Bullet Points: Legacy of Rage
It is hard to believe that it has been nearly thirty years since a freak accident on the set of The Crow ended the life of Brandon Lee.
Brandon Lee was a star on the rise with an undeniable pedigree and a unique charm that made you want to see him reach the highest of highs in Hollywood. Sadly it was not to be. But instead of dwelling on the tragic end of Brandon’s career, I thought I would take a look back at Brandon’s first feature film, 1986’s Legacy of Rage…
- Mr. Nice Guy: Legacy of Rage quickly establishes Brandon Ma (Brandon Lee, Rapid Fire) as a hard working, genuinely good human being. We see Brandon working at a junkyard during the day… then reuniting a little girl with her mother when they got separated waiting for the bus (Brandon literally runs the girl from one bus stop to the next in order to catch the bus) and then we see Brandon go to his night job as a waiter at a local hot spot where his girlfriend May works as a photographer and dreams of one day being one of the club’s dancing girls.
- Worst Friend Ever: Brandon has the misfortune of having Michael (Michael Wong, Knock Off) the son of a local crime boss, as his friend. A dirty cop named Sharky that has been partners with Michael’s father in the drug business is starting to get greedy. Michael’s father makes the call that the cop needs to get eliminated and he tasks Michael with getting that done. So Michael decides he’s going to set up his buddy Brandon to take the fall for killing Sharky. This is a win/win in Michael’s eyes… his family’s cop problem will be over and with Brandon in prison he can make the moves on May.
- Guilty as Charged: Michael invites Brandon to meet him at a Persian restaurant. A fight breaks out when Sharky shows up at the restaurant, chaos ensues, guns come into play and Brandon is caught holding a gun at the exact same time a mafia hitman in the shadows shoots Sharky dead. The replacement dirty cop shows up, Brandon is arrested and then convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 8 years in prison.
- From Bad to Worse: With her boyfriend behind bars, May’s world is turned upside down. Things get even more complicated when she finds out that she is pregnant with Brandon’s child. That’s about the time that Michael tracks her down and tries to rape May in the backseat of his limousine. May makes a daring escape out of a moving car. May gets an offer from Mr. Yu, a widower who took a liking to her when she worked at the club. Yu is just looking for companionship and offers to take May to his home in Brazil where May and her baby will be safe.
- Behind Bars: Meanwhile Brandon is trying to get adjusted to life in prison. He manages to piss off some of his fellow prisoners and even gets into it with some of them in the prison laundry. But he does make one friend in the form of Hoi or as he is also known “four eyes”, Hoi helps Brandon navigate the prison culture. But it is a visit from Brandon’s former boss at the club, Mr. Yip, that opens Brandon’s eyes to what really happened… including how he was set up by Michael, how Michael tried to rape May and how May is now living in Brazil with Mr. Yu. This leads Brandon to try a prison break that fails. Some sage advice from a wise prison guard (played by the always awesome Ku Feng of Dynamo fame) sets Brandon straight… if he were to break out of prison and go kill Michael, he’d just be right back in prison and this time for life not just eight years.
- Eight Years Later: Once Brandon is released from prison all of our characters’ paths intersect. Mr. Yu, May and May’s son return to Hong Kong for a visit so May could speak to Brandon. The trio check into a hotel, but unfortunately for May, Michael is partying at the same hotel and spots May. There’s a big brouhaha at the hotel and Mr. Yu decides May and her son need to get the hell out of there… but just outside the airport some of Michael’s men show up and kidnap May and her son. Mr. Yu tracks down Brandon and informs him of what happened and then… HERE COMES THE RAGE!
The last twenty minutes of 1986’s Legacy of Rage is filled with the kind of bullet riddled action and bloody violence Hong Kong cinema would become known for in the mid-1980s. Nice guy Brandon Ma is pushed past the point of no return and he unleashes hell on his former friend, Michael, in an effort to save the woman he loves and his son.
I won’t spoil the ending for those of you who may have never seen this Brandon Lee rarity, but I will gladly give you some Bonus Bullet Points…
- Familiar Face: Bolo Yeung had a small role in Legacy of Rage as a thug who causes trouble at the restaurant where Brandon is working. The two men decide to take their issues outside, resulting in a dream alley fight that was short but still pretty sweet given the history of Bolo and Brandon’s father.
- Brutally Honest Quote: “If you ever break up, I’d love to have her. I don’t mind sloppy seconds.” – Michael
- Unfortunate Name: Dickson Poon was credited as a Presenter for Legacy of Rage.
- Disturbing Quote: “Either you kiss my ass or you call me poppa!”
- Directed By: Legacy of Rage was directed by Ronny Yu, a prolific Hong Kong director who would eventually make the leap to Hollywood where he directed Bride of Chucky and Freddy vs. Jason.
