Jim Kelly) is on the run from racist cops. Both end up entering the tournament.Bruce Lee continues as a charismatic star with superior action skills. The fights are fun. John Saxon proves to have some good fighting skills while Jim Kelly has a big enough personality to be a compelling actor. It has some slower aspects and the story is pretty simple. Overall, it is a well made action thriller with some great fights especially considering the era. It is a standout among Kung Fu B-movies with many imitators to follow.