crooked tongues magazine News Features

"Don't think - feel!" Can we have a late pass? We just realised that we had these in the office, but didn't actually put them in the News. That's the pressures of retail in effect, but any excuse to feature the fifth football-inspired Kobe is a given, and this curious low-cut, no-sew design was one of last year's best. Admittedly, it got eclipsed in our affections by the LeBron VII, but that was an exceptional release. If it was any other year, Mr. Bryant would have ruled the roost, but King James conquered the crown right there. We like Bruce Lee too - almost as much as that obnoxious I.T. man in 'The Office' did, and if 'Game Of Death' had been the film that Bruce wanted it to be, it would've been classic - instead, it's just a series of incredible scenes punctuated by post-passing, hastily cobbled together mediocrity. What does rule, is the fight against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and that John Barry score - one of the greatest combinations in cinematic history.

Bruce's jumpsuit and sneakers have achieved a certain immortality, getting riffed on in 'Kill Bill' too, and while we'd usually associate the look with Onitsuka, and subconsciously, adidas via the Jabbar association, Nike have built on Bruce fan Kobe's preoccupation through this makeup, and it's pretty good. The campaign isn't as striking as the LeBron 'Chamber of Fear' campaign, but this does the silhouette no harm, even adding an homage to the chest slashes Lee gets from a desperate Han's claw in 'Enter The Dragon' too. A stolen rice cake motif or ice sole to capture the 'Big Boss'/'Fists Of Fury' vibe would've been cool, but this works regardless. This isn't the best Kobe V colourway - if we were offered the previous colours alongside this, we'd make like Jim Kelly and take the rest over it with the, "It's been a big day. I'm a little tired" excuse, but this is a shoe that takes to some crazy combos, as the iD options reveal. Decent nonetheless.