While on his way to meet his new bride, Lee Wan (Dragon Lee) and his father are abducted by the paranoid lord Kai (Roman Lee) who is convinced that they are part of a plot to overthrow him. He uses their lives as leverage against an old foe, Master Tai, in order to get ahold of a list of names that are part of the scheme. After his father is killed and his leg poisoned and eventually amputated, Lee Wan uses the manual of a famous one-legged fighter in order to train with his new iron leg. Having mastered the art of the 18 kicks, Lee sets off to find Kai and exact revenge for his father’s death.

Twelve Gates of Hell is actually a decent kung fu film with an above average plot (it actually makes sense and holds together) and a few good fights. The gimmick of Dragon Lee’s metal leg is pretty cool and his kicks never fail to entertain. The only drawback is the overall choreography, which is mediocre and fails to use it’s best artists like Eagle Han enough. A good addition to the Dragon Lee filmography though, worth a watch.