Bruce Lee's "Way of the Dragon" is one of several re-issue
titles for Lee's "Return of the Dragon". Filmed in Rome and Hong Kong, this
exhilarating adventure flick finds Lee battling Chuck Norris, in one of the
latter's few unsympathetic roles. The climax pits Lee against Norris in the
middle of the Roman Coliseum! Directed by Bruce Lee himself (who exhibits an
unsuspected flair for comedy), "Return of the Dragon" was the last "complete"
Lee vehicle.
The fight between the two of them is, in my opinion, the
most sophisticated fight ever captured on film. It may not look as stylish
as some Jackie Chan or
Jet Li fights but that is only
the surface. Deep down this fighting sequence uses all the wisdom and
martial arts knowledge that made Bruce Lee a legend. It was the first time
that Bruce Lee as writer, producer and director had the creative freedom to
do whatever he wished. The result is a final gladiatorial duel with 7 times
world karate champion, Chuck Norris in the Coliseum. Two worlds collide in
this fight: Chuck’s modern karate style fighting and Jeet Kune Do. If there
were a martial arts film museum, this fight would be in it. A fighter can
learn more about every aspect of fighting by studying this fight than by
studying hundreds of real fights. In this movie you can see a combination of
all Jeet Kune Do theories: timing, traping, rhythm, distance control, the
element of surprise etc. Also in this scene there are no wires or acrobatics.
This is pure martial arts wisdom in action. Need I say more?