The Way of the Dragon

The Way of the Dragon is the only film Bruce Lee both directed and completed himself. After the success of The Big Boss and Fist of Fury for Golden Harvest, he set up Concord Production with Raymond Chow to keep control of his work. He wrote, produced, directed, starred and staged the fights. Made for a reported $130,000, it broke the Hong Kong box office record held by Fist of Fury, taking more than HK$5 million, and is estimated to have grossed around $130 million worldwide.

A rushed shoot in Rome

The crew had only a few weeks in Italy, often without filming permits. Exteriors were shot on the streets of Rome and around the Colosseum, seven days a week. The final fight, set inside the arena, was filmed on a Golden Harvest soundstage in Hong Kong.

Lee versus Norris, the benchmark fight

For his opponent, Lee chose Chuck Norris, an American karate champion he knew from the tournament circuit, in his first credited film role. Their Colosseum duel lasts around ten minutes. Lee shot it in long, wide takes that keep both bodies in frame, so viewers can follow the footwork and combinations without editing tricks. The fight tells a story of adaptation: Lee takes punishment early, then changes rhythm, moves more, breaks the distance and imposes his game. It is a filmed demonstration of what he taught as jeet kune do: adapt to the opponent instead of following a fixed form.

If you train, watch Lee's footwork and how he changes stance during the duel.

Reception

The film won the 1973 Golden Horse Award for Best Film Editing, and Empire ranked it in 2010 among the 100 best films of world cinema. The Colosseum fight is regularly listed among the greatest fight scenes ever filmed.