Way of the Dragon (1972)

Bruce Lee wrote, directed and starred in Way of the Dragon, taking the crew to Rome to film among the Coliseum ruins.

Way of the Dragon begins as more of a comedic story with Bruce as the fish out of water in Rome trying to help with a family business. Nora Miao's restaurant is under attack from a developer who wants her to sell. Bruce's character plays the unstoppable force who can take on an entire army of bad guys. Ultimately, the Big Bad calls in Chuck Norris to rid him of the troublesome new guy.

I found the first half of the movie less than enthralling. Much of it was supposed to be funny but I didn't get the humor, especially a long running gag with Bruce having gastrointestinal distress.

The second half of the movie is pure martial arts magic. Some versions cut out a scene with Bruce taking on a group of thugs with not one set of, but two sets of nunchucks. It also shows why amateurs should not try those tricks at home, which was really funny. The climax of the movie with Bruce fighting Chuck Norris is a classic. Chuck was a legitimate and respected karate champion. Bruce wanted someone who could keep up with him and the fight was highly entertaining. Bruce asked Chuck to gain some weight to make him look more formidable and it would seem to not shave his back hair (chest hair was considered sexy in the 1970's). A cat watching the events played out some of the emotions of the two fighters and the audience.

Bruce Lee was artistry to watch, when he slowed down enough for us to catch even a fraction of his moves. Despite my disappointment with some elements of this film, no actor had a better "I'm through playing around now" look than Bruce had. His intensity was smoldering. The fights in the second half of the movie ran the gamut from fun to tense, to enthralling. If you enjoy martial arts movies, and haven't seen this one, you need to put it on your list. The classic fights in it are not to be missed.

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