Recent Reviews for Return of the Dragon (The Way of the Dragon)

Recent Reviews

  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    August 11, 2008
    Seeing that I am a huge Bruce Lee fans I am hardly going to say anything bad here. Not his best but still entertaining. The best part is seeing Chuck Norris get his arse kicked.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 4, 2008
    one of the best movies i've ever seen...if u are lookin' for a bruce lee that jokes and acts funny...this is the movie for u....hehehe its has the most legendary fight...bruce lee versus chuck norris in the roman colissieum
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 28, 2008
    The United States and the world would discover Martial Arts actor Bruce Lee until 1973 with the release of his first (and only) Hollywood film, "Enter the Dragon", a masterpiece of the Martial Arts genre and arguably the film that started the trend of Kung-Fu films. However, before making "Enter the Dragon", Lee had already participated in three major films in Hong Kong, two of them under the direction of Wei Lo and the third the only film of his where he had complete control under everything, "Meng Long Guojian", the "Way of the Dragon". Better known as "Return of the Dragon" in the U.S. (where it was released as a sequel to "Enter the Dragon"), "Meng Long Guojiang" was Lee's first film as a director, and like his following two final films, a movie where he was able to express not only his physical abilities, but also the philosophy he developed to achieve them.

    In "Way of the Dragon", Bruce Lee plays Tang Lung, a young man from Hong Kong who is sent to Rome by his uncle in order to help a family friend, "Uncle" Wang (Chung-Hsin Huang). At his arrival, he is informed that the problem is that the Italian Mafia wants the family's restaurant, and uses violent intimidation to pressure the owner. While at first not everyone is convinced that Tang Lung would be of any help (as he is not used to the city), soon they discover that Tang is in fact a talented Martial Artist. With Tang Lung's help, the Restaurant's waiters manage to defend themselves from the gangsters, but the Mafia Boss is completely decided to get the Restaurant, so he hires a group of Martial Arts experts, including the famous Colt (Chuck Norris) to eliminate Tang Lung.

    After proving he was a bankable star, Bruce Lee finally got the opportunity of not only writing, but also directing his own film. Free at last to make his vision of a Martial Arts film come true, Lee builds up a film focused on two very personal themes for him. On one hand, his very own experience as a stranger in a strange land, and the feelings of being like a fish out of the water; and on the other, his ideal of the hero who uses his very own technique to fight against the established disciplines. While the plot is very straight forward, and a bit typical, Lee uses it effectively to showcase his own ideals and philosophies as martial artist, delivering finally an action film with some depth beyond watching the character overcome the enemies.

    Borrowing heavily from Spaghetti Westerns (even some score by Morricone is used), Lee creates a magnificent epic set on the beautiful locations of Rome, where his lonely hero Tang Lung arrives as a modern day cowboy to right some wrongs. While of course not an expert filmmaker (it was after all, his first film as a director), Lee shows a great eye for visuals, as the camera becomes an essential part in the creation of the sublimely choreographed fights, and the highly stylish set pieces (again, influenced by Sergio Leone's westerns). "Meng Long Guojiang is definitely the basics for what Lee conceived as a Martial Arts film, and many of what he developed for this movie would become of great influence for future directors of the genre.

    Due to his character in "Enter the Dragon", most people remember Bruce Lee's acting as a serious, dark personification of the perfect martial arts warrior, however, "Meng Long Guojiang" is a chance to discover a way different side of Lee's persona, as he allows himself to be as funny and human as skilled in Kung-Fu. "Way of the Dragon" offers insight into Lee as a comedy actor, as Tang Lung's personality (and probably Bruce's real one too) is that of a happy man who enjoys life. The rest of the cast ranges from good to average, with one amazing exception: Ping-Ao Wei. As the treacherous translator Ho, Ping-Ao Wei delivers one of the best comedic performances of his career, and an excellent (and effective) comic relief for the film.

    As written above, the cast (mostly the case of the many extras in the film) most of the time doesn't seem up to the challenge of the film, and the awful dubbing done doesn't really help with that. Another truly big problem is that Lee didn't had enough budget to fulfill his vision and in some scenes it really shows. This two problems really hurt the film badly, and while Lee's inexperience behind the camera is quite obvious, it's safe to say that he delivered a great job against the odds. The epic tone of the film and the superb climatic scenes really make up for the notorious flaws the film has, and one gets to wonder how would "Game of Death" may had turned up if Lee had lived enough to complete it.

    It's a shame that Lee died so soon and was unable to craft his ultimate Martial Arts film, leaving the world wondering what would he do to top this film (and the reliable sources agree that "Game of Death" was really going to be his best). This flawed masterpiece may not be perfect, but it's monumental when one realizes how influential it became. Sure, "Enter the Dragon" may be the better film of the two, but "Meng Long Guojiang" is the film that shows us how Lee really was, and what he really believed in. In more than one sense, "Meng Long Guojiang" is truly, the real Way of the Dragon.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 11, 2008
    One of the most awesome martial arts movies, and masters ever, Bruce Lee's Return of the Dragon, is about a young man on a trip to Italy who must battle bad guys there.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    June 23, 2008
    Two things about this movie...
    1...Lee kickin @$$ and takin names later.
    2...Mr. America, Chuck Norris, puttin up a fight, but gettin his up-n-comings before all his damn Delta Force garbage movies. ;-)
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    May 30, 2008
    Although the plot was rather stale, Bruce Lee managed to posthumously provide us with a spectacular display of martial arts.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 28, 2008
    This was a great action kung fu flick. Bruce Lee was the best. My favorite scene is when Chuck Norris fights Bruce Lee. A classic in martial arts films.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 16, 2008
    This one features the immortal fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in the Colusseum and is the only one Bruce Lee wrote, directed, coreographed the action for as well as starred in.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 6, 2008
    So Return of the Dragon is not that great. WHO CARES. Bruce Lee is in it so WHAMMO: 3 stars. No seriously though it is terrible and with the exception of the epic fight scenes it's completely forgettable. Well maybe not forgettable but definitely ridiculous. In any case none of that matters like I said because Bruce Lee fights Chuck Norris and that, my friend, is the stuff dreams are made of.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 4, 2008
    this is my favorite actor bruce lee in each of his film.
    bruce lee and chuck norris character who fought in rome.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 23, 2008
    I mean in those days, who didn't watch return of the Dragon? Bruce Lee is not a legeng for nothing. If you haven't seen this movie, GO AND WATCH IT!
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 15, 2008
    With thi smovie what an amazing movie the fight with Chuck Norris is the embodiment of the typical martial arts film.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 14, 2008
    What makes this film so kick ass is the fight scenes...Bruce Lee is a master with the nunchuks, and who can forget the epic battle between Bruce & Chuck Norris?
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 10, 2008
    The only film that Bruce Lee starred in AND directed. Bruce travels to Rome to help a family restaurant business under threat from the mob. Events lead up to a terrific showdown between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in the Colosseum.
  • 2.0 Stars
    MCT:
    February 24, 2008
    Flying fist action & ego driven camera angles, this movie has at least 3 different versions out there (for example, the china version has scenes cut from the US release, and the Euro version is different still). In short, watch this to see the master in deadly balletic action fight setups., period...Notable for giving a clumsy point-karate champ a career in film (Carlos Rey Norris). and the famous lat-ab flex balcony scene. Remember and take note: A short, skinny, nearsighted little shrimp might just kick your ass so be careful who you mess with when you are drunk leaving the bar at 2AM looking for a fight because you didnt get any action from the Chix', Foos'!....
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    January 25, 2008
    Synopsis: Bruce Lee wrote and directed Return of the Dragon, his third film, a mix of hard-edged kung fu and goofy humor. Once again he plays the country boy who travels to a foreign land, in this case Italy, where his restaurant-owning cousins face tro...
    Starring: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, Chuck Norris, Ping-Ao Wei, Chung-Hsin Huang
    Directed by: Bruce Lee
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    January 7, 2008
    Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) arrives in Rome to help his cousins in the restaurant business. They are being pressured to sell their property to the syndicate, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. When Tang arrives he poses a new threat to the syndicate, and they are unable to defeat him. The syndicate boss hires the best Japanese and European martial artists to fight Tang, but he easily finishes them off. The American martial artist Colt (Chuck Norris) is hired and has a showdown with Tang in Rome's famous Colosseum.
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    November 27, 2007
    AWESOME!!!!! While not as iconic as Enter the Dragon, Return of the Dragon showcases Bruce's best fighting sequences while skimping on the plot. Hey, who needs plot when you have Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris squaring off. Why are they fighting? Who cares. These are two of the biggest names in Martial Arts schooling each other in the art of combat. Script lacks cohesiveness, but the double nunchuck action makes you forget there ever was a script. See Bruce in his best movie, see Return of The Dragon.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    November 23, 2007
    Not good for this generation, but when the film was made it was the best of its kind, in that generation with Bruce Lee himself and Italian Mafia
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    November 5, 2007
    the greatest ever! martials arts fight scene between bruce lee and chuck norris. (the fight scene between neo and agent smith in the subway during the first matrix, is a very close second)
  • Not Interested
    MCT:
    October 26, 2007
    u know bruce lee's son, brandon lee was the guy in the crow? he doesn't even look asian! i would have never guessed that was his son!
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    October 18, 2007
    " I do not remember seeing this movie growing; I remember Enter the dragon, and that was good flick"!
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    October 7, 2007
    best fight sequence of all-time the fight against chuck norris in the colosseum...if you have'nt seen it you must!!!
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    September 29, 2007
    Synopsis: Bruce Lee wrote and directed Return of the Dragon, his third film, a mix of hard-edged kung fu and goofy humor. Once again he plays the country boy who travels to a foreign land, in this case Italy, where his restaurant-owning cousins face tro...
    Starring: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, Chuck Norris, Ping-Ao Wei, Chung-Hsin Huang
    Directed by: Bruce Lee
    LNR
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    September 25, 2007
    this movie is quite old,but i dont get tired of it.Jackie must would say is the best.ok he had a plug in his head as aresult of an injury over a stunt on the set,but Bruce cud do eight punches in one sedcond.Give respect to whom its due

Summary

Return of the Dragon (The Way of the Dragon) Summary