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The Way Of The Dragon (1972) |
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This, Bruce’s most commercially appealing Golden Harvest title blends lighter elements into the bruising carnage for the very first time. Set in the highly impressive locations of Rome, Bruce demolishes the local mafia, sports a pair of nunchakus and takes on Chuck Norris in one of the most impressive finales of all time.
Tang Lung (Bruce) is sent to Rome to help family friends with their restaurant. A local gang is trying to force them to sell their property, and escalating threats of violence are putting them in a very difficult position. Only Tang Lung has the courage and physical ability to stop the gangsters, and so with this newly arrived problem obstructing his chances to acquire the restaurant, the gang boss hires two martial artists to come to Rome and eliminate Tang Lung.
Compared to the heavy-going theme of Fist Of Fury, Way of the Dragon takes a lighter approach to an otherwise grim story, utilising comedy and scenes of lighter content amidst stunning martial artistry that builds even further on his previous work. The opening scene in which Tang Lung unknowingly orders several bowls of soup, eats too much and later has many visits to the toilet seems to set a deliberately lighter feel for the whole film. Later, the naïve, boyish Tang Lung is unknowingly picked up by a prostitute and when this is realised ‘in the flesh’, bursts out of the room in a panic.
The ‘country bumpkin’ role Bruce would often occupy is used here to full entertaining effect. Some of the most enjoyable scenes come when Tang Lung shows his new friends at the restaurant his kung fu skills, and some of the men argue over which martial arts style is superior. The physical action is incredible and Bruce takes on an even greater number of opponents than ever before as attackers move in from every angle and don’t even come close to making contact. The severity of this predicament is cranked up even more in the legendary double nunchaku sequence when the gangsters learn a whole new lesson in pain as they are brutally dropped to the ground by a weapon of such elegant destruction.
Another comedy moment comes when, after a crowded fight, the final remaining villain obtains a nunchaku and attempts to use it himself but accidentally knocks himself on the head. A final hit of Bruce’s nunchaku puts him out cold and only the human debris of Bruce’s fighting force remains.
Even more so than in earlier work, Bruce is shown here to be a one man wrecking ball, but once again never using physical violence to cause trouble, but only in standing up for those that need help – and teaching the bullies a hard lesson! Without doubt the film’s most iconic scene comes in the awe-inspiring final showdown between Tang Lung and Colt (Chuck Norris). With the wonderful backdrop of the coliseum, this is a modern day gladiator battle of martial arts skill. As with Bruce’s many other fights, a great deal of philosophical commentary can be found in the way the fight is conducted, and this should be watched closely and appreciated in its own right. It is an extremely satisfying fight between two incredibly gifted martial artists, the only downside is that is doesn’t last longer.
The Young Master’s Wang In Sik also has a brief role as a Japanese fighter, the other martial artist hired by the gang boss along with Colt. His role is small but he does have the opportunity to show what he can do in those years before he would work with Jackie Chan more prominently. Way of the Dragon was to be Bruce’s last complete Hong Kong project, as his next work would consist of Robert Clouse’s Enter the Dragon and the unfinished Game of Death. Here Bruce demonstrated his talents as not just a martial artist or charismatic onscreen star, but as a director as well, and for the first time he took the wheel, guiding the ship himself, having had both his previous Golden Harvest projects directed by Lo Wei.
Way of the Dragon outdid both his previous films at the Box Office, making it his most financially successful release at that time. To this day, it remains one of the most popular martial arts films of all time, still showing in movie theatres all over the world.
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Mike Fury 1/30/2009 - top |
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