The Way of the Dragon

Even though this movie was dubbed, and the dubbing isn't that great. the whole movie is great. I actually find this movie way better then Enter the Dragon. Plus, you got Bruce Lee, writing, starring and directing it, and he knew what to do to make this kung fu movie awesome. I reccomend this one to any kung fu fan who has not seen this one yet... i give it 9 out of 10.

Although this is technically not Lees greatest film, it is a personal favourite since Lee was in full control and everything is pure Lee. Many have wrongly stated this film is bad, having not seen the originals where you can really appreciate the composition of the showdowns (visual director with potential - see the rare 'rocking chair' shot in Game of Death). The script is bad in a few places, particularly the humour, but this film was never inteneded for the west, but designed to appeal to his country men.

Now, the film features the best array of fighting sequences ever commited to celluloid. Obviously influenced by Sergio Leones trilogy, tension is excellently built up before fight. The sequences are not overly choreographed or played in slow motion or 'lightly' then speeded up, but contain a raw, feral edge combined with breathless technique. The perfect marriage between art and realism.

The fights with Wong Ing Sik and Bob Wall while short, are underrated even by Lee fans. Those who have been lucky enough to see the double nunchaku sequence in full, will have witnessed one of the best display of weaponary ever shown on the silver screen (along with the 'original' and 'complete' nunchaku footage from Game of Death and the wonderfully comprehensive display of martial arts in the underground Enter the Dragon sequence).

And then theres THAT coliseum fight. Perhaps the start is abit overdone (But Lee wanted to put forward a point i.e. don't play to your oponents strength), but it is undoubtedly the best expression of the human body ever, whether fighting, dancing, running whatever. Those brought up on Latter day Chan stuff and in particular Jet Li fights, will not appreciate this piece, but those knowing anything about the fighting arts or good choreography will be shaken not just stirred.

"Fury of the Dragon" or "Return of the Dragon" or ¨Way of the Dragon¨ is a classic Chop-Socky in which wild fighting scenes provide an overwhelming view of Bruce Lee's skills . A man named Tang Lung (Bruce Lee choreographed his own fight scenes) arrives in Rome to visit his relatives , he helps his cousins (Nora Miao who along with Lee played ¨Fists of Fury¨) in the restaurant business . However , they are being pressured to sell their property to the syndicate, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. There Tang has to defend them against brutal gangsters harassing them and attempting to take over . The syndicate boss hires the best foreign martial art fighters (Robert Wall who played some films with Lee) to face off Tang , but he easily finishes them off . The American martial artist Colt (Chuck Norris film debut) is also hired and takes place a deadly ending combat .

This violent Chop-Socky displays action-packed , thrills , fast-paced and wild fighting images . It is a corny , action-filled and violent film , being entirely filmed in Rome , Italy . Breathtaking fights and embarrassing acting , the whole thing was shot without sound, with the actors looping their lines in post-production . Overwhelming final duel between Lee and Norris , in fact it was last movie to be filmed in the actual Roman Colisseum ; Bruce Lee had Chuck Norris put on weight so he would looks less impressive by comparison . This is a top-notch Kung-Fu movie with the unforgettable Bruce Lee , though he does not fight till almost 30 minutes into the movie . It was billed "Return of the Dragon" during its western release in order to cash in on the success of "Enter the Dragon" as its "sequel". Bruce Lee produced , directed and even wrote and also dubbed almost all of the English speaking characters in this film .

Bruce Lee played and directed this Return of the Dragon , one of the biggest international hit smashes , it was previously realized to his American box office ¨Enter the dragon¨ that was made by an expert on Chop-Socky movies , Robert Clouse , and he directed Bruce Lee's last film : the incomplete ¨Game of the death¨ . This ¨Enter the Dragon¨ was made later but released before ¨Lee's Return of dragon¨ , and Lee had formerly starred ¨Fists of fury¨ or ¨The big boss¨. ¨Enter the Dragon¨ is his last complete movie character but his next film ¨ Game of death¨ was absurdly edited after his death . This Kung-Fu actioner titled ¨Return of Dragon¨ was well made by Bruce Lee himself . According to the Bruce Lee documentary, this is Linda Lee Cadwell's (Bruce's wife) favorite of all her husband's films. ¨Return of the Dragon¨ is indispensable and essential seeing for Lee fans and art-martial enthusiasts . It is not ¨Enter the Dragon¨ but his fans -who have so few to choose from- undoubtedly will want to see it again .

I've never been to Rome. I'm sure it's a beautiful city, a wonderful vacation spot, and then of course there's the Roman Coliseum - a landmark in a region of the world that revels in its own beauty. So you have to wonder if Rome would make a good place for a kung-fu movie. (Why not?) Apparently Bruce Lee thought so, and it is this lush city that he selected as the setting for his 1972 film "Return of the Dragon."

Most movie experts (as well as fans of kung-fu movies, Lee, or both) will realize that "Return of the Dragon" marked Lee's third film in China, his first time behind the camera, and he also had credits on the screenplay. After the disappointing "Fists of Fury" (1971), I was glad to see Lee in a role that was less bombastic and less comic in nature. ("Return of the Dragon" also happens to be my personal favorite Bruce Lee film from when he was still working in Asia.)

In "Return of the Dragon," Lee is of course, the country boy named Tang Lung, who returns to aid friends and family in peril. In this case, said relatives own a successful Chinese restaurant in Rome, Italy, and are constantly being harassed by a powerful gangster and his legion of disposable henchmen - Tang's frequent encounters with them eventually leading to one of the greatest Nunchaku showdowns I've ever seen in a martial arts movie.

Tang Lung annihilates most of the bad guys sent in his direction, many times leaving them beaten and bruised. Most of them are played for laughs to begin with, so that makes their beatings even funnier (though you really shouldn't laugh at the pain of others, even if they are villains).

When Tang proves to be too big a problem (in fact, WAY bigger than they expected him to be), the gangster boss uses his contacts to hire an American martial artist, Colt (Lee's most skilled opponent in the film and world karate champion Chuck Norris, in his breakthrough film role), to deal with him. The action then escalates into the film's brutal, take-no-prisoners climatic showdown between the two combatants at the Roman Coliseum, in what is widely said to be one of the greatest fight scenes ever filmed.

With its goofy humor, horrendous dubbing and comic book bad guys not withstanding, "Return of the Dragon" is actually one heck of a good movie. None of Lee's sparring partners in the film really stand up well against him, except of course, Chuck Norris in the film's climax. And Lee also makes the best of the stranger-in-a-strange-land scenario that he's set up as the film's premise.

"Return of the Dragon" is the second Bruce Lee movie I've commented on at IMDb (Lee's last film, 1973's "Enter the Dragon," was the first) and I really liked "ROTD." Lee demonstrates in this movie why he is the greatest martial artist that ever lived. His direction here is a little choppy in spots, but for the most part, the action is intact.

7/10

Bruce Lee demonstrates why without ever being a tournament champion that he was one of the best martial artists of all times. His speed and technique easily out class the other real martial artisits this film presents. His fight with Chuck Norris in this film is legendary. Watching Chuck in his prime is intense, high speed and accuracy. What scares me is that Bruce is faster. And even though he is lacking size, its obvious that the little dragons power is intense. Yes the scenes in these movies may be choreographed, but it's hard to make duplicate the skills shown by these fighters with trick photography and ballet lessons.

This is the first film Bruce took a major role in both on and off the set. He searched for quality martial artists for the fight scenes and was the one who reccomended Italy for this shoot.

The film revolves around a restaurant in Italy run by Lee's uncle and his (assumably ) cousins. Local gangsters try to close the restaurant down and get a piece of the action. To avoid complications with the law, they try and man handle the resteraunt owner and workers and Lee comes to the rescue.