Circle of Iron | aka The Silent Flute (1979) Review

“The Silent Flute” Theatrical Poster

Director: Richard Moore
Cast: David Carradine, Jeff Cooper, Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowall, Eli Wallach, Anthony De Longis, Earl Maynard, Erica Creer, Leo Whang, Tom Ascensio
Running Time: 102 min.

By Raven

Bruce Lee had helped write a screen play called The Silent Flute, which was never produced. Following his death, that screenplay was sold and changed beyond recognition, leaving only a few elements of the original. What became of this mess was Circle of Iron, a very bad David Carradine movie. As a martial arts film, it has flat choreography. As an adventure film, it simply fails to stage content or emotion.

By the looks of it all, its makers intended on a epic, they must have settled for a lot less somewhere down the line. Still, some of Lee’s imagery still lingers on, the ending where the hero looks into his treasure is a great example of what the entire film could have been.

Interestingly, Bruce Lee must have felt close to his writing of Flute which is based on a martial artists in search of a guarded treasure, he would later rework this idea into another screen play entitled Game of Death. A film that also never saw the light of day in its original format due to his passing.

It has been written, that a third attempt to get the original Flute produced was made by Bruce’s son Brandon Lee who had acquired the rights, he too died before production. It would be a good day for all martial artist and movie fans alike if and when a respected film maker brings to the screen what Bruce Lee intended on more than thirty years ago.

Raven’s Rating: 4/10