Bamboo Gods and Iron Men/Comments

Bamboo Gods & Iron Men stars James Iglehart (Beyond The Valley of the Dolls) as a boxer named Cal Jefferson who travels to Hong Kong on his honeymoon with his new wife (played by Shirley Washington). He also gets a sidekick (who’s mute) in the form of Philipino actor Chiquito (TNT Jackson). The story revolves around a Buddha statuette that holds some special mystical powder that happens to be in Jefferson’s possession. There’s the evil businessman and his gang of henchman who are out to get it at all costs. What you’d expect is the standard low budget Filipino exploitation film but it becomes a sort of unique action/screwball comedy with a lot of goofy charm. The ending in particular is one of the most memorable I’ve ever seen in B-films. It’s so offbeat and comical. Now, I’m not claiming this is the best B-movie ever made but I’d like to put a little marker on it for the more open minded film fans. --Pete R.