The Way of the Dragon

Way of the Dragon
File:WayofDragon.JPG Way of the Dragon Movie Poster
Directed by	Bruce Lee
Written by	Bruce Lee
Produced by	Raymond Chow
Starring	Bruce Lee Nora Miao Chuck Norris In Sik Whang Robert Wall Wei Ping-Ao Wang Chung-Hsin
Cinematography	Tadashi Nishimoto
Edited by	Chang Yao Chang
Music by	Joseph Koo
Distributed by	Golden Harvest
Release date	1973
Running time	88 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Languages	Cantonese, Mandarin

Way of the Dragon (also known as Return of the Dragon in the U.S.) is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts-action film directed by Bruce Lee. It was the third major film of the martial arts legend. In addition to directing the film, Bruce Lee has the leading role and is also the script writer. Unlike his other movies, all which are action-dramas, this one is essentially an action comedy.

Plot

Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) is sent from Hong Kong to Rome to help his sick friend's niece Miss Chen and some family friends whose restaurant is being targeted by the local gangsters and forcing them to sign a contract which will make the Mafia boss gain control of the property. After their offers to purchase the restaurant are repeatedly turned down, the gangsters resort to intimidation. Tang Lung fends off the local gangsters and gains Miss Chen's interest, who up until now has looked down on Tang for his innocence from his hesitance of putting his savings into a bank to unknowingly going home with a prostitute whilst touring Rome with Miss Chen.

The Mafia boss (played by John Benn) sends a gunman, but Tang Lung defeats him with his throwing wooden darts and fractures his neck. The Mafia boss then goes to the restaurant himself along with all his gangster thugs to make Miss Chen sign the contract. Tang Lung defeats them all with his fighting skills with help from a bo staff and two nunchakus. He then warns that if the boss comes to threaten his friends once more, he will take drastic actions. After a failed second attempt at Miss Chen's apartment by the gunman (who now sports a neck brace but manages to escape), Tang Lung and his friends go to save Miss Chen who has been kidnapped by the Mafia boss to sign the contract at his headquarters.

The Mafia boss hires foreign martial artists who have trouble communicating with each other, played by Robert Wall and In Sik Whang, to challenge Tang Lung but he defeats them both with help from friends in a countryside near the Colosseum. The final duel takes place between Tang Lung and the best of the foreign martial artists, Colt (Chuck Norris), in the Colosseum itself, in an iconic fight scene. Tang Lung kills Colt, but covers his body with Colt's white gi to show his respect and admiration, and the Mafia boss is finally arrested whilst the other villains are killed. Having solved the problem, Tang Lung departs Rome alone.

Cast

• Bruce Lee as "Tang Lung" (a.k.a. "China Dragon")
• Nora Miao as "Chen Ching Hua"
• Chuck Norris as "Colt"
• Robert Wall as "Fred"
• Hwang In-Shik as "Japanese Martial Artist"
• Wei Ping-Ao as "Ho"

National Review political columnist John Derbyshire appears in the film briefly, as part of a group of Western thugs that attack Lee.

External links

• Complete filmography of Bruce Lee's career in the movies