Despite only having a short stint as a kung fu movie star, Bruce Lee had a tremendous impact on the genre, one that steered the direction of so many Hong Kong movie studios for years. For filmmakers, there was obviously a lot to learn from Bruce Lee's martial arts movies, but some did more than just take inspiration from the fighting in his films; a sizable number copied them directly through a strategy now commonly known as Bruceploitation.
Movies associated with the Bruceploitation era typically starred actors with stage names similar to Bruce Lee's, so much that the difference sometimes only came down to the spelling. This approach also extended to the stars' physical appearances, as several of these actors were cast based on their resemblances to Lee. Unsurprisingly, this unapologetic effort to capitalize on Bruce Lee's popularity certainly received its share of scrutiny. However, that's not to say that Bruceploitation movies weren't entertaining.