Challenge of the Tiger - Bruce Le (1982) - Macau Ferry Terminal (old location), Macau

When the action does officially move to Macau, the establishing shot shows a Far East Hydrofoil pulling into the old ferry terminal in Macau. The current location of the main ferry terminal (Terminal Marítimo de Passageiros do Porto Exterior) is slightly north and east of the old location which is now the Oceanus Casino. In the background you can see the rather long breakwater that once protected the ferry berths. Part of it still remains but the section closer to land has since been removed to make way for the HK-Macau-Zhuhai bridge facilities.

Challenge of the Tiger - Bruce Le (1982) - Baddies Hideout Part 3 - Monte Fort, Macau

So after the long distance zoom into the ridge of Sharp Island merging into a closer view of the Tate's cairn Police Post, and even closer zoom in is quickly edited to reveal none other than Monte Fort in Macau. That is one powerful zoom I'm telling you.

The Enter the Dragon - esque atmosphere is maintained with the sight of lots of karate dudes doing their training, including climbing up the side of the fort walls in their nice white karate uniforms. Who hasn't done that in a karate lesson?

There is also some action there later on as the agents infiltrate the base. You may remember the bridge in the lower photo as once connecting the main entrance of the fort building (now the museum) to the garden, I had a similar post not so long ago for China Rose.

Challenge of the Tiger - Bruce Le (1982) - Baddies Hideout Part 2 - Tate's Cairn Police Post, Fei Ngo Shan Road

Location 2 of the baddies hideout is the police post up on Tate's Cairn (Chinese name is 大老山 Dai Lo Saan). I always confuse this place with the nearby meteorological radar station, but it turns out this is a totally different property. In 1980 it was quite small and low key, but if you go there now it is just a mass of satellite disks and, I suppose, is a reflection of the way technology has evolved.

The next edit to location 3 is even less convincing than the one we've just seen.

Challenge of the Tiger - Bruce Le (1982) - Baddies Hideout Part 1 - Sharp Island, Port Shelter

Bruce Le, obviously not content with just trying to fight like his namesake has also thrown in a sort of homage to Enter the Dragon by having the baddies hide out on an island somewhere. Rather than actually find an island with a fortress on it (granted, quite difficult without a Hollywood budget) he has opted instead to portray it with some rather unconvincing edits of three separate locations.

Location 1, the island, is actually a shot of Sharp Island in Port Shelter. The camera then zooms in towards the island's ridgeline before a quick cut to location number 2.

Challenge of the Tiger - Bruce Le (1982) - Hac Sa Beach, Macau

Much of the latter part of the film was shot in Macau, but we go there a bit earlier than announced for a scene where Richard Harrison, playing the suave womanizing part of the partnership, is picked up on a beach by an enemy spy - wearing a red bikini...

The beach in question is Hac Sa beach on Coloane island - the southern most part of Macau. We been to Coloane previously on this blog (e.g the opening section of Largo Winch) but not to Hac Sa beach as far as I am aware.

In 1982, the Grand Coloane Resort (formerly the Westin Resort Macau - once managed by Starwood, it is now managed by the Harilela Group) had yet to be built, as had the row of houses along the southern headland of the bay giving the beach a much more unspoilt and rugged look. Actually, if you look at the second picture you can see some excavation going on at the cliff side in the background - it looks like the formation work for the resort was underway by 1982.

Challenge of the Tiger - Bruce Le (1982) - The Peak, Hong Kong

I can almost guarantee that anyone who has visited HK has at least been up to Victoria Peak and visited the Lions Club pavilion. We've seen it a few times here on this blog, most memorably from when JCVD was up here doing some moves in Bloodsport.

Brad Harris killing someone with his lethal bicep

And here is the view down to the harbour in 1982. Actually, there is a good comparison between the top shot below and a similar angle in the earlier Bloodsport link that shows just what buildings were constructed in the years between both films.

Challenge of the Tiger - Bruce Le (1982) - Man Mo Temple, Sheung Wan

Man Mo temple appears in the sequence showing the bad guys going about doing their business.

Challenge of the Tiger - Bruce Le (1982) - Central Walkway, Connaught Place

A quick shot of Brad Harris surveying the area around Jardine House from the vantage point of the walkway that crosses Connaught Place. The bit of water that looks like the harbourside (or at least it did to me initially) is one of the ornamental pools next to Jardine House.

Challenge of the Tiger - Bruce Le (1982) - Oxford Road, Kowloon Tsai

No sooner have the dynamic duo been picked up at the airport and their enemies are onto them already and try to attack them in Kowloon Tong. It's Kowloon Tsai - the area of Kowloon Tong on eastern side of Waterloo Road. The car pulls out of Durham Road and turns left onto Oxford road where it is stopped by the baddies. All hell breaks loose as ol' Bruce does his stuff and dispatches them in true fake Bruce Lee style.

Oxford Road with Durham Road on the right 

Oxford Road looking north 

In the background is the Kowloon Tsai electricity substation

The last two pictures show #16 Durham Road which sits on the corner with Oxford Road with odd windows along its external walls (they're still there) and red gates, and the lower picture shows the house next door which is #28 Oxford Road - since redeveloped into a modern house.

Challenge of the Tiger - Bruce Le (1982) - Kai Tak International Airport, Kowloon

Although the first part of the film is filmed in what appears to be Spain (don't know where though, sorry), it soon moves back to home territory as the CIA agents chase the thief of a secret formula. Cue the required shots of plane landing and then the pair getting met outside Kai Tak.