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The Way of the Dragon
The Way of the Dragon
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The Way of the Dragon

The Way of the Dragon

1972
Crime, Action
1h 30m
A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them. (imdb)

Directed by:

Bruce Lee

Screenwriter:

Bruce Lee

Starring:

Bruce Lee, Malisa Longo, Ing-Sik Whang, Nora Miao, Chuck Norris, Tony Liu, Fu Ching Chen, Ping-Ao Wei, Chung-Hsin Huang, Robert Wall, Jon T. Benn, Little Unicorn

Genres:

Crime, Action

AKAs:

Meng long guojiang, Return of the Dragon

Country:

Hong Kong

Languages:

English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Italian
imdb IMDb
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The Way of the Dragon

1972
Crime, Action
1h 30m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 54.61% from 680 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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barthalenBarthalen
Rated 24 Dec 2012
66
46th
Take out all the action scenes and you have an hour of unfunny comedy and stupid characters. However, seeing Bruce Lee in action is such a great experience that it becomes impossible to truly dislike the film (even though it isn't very good). The final confrontation contains my two favorite things in this world: kittens, and Chuck Norris getting his stupid ass beaten like a chump.
Rated 24 Dec 2012
ecitizeneCitizen
Rated 18 Oct 2020
64
61st
Few scenes are as entertaining and comical as the very first fight scene of this movie. Bruce Lee's awesome fighting skill are on display. The story arc was subverted by turning friends into foes at the end. Chuck Norris as the villains hitman was a stretch. If you subtract the great fights what's left is rubbish. Overall it was entertaining. A cult classic for Kung Fu fans. Extra points for Bruce Lee fighting.
Rated 18 Oct 2020
luna6ixLuna6ix
Rated 25 Jun 2011
56
11th
Once again, Bruce Lee does some pretty sweet fighting in a pretty horrible movie, everything down to the fuzzy picture is of a mediocre, at best, quality. The only thing worth it in this movie is that Bruce Lee fights Chuck Norris, that's at least worth saying you saw.
Rated 25 Jun 2011
doctor7doctor7
Rated 16 Jun 2009
68
49th
Yes it's a silly contrived story, has really dated flat humour and the acting is pretty bad but good God Bruce Lee is absolutely awesome when he fights. This is my first Bruce Lee film and I can honestly see why he was held in such high regard. He's not only fast but looks incredible when fighting. Plus the climatic battle between him and Chuck Norris is unforgettable. I wish I could give it a higher score but, while the fighting is some of the best I've seen, the rest isn't very good.
Rated 16 Jun 2009
ribcageribcage
Rated 11 Oct 2020
77
71st
Budget and guerrila film making aside, Lee has the barest frame of a story on which to hang fight scenes. But every time he fights it's worth watching. His speed is inhuman, his flexibility unbelievable. The choreography shows off his physicality perfectly, and the fights are also the only place where Lee's direction makes sense (ignoring mid-fight close-ups of kittens). You will rewind at least once to replay some incredible feat
Rated 11 Oct 2020
backwardsuitbackwardsuit
Rated 01 Feb 2018
62
27th
Needless to say Bruce Lee's kung fu is brilliant but the movie is overall too cheesy & bland to make good use of it. The script is a pure cartoon, the comedy is mostly embarrasing & the lighter tone is ill-fitting since Bruce always looks intense as hell. The camerawork is weirdly amateurish or rushed with sloppy focus, day for night, & bad lighting. Also what's with the outrageously "gay" underboss? Bruce Lee is always very watchable though & the 30 mins he actually spends kicking ass are fun.
Rated 01 Feb 2018
chemical404chemical404
Rated 12 Mar 2010
60
59th
Mexican standoff between Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and a kitten! The only film Bruce wrote and directed. His character is righteous and simple country bumpkin. A stereotype popular in Chinese comedies. One of the villains is a bizarre caricature of a queer. So yea, it's cheesiest film with Lee, but the fight scenes are great. Karate have nothing on Chinese boxing!:)
Rated 12 Mar 2010
smoovejSmooveJ
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
59th
Worth a watch if only for the climactic fight between Norris and Lee.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
yilbyilb
Rated 14 Aug 2007
60
58th
It's all about Bruce. Dude is amazing to watch. As a movie, it's pretty stupid.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
sirvasilSirVasil
Rated 28 May 2007
65
53rd
The sequence in which is Ch. Norris beaten by Bruce Lee is the most expensive film trick ever - Chuck actually killed Bruce Lee. Six times.
Rated 28 May 2007
nobambanobamba
Rated 22 Nov 2020
60
62nd
Is this a comedy? I agree with Barthalen---"take out all the action scenes and you have an hour of unfunny comedy and stupid characters." Most brutal was the restaurant scene which goes on for too long. The repeated bad guy shakedown/getting asses beat/"this time we mean it"/getting asses beat/coming back is silly. It was hilarious to have Bruce Lee silently seducing an Italian lady, but the payoff was lame. Fav scene: BRUCE LEE. CHUCK NORRIS. COLOSSEUM. Worth the price of admission.
Rated 22 Nov 2020
groovysoulsGroovy_Souls
Rated 29 Jul 2020
60
40th
This is hard to rank because for the most part this movie is a classic of the genre. Bruce at his most charming and magnetic, and most impressive in terms of martial arts. With that being said, I can't get by the humor that hasn't aged well and the contrived plot. Not to knock Bruce, but with a better writer on hand, this movie could have easily been more impressive than Enter the Dragon.
Rated 29 Jul 2020
indyatmnINDYATMN
Rated 23 Mar 2009
75
42nd
Lee wrote & directed this, which isn't a good thing. The humor is 2 cheesy 4 words & the direction is at times (esp. during the drawn-out beginning) awkward enough 2 easily fit into some early 70's porn flick. The characters r almost all literally caricatures, but one comes 2 a movie like this 4 kicks 2 the face, not dialogue. The fight scenes usually thrill (w/ Lee never shy about showing off)& the batlle w/ Chuck Norris (interestingly shot by using a kitten as counterpoint) is one of his best
Rated 23 Mar 2009
myfavchordsmyfavchords
Rated 18 Nov 2020
82
85th
Bruce Lee does a great job with the lead role and also with directing this film. There are number of good action scenes and the final battle scene is excellent. Overall I would certainly recommend this action film.
Rated 18 Nov 2020
yiannosYiannos
Rated 11 Sep 2017
68
66th
T.W.O.T.D certainly demonstrates that Lee had a keen awareness of his own celebrity and was consciously sculpting it for mass appeal. What's less certain are his skills as a writer-director. It's an odd mix of a fish-out-of-water story with a typical revenge narrative, which makes for awkward viewing, especially as the emphasis on soporific humour results in a lack of concentrated intensity. The Norris-Lee duel is the main attraction and remains one of the greatest screen fights of all time.
Rated 11 Sep 2017
sirstuckeySirStuckey
Rated 24 Mar 2017
65
45th
The story is simple and mostly forgettable and the acting is kind of bad. The humor is weird and doesn't feel like it should fit but I did get some laughs from it. Bruce Lee is such a bad ass though. Basically when he's fighting or even just warming up before a fight the movie is awesome. There should have been more of that really.
Rated 24 Mar 2017
jschlanskyJSchlansky
Rated 06 Mar 2017
64
48th
Forget the fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, the best part is easily when Bruce Lee asks if he can buy a gun, then says nevermind I'll just sharpen some tiny sticks.
Rated 06 Mar 2017
bratingsbratings
Rated 29 Sep 2016
93
90th
The Way of the Dragon is an impressive martial arts extravaganza that contains one of the most pleasing fight scenes of all time.
Rated 29 Sep 2016
anomalyAnomaly
Rated 15 Mar 2016
62
32nd
Bruce Lee is amazing at kung fu. He is terrible at writing and directing.
Rated 15 Mar 2016
ag0stomesmerAg0stoMesmer
Rated 30 Jul 2012
4
91st
The Bruce Lee tape that wore out the quickest, the story stuff really needs ffwd-ing. A couple of very memorable scenes and I still remember how excited I was the first time, waiting for that finale.
Rated 30 Jul 2012
kramyessevKramYessev
Rated 20 Oct 2011
67
48th
Half terrible, half amazing. For the most part, "Way of the Dragon" is shoddily directed, shot, acted and paced with terrible dialogue...but who cares? We're here to see Bruce Lee fighting Chuck Norris and it's awesome.
Rated 20 Oct 2011
dmarquesdmarques
Rated 07 Dec 2010
70
42nd
1: How can we make this movie better guys, think think! 2: Hmm how about we make a Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris fight. 1: Yes thats not bad, not bad at all, still lacks a bit of panache. 2: In the Colosseum? 1: FUCK YEAH
Rated 07 Dec 2010
ewp805ewp805
Rated 12 Jul 2009
85
85th
Features one the best kung fu scenes in film history.
Rated 12 Jul 2009
tonydaltonydal
Rated 17 Jul 2008
50
15th
Kinda like if Enter the Dragon had been a sitcom (and a hideously bad one at that). Wasn't helped by a horrendous dub job--but I could see that the hamminess was in the original as well. Score interlaced "On a Clear Day..." with spaghetti westerns. Only the fighting (especially the finale at the Colosseum) was at all interesting. Hard to believe that Bruce had been making movies all his life, what with his merciless 3 Stooges-style mugging throughout (a plethora of "wah wah WAHHH" moments).
Rated 17 Jul 2008
thedenizenTheDenizen
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
98th
Some sweet fights (the alley fight in particular) and the showdown with Bruce vs Chuck Norris at the Coliseum is the greatest thing Chuck has ever done. A classic.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
tequilaTequila
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
10th
Bruce Lee was a genius martial artist, but admit it, he sucked big time as a filmmaker. This movie has no direction to speak of, story is utter crap and you have to wait for a first glimpse of action for 20 or so painful minutes of horrible dialogue and lousy acting. Plus, as much as I'm sure Bruce Lee would kick anybody's ass, the fight scenes are simply nowhere near as impressive as, let's say, Jet Li's in Fist of Legend, because they are simply neither filmed nor choreographed so well.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
sirsassSirSass
Rated 29 Aug 2020
70
68th
Chuck Norris takes off his shirt and reveals his sweater, gross.
Rated 29 Aug 2020
chmulcr0nchmul_cr0n
Rated 17 Apr 2018
70
56th
Dumbest, laziest plot ever. Cool movie, though. Pretty sure I've seen this before.
Rated 17 Apr 2018
buffratingsbuffratings
Rated 15 Apr 2017
93
91st
The Way of the Dragon is an impressive martial arts extravaganza that contains one of the most pleasing fight scenes of all time.
Rated 15 Apr 2017
tuerdatuerda
Rated 02 Jul 2016
70
59th
In the Colosseum, Bruce Lee kicks Chuck Norris's ass so hard that he almost knocks his chest hair off. If you think that sounds like the coolest thing ever, you are right. If that scene lasted the full run time of the movie then it would be the greatest movie of all time. Unfortunately there are some other things in there, and they are bad even by Bruce Lee movie standards. They do include Bruce Lee beating up some random thugs a couple of times though.
Rated 02 Jul 2016
synthonosynthono
Rated 09 Mar 2015
78
38th
One great scene, one inexplicable cat.
Rated 09 Mar 2015
thereminjamThereminJam
Rated 13 Jan 2015
77
41st
Using this for my thesis. This movie is very problematic at times (stereotypical portrayal of a gay man - Ho -- portraying gayness as negative, the desexualization with Tang -- when he runs away from the half-naked woman, and the "perpetual foreigner" stereotype of Japanese people, etc). However, it's still entertaining.
Rated 13 Jan 2015
supergloosupergloo
Rated 23 Jun 2014
8
55th
Great Bruce Lee but not a great movie.
Rated 23 Jun 2014
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 16 Feb 2014
43
31st
Bruce Lee's movies weren't much good, but they stood out among Kung Fu cinema of their day by crossing over to western settings and comedic styles, as this one does. In that capacity, Bruce Lee was a pioneer, and The Way of the Dragon exemplifies that despite being poorly written and made. Sadly, a lot of subsequent movies from across the world seem to imitate this film's obstinate pattern of bad guys getting their butts kicked by the protagonist and never learning their lesson.
Rated 16 Feb 2014
brandonsbrandons
Rated 13 Jul 2012
92
94th
Strip down the excess of strange characters and bizarre humor, and audiences have Bruce: mesmerizing, fast, witty, and one of the rare examples of true screen magnetism.
Rated 13 Jul 2012
the_pirateThe Pirate
Rated 17 Apr 2012
89
90th
Another amazing Bruce Lee classic! At this point in his career I think he started to realize what made a well-rounded movie and a 3D character. Chuck Norris lost people!
Rated 17 Apr 2012
goremeatgoremeat
Rated 26 Apr 2011
80
77th
Terrible story, but the climactic fight is the finest moment in martial arts cinema.
Rated 26 Apr 2011
hellboy76hellboy76
Rated 16 Oct 2010
69
73rd
Forget the bullshit locale and story, you are here to see Bruce, and he's pretty good in it.
Rated 16 Oct 2010
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 29 Jul 2010
74
40th
I found most of the fights pretty lackluster, probably because they're not stylized, but it makes up for that with a lot of laughs.
Rated 29 Jul 2010
azureclipseAzurEclipse
Rated 17 Sep 2009
75
93rd
Would've loved this movie had they ended it with that dirt fight then Chuck Norris appears from behind a tree rather than the colosseum fight
Rated 17 Sep 2009
caocaocaocao
Rated 24 May 2009
72
69th
The Lee style is well established at this point. Oh, what could have been...
Rated 24 May 2009
cosmicmonkeyCosmicMonkey
Rated 06 Apr 2009
75
49th
Full Points for being the only film bold enough to have both THE Chuck Norris AND THE Bruce Lee in a fight against each other. This film has some serious fucking balls.
Rated 06 Apr 2009
suteupacSuteupac
Rated 24 Feb 2009
85
94th
This is my favorite of Bruce Lee movies. I like Bruce, I like Italy and like that Bruce is in Italy taking out the mob. The fight between Bruce and Chuck Norris and his hairy back was legendary.
Rated 24 Feb 2009
dst7175dst7175
Rated 20 Oct 2008
91
98th
Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris is the best fight scene ever.
Rated 20 Oct 2008
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 01 Mar 2007
50
35th
Great only for the legend that is Bruce Lee.
Rated 01 Mar 2007
johnnyzombieJohnnyZombie
Rated 23 Feb 2007
86
63rd
Yeah, it's not that good of a movie, but the ridiculous story and dialogue along with the great fight scenes and the awesomness of Bruce Lee are what make this movie good for me
Rated 23 Feb 2007
cromcrom
Rated 28 May 2024
70
72nd
This is the best: of Bruce Lee, of Hong Kong Cinema, of martial arts films in general, simply a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Bruce Lee shows here, more than ever, his completely unique ability to perform sublime martial arts on the big screen. He himself produced, directed, wrote the story, and plays the lead role himself. Even compared to Enter the dragon, arguably his best-known film, this firecracker of a film shines.
Rated 28 May 2024
brrrpbrrrp
Rated 19 Feb 2024
40
19th
Ahh, I don't remember much more than the iconic Colosseum fight between Bruce and Chuck Norris. Kind of weird seeing chop-socky go down in Italy.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
gwulingwulin
Rated 03 Feb 2024
80
84th
Forget the story. This is about Bruce Lee kicking some serious ass, and of course the awesome end battle against Chuck Norris. Some of the supporting actors are also pretty cool in their stereotypical gangster roles. Can it get more cheesy than this? Great fun!
Rated 03 Feb 2024
wardenWarden
Rated 09 Mar 2023
57
38th
A surprisingly standard but entertaining martial arts film, mostly only elevated by Bruce Lee's presence, physicality, and the fight at the end. Before that though, there's not much going on under the surface, or much depth to the story or characters. It's a promising directorial debut by Bruce Lee, for the time, and it's a tragedy his life was cut short soon after this.
Rated 09 Mar 2023
war_machineWar Machine
Rated 07 Jul 2022
40
3rd
Ilovehowtheyspeakenglishinitalylol+failingatfunny+squatsontoilet:P+lolCNthumbsupthendown+theirwarmupslol-lolripsoutchesthair
Rated 07 Jul 2022
jpfergusonJPFerguson
Rated 25 May 2022
75
83rd
The beauty of Bruce writing, directing and starring in this film is that you are given insights into Lee that go beyond his status as an icon of martial arts; in many ways, 'this' is Bruce Lee more so than his other on-screen personas. Those suggesting that only the fight scenes are worth watching, clearly don't appreciate Lee's comedic chops (soup, anyone?). Having said all of this, it is still Bruce's body and his contorting of his body that mesmerises and tattoos the viewer's retinas.
Rated 25 May 2022
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 12 Oct 2021
80
37th
Viewed September 24, 2021. The snap-zoom into Chuck’s face when he first enters the movie is every bit the equal of out-of-focus John Wayne in Stagecoach. Talk about the making of an American icon.
Rated 12 Oct 2021
mojojoestarMojoJoestar
Rated 27 Feb 2021
60
28th
If it wasn't for Bruce Lee and that legendary fight with Chuck Norris, this would be another generic martial arts movie. You're better off just watching that specific fight and skipping the rest.
Rated 27 Feb 2021
auhasarderikauhasarderik
Rated 25 Feb 2018
3
5th
Awful comedy, writing and realization, and extremely fake fight scenes. I cannot believe for the life of me that Bruce Lee was any kind of star based on things like this. What was it? His muscles? The awful sound-edit punches? The weird girly screams?
Rated 25 Feb 2018
edkrakedkrak
Rated 29 Jul 2017
20
7th
What a stinker! Everything here has production values of Godfrey Ho production but without the fun cheese. Bruce's skills are undeniable, but fighting choreography is not that imaginative, so most of the fights are not that fun anyway and his character is a bit of a fag. Final 20 minutes are quite ok, but don't expect anything spectacular.
Rated 29 Jul 2017
normalchaosnormalchaos
Rated 04 Jul 2015
60
28th
It was really impressive to watch Bruce Lee in action, unfortunately the rest of the movie was pretty lacking. The horrible English dub probably didn't help, although I don't know that it could've hurt it too much.
Rated 04 Jul 2015
parallaxParallax
Rated 20 Jan 2015
40
2nd
Let's lay it out there: Bruce Lee movies aren't very good. Aside from being an insanely powerful presence when he flexes and fights, Lee lacked the charisma to carry such empty characters. It doesn't help that the fights are boring and repetitive, and the story is as empty as a hollow log. If you wonder where people's perceptions of kung-fu movies as cheap, clumsy, and poorly acted, then look no further.
Rated 20 Jan 2015
lonewolf2003Lonewolf2003
Rated 03 Dec 2014
75
61st
(2nd viewing, 1st: 60)
Rated 03 Dec 2014
whotempwhotemp
Rated 26 May 2014
95
96th
- 11/1/10
Rated 26 May 2014
glm01glm01
Rated 23 Mar 2014
87
91st
86.500
Rated 23 Mar 2014
sienceSience
Rated 07 Sep 2011
55
51st
Watched purely for the fighting scenes, and partly the elements of comedy (even though they're nothing special really). The story, script and acting on the whole is rubbish.
Rated 07 Sep 2011
snakefood89SNAKEFOOD89
Rated 29 Aug 2011
80
43rd
bad movie, great martial arts
Rated 29 Aug 2011
glmglm
Rated 24 Jan 2011
87
85th
86.750
Rated 24 Jan 2011
muzak66muzak66
Rated 02 Jul 2010
88
86th
CHUCK VS BRUCE LEE EPIC
Rated 02 Jul 2010
eric_janeric-jan
Rated 26 Jan 2009
75
74th
Bruce lee = pure awesomeness.
Rated 26 Jan 2009
fyngyrzfyngyrz
Rated 30 Aug 2007
3
2nd
Bruce.
Rated 30 Aug 2007
jeanie72Jeanie72
Rated 12 Jun 2007
77
37th
The fight with Norris is classic!!
Rated 12 Jun 2007
nuotionuotio
Rated 24 Apr 2007
65
83rd
This was a lot more comedic than I remembered, and there's quite a contrast with Bruce Lee's very bleak previous film Fist of Fury. Some scenes are very goofy and the plot is basic, but it's just a fun film and it's nice to see a different side of Bruce. His martial arts skills are still above and beyond anyone else, but he's doesn't take himself too seriously. Chuck Norris doesn't have much screen time, but he's used to great effect and the Colosseum finale between him and Bruce is a classic.
Rated 24 Apr 2007

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