The Black Dragon vs. the Yellow Tiger Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		1.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

The Black Dragon vs. the Yellow Tiger Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 23, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as a bonus disc that is part of Severin's own web exclusive edition of The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1. This is not included in the wide release offered on other sites like Amazon.
When Severin Films released Kung Fu Trailers of Fury and Return of Kung Fu Trailers of Fury several years ago, I'm sure I wasn't the only one initially thinking, "Well, that's a stupid idea for a release", only to have the sheer lunacy of the trailers assembled in both collections "fight back" against that assessment, as if to say in response, "Yeah, well who's stupid now?" In fact, both Kung Fu Trailers of Fury and Return of Kung Fu Trailers of Fury were kind of deliriously enjoyable in their own slapdash way, and those releases evidently were one of the inspirations for a full on collection of so-called "Brucesploitation" films, this time offering the actual films in addition to their trailers. The goofily affable Michael Worth, who has contributed so many fun commentaries through the years to various kung fu films on Blu-ray, is your "host" of sorts here, offering introductions to all the films and commentaries for many of them. If none of these films is ever going to be acclaimed as an unappreciated masterpiece, and if both video and audio on many of the films in this set might be charitably termed problematic, merely having these films in high definition will be alluring, and an absolute glut of other supplemental material is included as well, making this a probable "must have" for a certain demographic.

I guess if the other film on Severin's bonus disc owes its genesis to The Big Boss, this film is arguably a supposed follow up to The Way of the Dragon, and in fact Michael Worth makes the point that out of all the "spin offs" and supposed prequels and/or sequels to various Bruce Lee films that were promulgated upon his demise, quite interestingly this is apparently the only one tied to The Way of the Dragon. This film features Tang Lung portraying the cousin of Lee's character from that film. Michael Worth kind of hilariously states that Lung approaches "Tourettes levels" of tics in his attempts to mimic some of the sounds Lee would emit when fighting. Worth also jokes unrepentantly about this film's supposed "tower of death" climax, which may admittedly not reach the "heights" of Lee's effort, either literally or figuratively.

The Black Dragon vs. the Yellow Tiger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Black Dragon vs. The Yellow Tiger is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Michael Worth kind of hilariously states that the absence of a decent solitary source element meant that this transfer had to be "Frankensteined together" from two American release prints. The results may satisfy completists, but as can be seen from some of the screenshots accompanying this review, this is often a pretty badly damaged looking presentation. Most of the things we tend to cover in reviews, like color reproduction, detail levels, and grain structure, are all highly variable here. Some passing moments can actually look quite good (see screenshot 3), while other are decidedly more ragged (see screenshot 4).

The Black Dragon vs. the Yellow Tiger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Black Dragon vs. The Yellow Tiger features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that shows some considerable damage in some of the score in particular. The dubbing isn't just hilariously off, the entire track seems slight mistimed, with voices emanating a nanosecond after lips have started moving. The track is very thin and noisy, though occasional hyperbolic sound effects during fight scenes can reverberate surprisingly strongly. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Black Dragon vs. the Yellow Tiger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary With Actor/Director/Bruceploitation Expert Michael Worth with contributions from Actor Clint Robinson


• Severin's Kung Fu Theater With Actor/Director/Bruceploitation Expert Michael Worth (HD; 1:35) offers a brief introduction. This is accessible as either a standalone supplement or under the Play Menu, where it's authored to lead directly to the feature.


• Trailer (HD; 3:48)

The Black Dragon vs. the Yellow Tiger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This second bonus film offered in Severin's web exclusive offering seems like it may not have the same perceived "imprimatur of rarity" that its disc mate does, but it's still probably going to provide interest for some Brucesploitation fans. Those fans will have to tolerate some problematic technical merits, but they should also enjoy both the commentary and introduction offered here.