Way of the Dragon

The Way of the Dragon
Way of the Dragon movie poster
Traditional	猛龍過江
Simplified	猛龙过江
Mandarin	Měng Lóng Guò Jiāng
Cantonese	Maang5 Lung5 Gwo3 Gong1
Directed by	Bruce Lee
Produced by	Raymond Chow Bruce Lee
Written by	Bruce Lee
Starring	Bruce Lee Nora Miao Chuck Norris Hwang In-Shik Robert Wall Wei Ping Ao Wang Chung-hsin
Music by	Joseph Koo Bruce Lee
Cinematography	Tadashi Nishimoto
Editing by	Peter Cheung
Distributed by	Golden Harvest
Release date(s)	Hong Kong: December 30, 1972 (1972-12-30)
Running time	Hong Kong: 99 minutes United States: 88 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Mandarin
Budget	HK $130,000
Gross revenue	Hong Kong: HK $5,307,351 Worldwide: US $85,000,000

The Way of the Dragon (Chinese: 猛龍過江; literally, "The Fierce Dragon Crosses the River"; also known as Return of the Dragon in the United States) is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film written, produced, directed by and starring Bruce Lee.

Plot

Tang Lung is sent from Hong Kong to Rome to help his friend's niece Chen Ching Hua, and family friends, whose restaurant is being targeted by the local Mafia, which has been trying to force them to sign a contract handing over ownership of the restaurant to the Mafia boss. After their offers to purchase the restaurant are repeatedly turned down, the gangsters resort to intimidation. Tang fends off the local gangsters and wins the admiration of Chen, who had initially looked down on him for his naïvety. Tang had earlier been reluctant to put all his savings into a bank and had even unknowingly gone home with a prostitute while touring Rome with Chen; he had further frustrated her by not being able to understand the Italian and English languages. After the thugs are defeated the first time, Tang becomes friends with the other workers and teaches them Chinese boxing; they, in turn, combine them with their skills in Karate to help Tang fight off the gangsters.

The Mafia boss sends a gunman to kill Tang, but Tang defeats him by throwing wooden darts and breaking his neck. The angry boss then takes a personal trip to the restaurant with his thugs to force Chen to sign the contract. Although they are armed with guns, Tang manages to defeat them after the boss forbids them to use the guns. Tang uses a wooden pole and a pair of Nunchakus during the fight. He warns the boss that he will take firm action against him if he continues to harass his friends. The boss later responds by warning Chen he will have Tang killed if he stays in Rome. However, Tang refuses to leave, even after being told of the mafia's intentions by Chen and Uncle Wang. The boss then sends a sniper (the gunman who now wears a neck brace) to kill Tang at Chen's apartment, but he fails again. Chen is kidnapped by the boss and compelled to sign the contract at his headquarters, but Tang and his friends appear and rescue her once more.

The Mafia boss' lieutenant Ho (Wei Ping Ao) hires foreign martial artists, two of whom have trouble communicating with each other, to challenge Tang Lung. Ho attempts to lure Tang into a trap where the fighters will ambush him, but Tang defeats them with help from his friends in the countryside near the Colosseum. However, when two of his friends (the only fighters on both sides still conscious) sit down for a rest, Uncle Wang kills them both, revealing that he would receive a large sum of money if he persuaded Miss Chen to sell the restaurant. Meanwhile, Tang has a final showdown inside the Colosseum with the Karate fighter Colt (Chuck Norris), the best of the hired fighters, and the only one fully able to communicate with him despite the language barrier. Colt is winning at first and is beating Tang up badly, but Tang eventually gets the upper hand since he is faster and more fluid and tires Colt out with his quick attacks. Tang wins the fight, but Colt, wounded as he may be, will not go down until he is dead, and, because it is a battle to the death (and after he's reminded of this), he reluctantly kills Colt by snapping his neck. He covers the body with Colt's white Gi to show his respect and admiration after the fight. As he is still overwhelmed with guilt, he hears Ho escaping. Tang angrily chases him down to the countryside only to find everyone there (other than himself, Wang, and Ho) has been killed (Wang stabbing the others as they lay unconscious). There, Ho tries to stall Tang while Wang is going to stab and kill him with a knife from behind. The mafia boss arrives and shoots Ho and Wang in the heart, but he fails to shoot Tang as he takes cover behind the tree. The police arrive just in time to arrest the mafia boss. The final scene takes place in the graveyard, where Tang and Chen pay respects to the fallen. Tang bids farewell to Chen and leaves Rome alone as the credits begin to roll.

Cast

• Bruce Lee as Tang Long/Cantonese: Tong Lung (aka "China Dragon")
• Nora Miao as Chen Ching Hua
• Chuck Norris as Colt^[1]
• Robert Wall as Fred (aka "Bob")
• Hwang In-Shik as Japanese martial artist
• Wei Ping Ao as Ho
• Wang Chung-hsin as Uncle Wang
• Tony Liu as Tony
• Unicorn Chan as Jimmy
• Tommy Chen as Tommy
• Chin Ti as Ah Quen
• Wu Ngan as Ah Chuan
• Robert Chen as Robert
• John T. Benn as Mafia boss (uncredited)
• Malisa Longo as Italian Beauty
• Yuen Biao as thug
• John Derbyshire appears in the film briefly as one of the Mafia thugs.^[2]

Production

Bruce Lee formed his own production company Concord Productions with Golden Harvest founder, Raymond Chow.^[3]

Reception

The film set a new box office record in Hong Kong.^[3] It ranked #95 in Empire magazines "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.^[4]

Remake

Stephen Chow will direct and star in a remake version of the film entitled Tai Chi. The film is also rumored to star Jack Black and Anne Hathaway, and began shooting in June 2010. It will be Chow's first American movie.^[5]

DVD releases

Universe (Hong Kong)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) letterboxed
• Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean
• Supplements: Trailer, Trailers for The Big Boss, Enter the Dragon, Game of Death, Legacy of Rage
• All regions, NTSC

Fortune Star - Bruce Lee Ultimate DVD Collection (Hong Kong)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2:31:1) anamorphic
• Sound: Cantonese (DTS 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Mandarin (DTS 5.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English
• Supplements: Original trailer, New trailer, Still photos, Slideshow of photos, Celebrity Interviews, Unseen footage, Game of Death outtakes, Enter the Dragon alternate opening, 32-page booklet
• Region 3, NTSC

Fox (America)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) letterboxed
• Sound: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English
• Supplements: None
• Region 1, NTSC

Fox - Bruce Lee Ultimate Collection (America)

• Released: October 18, 2005
• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
• Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Mandarin (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Supplements: Original trailer, New trailer, Celebrity interviews, Still photos, Slideshow of photos, Bonus trailers
• Region 1, NTSC

Hong Kong Legends - Special Collector's Edition (United Kingdom)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
• Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Supplements: Commentary by Bey Logan and Jon Benn, Original trailer, UK Promotional trailer, Rare photo archive, Animated biography showcase, Interview with Andre Morgan, Interview with Russell Cawthrone, Interview with Jon Benn, Interview with Anders Nielson
• Region 2, PAL

Hong Kong Legends - Platinum Edition (United Kingdom)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1) anamorphic
• Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Supplements: Disc 1: Commentary by Bey Logan and Jon Benn, Introduction to the film by Bruce Lee’s brother, Robert Lee Disc 2: Introduction to the extras by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan, Double-Edged Sword: An Interview with Bob Wall, Memories of the Master: An interview with Pat Johnson, Warrior Immortal: An interview with Master Hwang In-Sik, A Dragon Remembered: An interview with Robert Lee, Original trailer, UK campaign trailer, Original UK theatrical trailer, Original UK teaser and TV spot, HKL TV spot, Trailers for Fist of Fury, Armour of God, Once Upon a Time in China, Police Story, Iron Monkey, Production photo gallery, Way of the Dragon-A retrospective film notes by Bruce Lee expert Will Johnston, Bruce Lee screen test, Biographies for Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Bob Wall and Nora Miao, Inside Way of the Dragon: An interview with Chaplin Chang, Artist and Warrior: An interview with Lau Wing, Inside way of the Dragon: An interview with Louis Sit
• Region 2, PAL

Hong Kong Legends - Platinum Edition (Australia)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2:40:1) anamorphic
• Sound: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Supplements: Disc 1: Commentary by Bey Logan and Jon Benn, Introduction to the film by Bruce Lee’s brother, Robert Lee Disc 2: Introduction to the extras by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan, Double-Edged Sword: An Interview with Bob Wall, Memories of the Master: An interview with Pat Johnson, Warrior Immortal: An interview with Master Hwang In-Sik, A Dragon Remembered: An interview with Robert Lee, Original trailer, UK campaign trailer, Original UK theatrical trailer, Original UK teaser and TV spot, HKL TV spot, Trailers for Fist of Fury, Armour of God, Once Upon a Time in China, Police Story, Iron Monkey, Production photo gallery, Way of the Dragon-A retrospective film notes by Bruce Lee expert Will Johnston, Bruce Lee screen test, Biographies for Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Bob Wall and Nora Miao, Inside Way of the Dragon: An interview with Chaplin Chang, Artist and Warrior: An interview with Lau Wing, Inside way of the Dragon: An interview with Louis Sit
• Region 4, PAL

Blu-ray Disc release

Kam & Ronson (Hong Kong)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2:35:1)
• Sound: Cantonese (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1), Cantonese (Dolby True HD 7.1), Mandarin (Dolby Digital EX 6.1), Thai (Dolby Digital EX 6.1)
• Subtitles: Traditional Chinese, English, Thai
• Supplements: Celebrity interviews, trailer, photo gallery
• Region A

References

1. ^ Berkow, Ira (May 12, 1993). "AT DINNER WITH: Chuck Norris; When That 97-Pound Weakling Grows Up". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/12/garden/at-dinner-with-chuck-norris-when-that-97-pound-weakling-grows-up.html?scp=5&sq=chuck%20norris&st=cse. Retrieved 2010-08-08. 
2. ^ Derbyshire, John (2003-10-15). "Thug (Uncredited)". National Review Online. http://www.nationalreview.com/derbyshire/derbyshire200310150828.asp. Retrieved 2008-10-13. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Lee, Bruce; Little, John; Little, John R. (15 November 1997). Words of the dragon: interviews 1958–1973. Tuttle Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 9780804831338. http://books.google.com/books?id=wg_A0aBLg_IC&pg=PA19. Retrieved 15 January 2011. 
4. ^ "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema: 93. The Fourth Man". Empire. http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=95. 
5. ^ "Stephen Chow to begin filming English movie 'Tai Chi' in June". Channel NewsAsia. 2010=02-22. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/1038977/1/.html. Retrieved 2010-10-22. 

External links

• Complete filmography of Bruce Lee's career
• Way of the Dragon at the Internet Movie Database
• Way of the Dragon at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase
• Way of the Dragon at AllRovi
• Bruce Lee: Way of the Dragon – slideshow by Life magazine