Way of the Dragon

Original movie poster.

After dealing with the master of tits, ass, bushes and no sense Mr.Russ Meyer it is necesary to cool down things a bit here at SPAM Alternative's world of cult films. You see, not everything in here deals with sexploitation, AKA erotic/softcore/hardcore movies.There are also good films that have nothing to do with sex and/or nudity and still have achieved the title of cult must watch movie. For instance, today's entry will be a chinese martial art trip stronger than the kool aid acid test. 

Way of the Dragon, released in the United States as Return of the Dragon, and Revenge of the dragon (on cable television in the USA), is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts-comedy film written, produced, and directed by the greatest martial arts artist of all times Mr. Bruce Lee, who also starred in the lead role. 

The film was Lee's directorial debut, and featured co-stars such as Nora Miao, Robert Wall, Hwang In-Shik, and american martial arts legend and internet god Chuck Norris.

Tang Lung will save the day.

So, what is the movie about?

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.

 

a very gay gangster.

That's more like it, a clichéd mobster.

 

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.

 

Italian beauty! thank god I married one!

and so begins the masacre.

 

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.

 

Yes, I'm Colt. America's greatest.

The Alpha & the Omega.

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. 

The film set a new box office record in Hong Kong. It ranked #95 in Empire magazine's list "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema"

 

12 Things you (probably) didn't know about Way of the Dragon.

 

1. Last movie to be filmed in the actual Roman Colosseum. So, if you're into history you may want to watch this film as there are plenty of interiors scenes inside the legendary colosseum. 

 

2. The whole thing was shot without sound, with the actors looping their lines in post-production. This was due to the limited budget the film production had.

3. The film was billed as "Return of the Dragon" during its western release in order to cash in on the success of "Enter the Dragon" as its "sequel". Of course, this film has nothing to do with the later, no prequel, no sequel, no nothing but a cash in corporate idea.

4. Bruce Lee dubbed almost all of the English speaking characters in this film including one line for the boss. That line is: "Take him out, but be careful with that gun in public". Despite the fact that his character doesn't seem to get along with the english language. 

5. Bruce Lee wrote the death threat note which the mafia gave to Uncle Wang. 

Flawless victory!

The end of the world.

6. Bruce Lee had Chuck Norris put on weight so he would looks less impressive by comparison.

7. In the Chinese language versions of the film (Cantonese and Mandarin), Korean actor Wong In-Sik actually spoke both English ("Who can do Karate better than the Japanese?") and Japanese ("Omae we Tong Long a?").

8. According to the Bruce Lee Documentary, this is Linda Lee Cadwell's (Bruce's wife) favorite of all her husband's films. 

9. Part of the music in this film is actually originally from the Ennio Morricone score for the Sergio Leone western Hasta que llegó su hora. The music used for Chuck Norris is taken from the song "Man with a Harmonica." Additionally, an excerpt of a track from John Barry's score for the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever, "Death At The Whyte House," was used in the scene where Uncle Wang, showing his true colors, wickedly stabs Tony and Jimmy in their backs with a knife.

10. This is one of only two films in which Chuck Norris plays a villain (ironically, the other film, Yellow Faced Tiger aka Slaughter in San Francisco, is also a Hong Kong film) and the only film in which he is killed (he is only knocked out in the other film as villain). Although we all know Chuck Norris is immortal.

11. Bruce Lee does not fight till almost 30 minutes into the movie and you can tell how his character becomes anxious due to not fighting from the very beginning.

 12. Bruce Lee's character has only one confirmed kill in the movie. He just kills Colt (Chuck Norris). It's unclear if he killed Fred (Robert Wall) or knocked him out.  

Overall, my personal favorite film of Bruce Lee's career. Make sure you get the right edition to watch. Look for the original cantonese spoken version, no edited dubbed crap. 

Here's the cool movie trailer that tells you, you're in for a special treat: