Customer Reviews

Way Of The Dragon

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Retrun of the Dragon was the American re-cut and badly dubbed version of Bruce Lee's classic Way of the Dragon. Believe it or not this movie was Lee's highest grossing film in Hong Kong. He made this movie especially for that market. That's why it's so different than the others. But the DVD is bad. Go out and get the import disc title Way of the Dragon. The movie is a lot longer, it's uncut and in cantonese with english sub-titles and the movie is correctally matted at 2.50.1. You'll see it like you never have before!

Bruce Lee never reached his prime in film making; dying before his time. The Way of the Dragon, is a loosely put together story, with fight scenes used as glue along the way. This film was out of stock for years, but this re-mastered version is worth the wait; being much clearer in both audio and video. The tour of the City of Rome Italy is beautiful. But I must admit, the face-off fight between Chuck Norris and Bruce is classic. This is the main reason to get this film. It shows how adaptable Lee's Jeet Kune Do fighting style was. Bruce used Mohammad Ali like foot work and feinting to wear down his opponent, then attacked with his lightening speed and power. This is a must have for all Martial Arts fans.

This is perhaps the best martial arts (from a basic, pure karate perspective) movie, from the man who had started the whole martial arts revolution on screen and made it a household name. There are probably many martial artists who are, and were better than Bruce Lee, but no one compares to him when it comes to understanding the arts and how to project it on screen. His sense of choreographing fight scenes is still unmatched in the world of cinematic martial arts. This is the one simple reason what makes 'Return of the Dragon' the best of Lee's movies. The climatic battle scene with Chuck Norris remains the best-choreographed karate demonstration on screen, so far. He was perhaps the only true movie martial artist who could take of his shirt and have the male audience want a body like him. Like, 'Enter the Dragon', this movie didn't have a host of big-name martial arts stars like Jim Kelly, Yang Ze, and others. It had a relatively unknown Chuck Norris (to the rest of the world) after his reign as a seven-time US Karate champion, but the movie did make Norris a household name. Return of the Dragon remains Lee at his best, without all the glamor and high budget extravaganza of Enter the Dragon. If you like Bruce Lee, and martial arts, the buck stops here.

After the success of "Fist of Fury," Bruce Lee believed he could make better films than the Hong Kong directors. As a result, he called the shots on "Way of the Dragon" (1972). In his third starring feature, director-writer Lee emphasizes humor and characterization. Bruce plays a resourceful martial artist named Tang Lung who arrives in Rome to protect his relatives from mobsters. The highpoint is a climactic battle between Bruce and Chuck Norris in the Roman Colosseum - perhaps Lee's most brutal fight sequence. Though enjoyable, the remaining action scenes lack the bravura of "Enter the Dragon" and "Fist of Fury." Nevertheless, "Way of the Dragon" showcases Lee as an accomplished filmmaker whose skills might have flourished in more imaginative directions.

ENTER THE DRAGON was Chuck Norris' first movie part, and he did it as a favor for his friend, Bruce Lee. This movie contains the only fight scene to my knowledge in which Lee is decked by an opponent. While the fight scene between Norris and Lee is somewhat stiff on NORRIS' PART(he hadn't yet learned the art of movie fighting), the exchange between the two reflect the two classic styles of solid rock-hard karate versus fluid, graceful kung fu as it was practiced at that time. The plot and acting may have been less than first rate, but the fight scenes are some of the best filmed up to that time and well worth seeing.

The story isn't that good. The humour is awful. Some of the sets are a joke. But the action? Man, you just can't fault this baby. The twin nunchaku sequence is superb. The fight with Bob Wall is unbelievable. But the true triumph is the Chuck Norris fight. Has to be one of the greatest fight scenes ever filmed. Fantastic. The choreography (entirely Lee's work) is matched only by the final execution. This is a true lesson from a true master on how cinematic fight scenes should be built, performed and filmed. Stunning.

This movie is interesting only because it stars Bruce Lee and features Chuck Norris. If you're looking for a serious kung fu flick like "Enter the Dragon" you will only be disappointed by this movie. Of course, if you just want to see Lee or your like Jackie Chan style movies that are action-comedies, then this film might be for you.

The plot here is a little hard to follow, probably because the movie has been cut and subtitled for this DVD. Basically, Lee ends up in Rome and he's helping a guy protect his restaurant from mobsters. The movie consists of several scenes where the mobsters attack, they do some damage, and then Lee shows up and puts everything back in order by destroying the bad guys, even when they come back with more men and guns.

Finally, the bad guys resort to bringing in a hired gun--an American champion played by Chuck Norris. Norris doesn't utter a word in this film, but he does look pretty cool until the unfortunate moment when he takes off his shirt and revolts everyone with his out of control back hair. The climactic fight takes place in the Colliseum. Of course, it's to the death. It's definitely a well-choreographed scene with a bit of artistic vision in the cinematography.

In the end, this movie won't have you nailed to your seat. You may even end up fast-forwarding just to get to the fight scenes, because the plot just is not worth the effort.

Of all of Bruce Lee's movies this one is perhaps the most realistic and enjoyable in terms of martial arts action even more so than Enter the Dragon. The plot of a country bumbkin sent away from his home that ends up singlehandedly humiliating and dispatching pestering gangsters is again implemented, but is this time seen entirely through Bruce's eyes as Bruce wrote this screenplay. Comedy punchlines that fall flat, plot somersaults that defy logic and reasoning leaving the audience discombobulated however are forgetable, but the choreography of the fights are the apex of on screen martial-arts action. The gladiator duel set in the Colloseum with Bruce and Chuck Norris is the most climactic scene, and I found myself rewinding the scene over and over to catch Bruce Lee's footwork that seemed comparable to Muhammed Ali's. The scene where Bruce Lee wields two nunchaka at once is asskickingly breathtaking. Don't rent this movie. Buy it.

it is soooooooooooooooo good to see a bruce lee classic like RETURN OF THE DRAGON on dvd. the way a classic should be seen letterboxed. it looks terrific! the print is clearer, the dubbing sounds more echoing here if you raise the volume. and bruce lee is bruce lee. he is wonderful and boy he is sorely missed. his famous sm:)e while battling bad guys here is priceless. i can't believe the gangsters have to be incredibly dopey! only chuck norris is the serious villain. the battle pitting lee vs. norris in rome's colisseum still is the best and most realistic fight i have ever seen.

1 major problem with the dvd. when i bought it july 4, the back of the case says there is a movie trailer. when i saw the menu page on tv, IT DOESN'T HAVE THE FEATURE! people in amazon take note of this. maybe some dvds have it and some don't. i was unlucky. i know it may be no big deal but i am a fan of film trailers and i wanted to see what this trailer was like in 1972. oh well. i still have the movie to watch and enjoy again and again. RETURN OF THE DRAGON & ENTER THE DRAGON: whatta double feature!

After the phenomenal success of Bruce Lee's first two martial arts films ( "The Big Boss" & "Fist Of Fury" ), Bruce broke free of the past fiery relationship with director Lo Wei, and formed Concord Productions to handle the next step in his skyrocketing film career. The influx of funds from the success of Bruce Lee's two preceding movies, allowed Bruce to budget for more exotic locations (Rome, Italy), more accomplished oppenents ( hapkido expert Ing-Sik Whang, karate champion Bob Wall, and seven times US karate champion Chuck Norris) and an overall better production quality.

Bruce Lee wrote, directed and starred in "Way Of The Dragon", and the plot line does not drift too far away from his first success ("The Big Boss"), as Lee once again plays a seemingly, simply country boy (Tang Lung) who travels to Rome, Italy to work in a relatives restaurant. Upon arrival, his cousins all assume Tang Lung to be a rather meek & naive character, until gangsters visit the restaurant to try to extort money from the Chinese owners. All parties head out into the back alley, and after a couple of his relatives are floored, Bruce hands out a punishing demonstration in chinese kung fu ( "...dragon whips his tail..." ) and throttles several of his bigger Anglo opponents much to the amazed delight of Nora Miao. The demoralised gangsters limp back to their boss, detailing about their shock loss, and the stakes are raised higher as the criminals try to take Bruce out of the picture using guns and hitmen. Their repeated attempts fail, and the thugs are forced to recruit three outsiders, all lethal fighters ( Ing-Sik Whang, Bob Wall & Chuck Norris ) to kill the unstoppable Tang Lung (Lee). The film, is of course famous for the incredible showdown between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris at the Colisseum in Rome, as the two modern "gladiators" fight to the death in a well choregraphed fight sequence....with a small kitten the only witness to the action.

"Return Of The Dragon" aka "Way of The Dragon" was another solid box office success for Bruce Lee in Asia, and further cemented his position as the number one actor in Hong Kong. Regrettably, only a year later, Lee would be dead and the world shocked by the premature death of such a rising star. Now concerning the DVD versions of this film, several people have commented on this site about the DVD version available on Amazon.com (Region 1 release by CBS/FOX with red tinted cover) detailing how it is missing various footage, only in Dolby 2.0 mono and other issues.

However all is not lost, so log onto the Amazon site in the UK, you will find the Hong Kong Legends Special Collectors Edition of "Way Of The Dragon", that (in my opinion) is the best presentation of this movie available on DVD to date. Hold your breath....here's all the great stuff included : a digitally remastered 2:35.1 Anamorphic widescreen UNCUT presentation (superb picture), plus Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio for both the dubbed English soundtrack and the original Cantonese soundtrack. ( Just wait till you hear the kicks and punches in the Colisseum fight recreated in Dolby 5.1 !!! ). In addition, there is an insightful feature length audio commentary by martial arts fanatic Bey Logan & actor Jon Benn, plus several excellent photo galleries, plus original HK & UK theatrical trailers, plus interviews with Andre Morgan, Anders Nielsen & Jon Benn ! The DVD is Region 2, so you will need a multi-zone DVD player ( You do have one don't you ? ). Furthermore, there is another Region 2 twin disc Hong Kong Legends Platinum Edition of "Way Of The Dragon" (same high quality image and audio) plus, with interviews with Bob Wall, Ing-Sik Whang, Robert Lee and Pat Johnson. The 2nd disc is split into four menu areas : Interview Gallery, Promotional Archive, Information Archive and the Hong Kong Collection....each area is loaded with sensational interviews and biographical material that is both rare and of great interest to Bruce Lee fans. If you are a fan, then both these offerings are well worth having !