Director: Bruce Lee

Starring: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, Jon T. Benn, Unicorn Chan,

Featuring: Chuck Norris, Bob Wall, Whang In-sik

The Way of the Dragon sees Bruce Lee writing, directing and starring in what many consider to be his best film. In the film, Lee plays Tan Lung - an innocent country boy who has been sent to Rome to help out some relatives who have been receiving threats from mobsters trying to take over their restaurant. Like most of the heroes played by Bruce, Tan Lung is slow to anger and pleasant mannered, but once angered he quickly transforms into a two legged killing machine.

The film begins with some unexpected leanings towards comedy. We see a number of hilarious scenes where Lee’s character is made to play the fool as he struggles to come to grips with his new and unfamiliar environment. Close friends and family, most notably Linda Lee, have stated that the yokel and easy going Tan Lung is a closer portrayal of the real Bruce Lee than in any of his other films.

As with The Big Boss, the film seems to begin at a slightly pedestrian pace. There are even one or two scenes where Bruce Lee appears to be almost teasing the fight-hungry audience. For example, early on in the film we have the restaurant workers holding out punch pads and kick pads for Bruce to show what he can do, but his demonstration is rudely cut short by the arrival of customers. We also, for the first time, see scenes with Bruce flexing his muscles and practicing on his own. Compared to the Bruce Lee’s of The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, the character we see in Way of the Dragon looks more refined and absurdly well conditioned to the point of seeming superhuman. There is little doubt that Bruce Lee was in the best physical condition of his life when he shot Way of the Dragon.

One of the real innovations of the film was the use of Caucasians as bad guys. For the final fight scenes Bruce had real-life karate champions Chuck Norris and Bob Wall to play the part of imported martial arts experts who have been hired to do away with Tan Lung. Bruce Lee also added an element of realism to his film by allowing some of the villains to carry guns. This was certainly a bold thing to do for anyone producing a martial arts film. Till now, most martial arts film producers got round the problem of “What if they had guns?” by simply pretending that guns never existed! In the case of Tan Lung, he would deal with the gun carrying villains by throwing small wooden darts in retaliation. This may be a little fantastical, but credit should at least be given for Lee’s bravery in producing a genuine modern-day martial arts film.

Critics have described The Way of the Dragon as being a little rough around the edges, but all in all an excellent effort for a directional debut. The only major criticism I can think of is that from a certain perspective the film can at times appear to be another retake of The Big Boss. The similarities between the two films are striking. Many of the same actors were used for both films. In both films Bruce Lee plays a stranger who has come from a far off place. In both films Lee’s character has difficulty trying to settle into his new environment. In both films Bruce Lee ends up fighting to help out his cousins. In both films his cousins (i.e.- the very people that he was meant to be helping!) end up getting brutally murdered. In both films Bruce Lee has one female co-star whom his character confides in (played by the same female actress in both films!!!). In both films there is a long delay before we get a chance to see Bruce Lee in a fight scene. In both films we see Lee’s character accidentally crossing paths with a prostitute. In both films Lee’s character is ultimately battling against one powerful and rich bad guy who orchestrates a gang of thugs. Both films end with the arrival of the police.

However, The Way of the Dragon certainly has at least one element that remains virtually unrivalled to this day - the fight scene against Chuck Norris. This fight scene is undoubtedly one of the most meticulously choreographed fight scenes in the history of cinema. For this scene Bruce is reported to have studied countless hours of boxing and wrestling matches, frame by frame. Set in the spectacular setting of the Roman Coliseum, the fight took a mammoth 20 pages of written direction.

The Way of the Dragon grossed $HK5 million on its first run at the Asian cinemas- more than any film before it. This was the film that made Bruce Lee wealthy and for many fans it will deservedly remain the greatest Bruce Lee film of all time.

Film Review By: Edward Davison

You can buy this DVD now at: www.hongkong-store.com