Joseph Kong (Joseph Velasco): The Director of Bruceploitation's "Mount Rushmore"

While the 1980s belonged to the neon-drenched "splice-and-dice" ninja sub-genre, the 1970s were defined by another equally eccentric cinematic phenomenon: Bruceploitation. Following the sudden, tragic passing of Bruce Lee in 1973, global grindhouses and theaters desperately craved fresh Kung Fu content. Filling this massive void was Joseph Kong (frequently credited in the West as Joseph Velasco), a director who emerged as one of the most prolific, creative, and defining architects of the Bruce Lee clone era.

Who Was Joseph Kong?

Joseph Kong (also known as Kong Nam or Joseph Velasco) was a highly capable journeyman of the Hong Kong studio system. He began his cinematic journey working on traditional period martial arts films, but his trajectory shifted when he connected with key independent exploitation producers of the era, such as the legendary Dick Randall, Joseph Lai, and Tomas Tang (before the latter two branched out to form IFD and Filmark).

Kong possessed a singular corporate talent: he could shoot features on micro-budgets in record time, packing them with enough high-octane action, espionage aesthetics, and pop-culture surrealism to instantly captivate international distributors.

"The Clones of Bruce Lee" (1980): The Ultimate Cult Masterpiece

If there is one definitive feature that encapsulates Joseph Kong's career and the entire baseline of the Bruceploitation genre, it is undoubtedly The Clones of Bruce Lee (1980). Modern film historians frequently refer to this title as the "Mount Rushmore" of the sub-genre, as it managed to assemble the top three global Bruce Lee lookalikes onto a single screen.

The premise stands as a monument to cult cinema absurdity:

Minutes after Bruce Lee's passing, special branch government agents covertly harvest brain tissue samples from the master's body. A brilliant scientist uses the DNA to grow three perfect genetic clones: Bruce Lee #1 (Dragon Lee), Bruce Lee #2 (Bruce Le), and Bruce Lee #3 (Bruce Lai). Trained in martial arts by Bolo Yeung, the trio is dispatched on secret undercover missions to smash crime syndicates across Southeast Asia.

Kong successfully hybridized sci-fi tropes, James Bond-style globe-trotting intrigue, and elite-tier martial arts choreography, creating a film that remains the absolute epitome of midnight movie entertainment.

Collaborative Synergy with Bruce Le & Key Filmography

Joseph Kong served as the primary directorial force behind the career of Bruce Le (Huang Kin-lung), arguably the most physically gifted and hyper-athletic of all the prominent Lee imitators. Together, they delivered a string of features that solidified the genre's international commercial footprints:

Enter the Game of Death (1978): A direct commercial capitalization on Bruce Lee’s unfinished Game of Death. Wearing the iconic yellow-and-black tracksuit, Bruce Le fights his way up a multi-level pagoda, taking on distinct martial arts masters on each floor.

Bruce's Deadly Fingers (1976): This gritty revenge narrative became a massive box-office hit across American drive-ins and European grindhouses.

Enter Three Dragons (1978): Another team-up extravaganza where Kong mixed Bruce Lai, Dragon Lee, and Bruce Thai to offer non-stop, wall-to-wall combat sequences.

Bruce Strikes Back (1982): A sprawling international co-production shot across Paris, Rome, and Hong Kong. Kong shared directorial credits with Bruce Le himself, casting iconic James Bond villain Harold Sakata (Oddjob from Goldfinger) as the primary antagonist.

Cinematic Stylings and Enduring Legacy

Unlike mainstream directors who attempted to mask their budgetary limitations, Joseph Kong/Velasco leaned heavily into them. His filmmaking style was distinct: breakneck narrative pacing, extensive deployment of uncredited music loops (ranging from Ennio Morricone western motifs to progressive Pink Floyd tracks), over-the-top foley sound effects, and a comic-book approach to physical violence.

For decades, Kong’s filmography was dismissed as mere plagiarism and shameless commercial theft. However, with the recent critical re-evaluation of exploitation history—spearheaded by Severin Films’ landmark documentary Enter the Clones of Bruce (2023)—Joseph Kong is now recognized as a genuine pop-culture auteur. He was a filmmaker who, with minimal financing, kept the martial arts genre commercially viable during a chaotic transitional era in cinema history.

Sources 
Severin Films. (2023). Enter the Clones of Bruce [Documentary].
Worth, M. (2024). The Bruceploitation Bible: Vol. 1. Clones House Publishing.
Cityonfire. (2020). Retrospective: The Martial Arts Cinema of Joseph Velasco.
Wikipedia contributors. (2026). The Clones of Bruce Lee / Enter Three Dragons production notes.