The Way of the Dragon (1972) [Film Review]

The Way of the Dragon; or, A Rumble in Rome

     Let him know. If I ever see him here again... he won’t leave alive!

Bruce Lee, the legend himself, a man who does not need any introduction. The Way of the Dragon was my first introduction to him and his rich legacy. The film may be neither as dramatic as Fist of Fury (1972) nor as action-packed as Enter the Dragon (1973), but it certainly is extremely entertaining. This is my take on Bruce Lee’s directorial debut The Way of the Dragon.
Release Info

Directed by: Bruce Lee Starring: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, Chuck Norris

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 猛龍過江 Runtime: 100 min

 

Synopsis

Chen Ching-hua (Nora Miao) runs a restaurant in Rome, Italy, but she is constantly harassed by mobsters who want to take over her business. She notifies her uncle in China about the situation, hoping that he could help her; however, he sends Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) in his place, a young martial artist.  Chen does not have much faith in the newcomer who has troubles adjusting to a foreign place. Nevertheless, Tang Lung quickly demonstrates his abilities and scares away the criminals. In an act of desperation, they call for Colt (Chuck Norris), an American karate master… 

 

The World of Guns and Knives

After the success of Fist of Fury (1972), Golden Harvest wanted Bruce to continue the cooperation with director Lo Wei. He already had an idea about an action movie set in Japan (which ultimately became A Man Called Tiger (1973)), but Bruce called it quits and declared that this time he would like to direct his own movie, a bigger and better production.

 

Indeed, The Way of the Dragon was a bold undertaking. It was uncommon for a Hong Kong crew to go as far as to Rome to do the outdoor shooting, but Bruce wanted to push the limits (the Colosseum scene!). The movie is filled with humour and action, very much playing on the theme of a stranger in a strange land, which (as Bey Logan noticed in his commentary) was repeated in Jackie Chan’s breakthrough flick Rumble in the Bronx (1994).

 

The fights in the film are very good, but, as previously mentioned, the ones in Fist of Fury seemed a bit better. Evidently, all the good stuff was saved for the final act where Bruce faces off against Bob Wall, Hwang In-Shik, and (last but not least) Chuck Norris. This was actually Chuck’s very first film role ever! What a way to go! The showdown between him and Bruce is a class act.

 

What is more to say? I have a huge nostalgia for this film ever since I saw it on VHS in the late 1990s. The shot in which Bruce runs next to the sunlit columns with Joseph Koo’s unforgettable theme in the background will always be my favourite.

 

Recommendations

Highly recommended to anyone who wants to get into martial arts flicks. I personally recommend the good old Hong Kong Legends dvd release because of special features. The Way of the Dragon is a great movie and it’s a shame that we did not get a remake/sequel (Bruce allegedly had some loose plans back then). Well, you never can go wrong with Bruce Lee.

Overall score: 8/10