[KFCC] Circle Of Iron Review

Story: In an ancient, mythic land, a martial arts warrior named Cord (Jeff Cooper) fights in a hand-to-hand combat tournament. The winner will be allowed to seek out "The Book," which is fabled to enable its reader to be the world's supreme martial artist. Cord wins and eventually is the man who must find Kitan, the keeper of "The Book." While on this quest, Cord must face several trials before being deemed worthy of meeting Kitan. Along the way Cord crosses paths with a blind flute player (David Carradine), who will become Cord's teacher. Cord squares off against different adversaries on his journey to martial arts enlightenment.

Review: CIRCLE OF IRON has a storied origin. The movie is based on the script "The Silent Flute," a concept from the minds of Bruce Lee, James Coburn and Sterling Silliphant. Coburn and Silliphant were students of Lee's martial arts training. Lee was to play the roles that were assumed by Carradine. Before Lee had the opportunity, he went on to Hong Kong and superstardom. The script was shelved after Lee's untimely death.

The script was later sold and resurrected as CIRCLE OF IRON. The new producers would change the locations from China, Thailand and other Asian settings to the Middle East. Although the story takes place in a supposed mythic land, all of the filming took place in Israel. The change in locations takes away from the script and the metaphysical Zen aspects associated with Eastern philosophy. The producers, thinking they would be too foreign to moviegoers, did not appreciate the Asian themes. You never feel grounded as the script and the locations are in conflict. The entire Middle Eastern background is totally out of place.

Time has not been kind to CIRCLE OF IRON. The movie has dated badly. The acting by Cooper is bland and one-dimensional. The movie becomes essentially a one-on-one between Cooper and the four parts played by Carradine. The small budget also hurts the film. The mise en scene gives the impression that this is a poor man's "Conan The Barbarian." The sets look tacky and the same extras show up time and again, from scene to scene. The costumes looked cheesy, too.

The action has been most affected by the passage of time. The choreography was behind the times, even back then. Movies by Bruce Lee and Golden Harvest, and those from Shaw Brothers, were light years ahead of CIRCLE OF IRON. The camera set ups and shooting angles were basically the same in every shot. The camerawork didn’t do anything to make the martial arts exciting or gripping. Director Richard Moore, who once stated that the script was un-filmable, was the wrong person to helm this movie. Moore’s pacing is one speed, on par with a leisurely walk through the park. There are no peaks or valleys and no sense of urgency in the storytelling. What should be exciting and adventurous is dull and yawn inducing. Moore’s poor execution really drags the film down many levels.

What CIRCLE OF IRON has going for it is David Carradine. As aforementioned, he takes on four different roles: a blind man, a monkey tribesman, a warlord, and death. For the most part, Carradine does a good job, but some of the stilted dialogue makes it appear as if he never left the set of "Kung Fu."

Throughout the movie, you wonder what would have been if Bruce Lee had taken on the project. Would the original locations also have helped in the telling of this tale? In the end, CIRCLE OF IRON tickles the nostalgic funny bone. Its dated feel and pedestrian direction by Moore and the monotonous delivery by leading man, Cooper, make this a mild diversion. It's for the kids the babysitter's taking care of; since that's the only demographic that will be entertained by this movie. The DVD is for hardcore Carradine fans and Bruce Lee completists only.