Way of the Dragon

Way of the Dragon
Hong Kong film 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
Written by Bruce Lee
Starring
Music by Joseph Koo
Cinematography Tadashi Nishimoto
(as Ho Lang-shan)
Edited by Peter Cheung
Production
company
Distributed by
  • Golden Harvest
Release date
  • 30 December 1972 (1972-12-30)
Running time
 100 minutes
Country Hong Kong
Language Mandarin
Cantonese
English
Budget HK$130,000
Box office HK$5.30 million
(Hong Kong)[1]
US$5.2 million
(US/Canada) (rentals)[2]

The Way of the Dragon (Chinese: 猛龍過江, released in the United States as Return of the Dragon) is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written, produced and directed by Bruce Lee, who also stars in the lead role. This is Lee's only complete directorial film. The film co-stars Nora Miao, Chuck Norris, Robert Wall and Hwang In-shik. Way of the Dragon was released in Hong Kong on 30 December 1972.

Plot

In Rome, Chen Ching-hua and her uncle Wang experience trouble with their restaurant from a mob boss who wants their property. When Chen refuses to give up the property, the mob boss sends gangsters there to scare away the customers, foiling their business. Appealing to an uncle in Hong Kong, Chen receives help in the form of Tang Lung, a young martial artist. Disappointed, Chen asks how he can help her, but Tang confidently assures her that he is capable enough. At the restaurant, Tang learns that the staff have begun to learn karate, much to the annoyance of Quen, an employee who favors Chinese Kung Fu. Tang advises Quen to be open-minded and make use of anything that works.

Before long, the gangsters appear at the restaurant and shoo the customers away, while Tang stows away in the bathroom. Upset by Tang's poor timing, the staff question his skill and the usefulness of his style. When the gangsters later return, the staff engage the thugs in a fight, only to be beaten. However, Tang single-handedly defeats the thugs, causing the staff to abandon their training to study under him. Wang warns them that the gangsters will seek revenge, but Tang vows to protect the restaurant. Chen and Tang grow closer, and she takes him on a tour of Rome, though Tang is unimpressed.

Ho, the mafia boss's subordinate, returns with armed thugs and takes the restaurant staff hostage. Ho gives Tang a ticket to Hong Kong and tells him to go back. However, when his men escort Tang outside, Tang fights back and defeats the thugs with his two nunchakus, followed by the help of the restaurant staff. Tang warns Ho not to return, and the thugs leave the restaurant. The staff celebrate their victory, but the mafia boss threatens to send an assassin to kill Tang unless he leaves by Chinese New Year, and Wang urges Chen to convince Tang to leave.

When Tang refuses to abandon the restaurant, the assassin tries to kill him from a nearby rooftop with a sniper rifle. Already fidgety from nearby fireworks, Tang survives the attempt. He then tracks down and defeats the assassin after tricking him into wasting his ammunition. When he returns to the apartment, he finds out that Chen is gone. Assuming that Ho has kidnapped her, Tang goes to the mafia boss' headquarters with the restaurant staff, defeating his men. Tang issues a final warning to the mafia boss to leave the restaurant alone. The staff again celebrate, but a telegram for Tang cuts this short when they learn that he has been summoned back to Hong Kong. Tang assures them that he will not leave until the situation is resolved.

Ho hires two martial artists to challenge Tang, Japanese and American karate masters, who initially refuse to work together. When the mafia boss indicates that money is no issue, Ho also recruits a world-class martial artist named Colt. Ho leads the restaurant staff to an isolated spot under the pretense of a truce, where the two martial artists ambush them. The martial artists defeat the staff, but Tang defeats them both. Ho lures Tang away to fight Colt at the Colosseum.

Meanwhile, Wang betrays and kills two of the staff, as he wants to sell the restaurant to the mafia boss, and return to Hong Kong a rich man. In a decisive battle, Tang injures and disables Colt. When Colt refuses an offer of mercy, Tang kills him. As Tang and Ho return, the mob boss arrives and shoots both Ho and Wang. The police arrive and arrest him as he tries to kill Tang.

With the matter finally resolved, Tang sets out to return to Hong Kong. As he leaves, Quen tells Chen that Tang is a loner who will never settle down.

Cast

Production

Bruce Lee formed his own production company, Concord Production Inc., with Golden Harvest founder, Raymond Chow.[5]

Reception

Critical

The film holds a 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on nine reviews.[6] The film set a new box office record in Hong Kong.[5] It ranked #95 in Empire magazine's list "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" in 2010.[7] The film won the Golden Horse Award for Best Film Editing.

Box office

The film grossed HK$5,307,350.50 at the Hong Kong box office, beating previous records set by Lee's own films, The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, making it the highest-grossing film of 1972 in Hong Kong.[1]

Sequel

In 1978 a sequel was released titled Way of the Dragon 2. The film starred Bruce Le and Bolo Yeung.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "劉偉強談香港電影時代拐點不再讓時裝片孤單". Sina News. 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2015-10-09.
  2. ↑ "All-time Film Rental Champs", Variety, 7 January 1976 p 46
  3. ↑ Berkow, Ira (12 May 1993). "AT DINNER WITH: Chuck Norris; When That 97-Pound Weakling Grows Up". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
  4. ↑ Derbyshire, John (2003-10-15). "Thug (Uncredited)". National Review Online. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  5. 1 2 Lee, Bruce; Little, John; Little, John R. (15 November 1997). Words of the dragon: interviews 1958–1973. Tuttle Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-8048-3133-8. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "Return of the Dragon (The Way of the Dragon) (1974)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2015-09-12.
  7. ↑ "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema: 93. The Fourth Man". Empire.
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