Written, directed, and starring Bruce Lee, Way of the Dragon is the story of a martial artist who travels to Rome to help out a young woman and her uncle in dealing with the mob who are trying to buy their restaurant. The film is a mixture of action and comedy as it features Lee being the hero who is out there to take names and kick some ass. Also starring Nora Maio, Hwang In-shik, Robert Wall, and Chuck Norris. Way of the Dragon is a thrilling and exciting film from Bruce Lee.
The film revolves around a man who travels from Hong Kong to Rome to help a woman who knows his uncle as she is trying to save a restaurant from a local mob syndicate. It’s a film with a simple story yet it plays into a man, who is an outsider, trying to protect others from China who just wants to run a Chinese restaurant in Rome but this mob wants the restaurant for their own reasons. Bruce Lee’s screenplay follows the character of Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) who arrives in Rome to help out at this restaurant as he would also meet this mob syndicate that is trying to buy and intimidate those working at the place. While some of the people working at the restaurant, who also do karate, aren’t convinced he can help them deal with the mob. They do realize how strong he is and what he can do as they’re willing to learn kung-fu instead of karate as a way to stand up against this syndicate. Even as Tang befriends Chen Ching-hua (Nora Miao) who would show him Rome while learning about the surroundings he’s in where the mob syndicate he’s dealing with are quite ruthless. Especially where they hire a man who is believed to be Tang’s equal.
Lee’s direction is quite stylish as it was shot on location in Rome, Italy where it does play into this sense of culture shock that Tang would endure early in the film. While Lee would use some wide shots to establish some of the locations, he would use mainly medium shots to play into some of the action as well as interaction with characters. Lee would make sure that there is a story to be told as he would also put in bits of comedy as it relates to Tang’s own awkwardness towards his surroundings as well as some of the action in the way the thugs are handled. The action is quite intense as it has elements of style with some suspense as its climax that is partially shot in the Roman Coliseum where Tang goes up against a man hired by the mob in Colt (Chuck Norris) is definitely the highlight of the film. Especially as Lee’s direction has him carefully create precise compositions and movement to showcase the fight in a calm yet gripping manner. Overall, Lee creates an exhilarating and intense film about a man fighting the mob to protect some people running a Chinese restaurant in Rome.
Cinematographer Tadashi Nishimoto does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is quite grainy due to its film stock yet does have some unique visuals in some of the scenes at night as well as the climatic fight scene between Tang and Colt. Editor Peter Cheung does nice work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward with some rhythmic cuts for some of the fight and action scenes. Art director Hsin Chien does terrific work with the look of the restaurant as well as some of the interior design of the Coliseum in some parts and the home of the mob syndicate. Sound recordist Shao Lung Chou does superb work with the sound as it play into some of the natural elements of the location with some sound effects for the action. The film’s music by Joseph Koo is wonderful for its playful score that feature some woodwinds, strings, and other instruments that add to the humor and action.
The film’s brilliant cast feature some notable small roles from Malisa Longo as an Italian beauty trying to woo Tang, the quartet of Robert Chan, Tommy Chen, Unicorn Chan, and Tony Liu as restaurant workers who also do karate as they help Tang in fighting off the thugs, John T. Benn as the mafia boss, Chin Ti as a waiter of the restaurant in Quen who knows Tang back in Hong Kong, and Paul Wei as the mob boss’ slimy consigliere Ho. Hwang In-Shik and Robert Wall are terrific as two hired martial arts expert sent by the mob to try and stop Tang while Wang Chung-hsin is superb as Chen’s uncle Wang who is trying to run the restaurant and not cause trouble. Nora Miao is wonderful as Chen Ching-hua as a restaurant owner who turns to Tang for help as she also tries to understand why he is so disciplined and quiet unless he fights.
Chuck Norris is incredible as Colt as this American martial artist who is hired by the mob to deal with Tang as he would prove to be Tang’s greatest challenge as Norris doesn’t say much but manages to make a hell of an impression. Finally, there’s Bruce Lee in a marvelous performance as Tang Lung as a loner who arrives to help out and deal with mob syndicate as Lee provides some elements of comedy in his restrained performance while balancing that with his intense approach to kung fu as it’s one of Lee’s iconic performances.
Way of the Dragon is a remarkable film from Bruce Lee that features a great performance from Lee and a phenomenal appearance from Chuck Norris. Along with its simple yet engaging story and high-octane action, the film is definitely a fun martial-arts film that does what it needs to do. In the end, Way of the Dragon is an incredible film from Bruce Lee.
Related: The Big Boss - Fist of Fury - Enter the Dragon - Game of Death
© thevoid99 2017
Directed by Robert Clouse with some action scenes by Sammo Hung and written by Clouse and Raymond Chow under the Jan Spears pseudonym, Game of Death is the story of a martial arts movie star who is targeted by a crime syndicate as he fakes his death to go after them and protect his girlfriend. Originally meant to be Bruce Lee’s directorial debut in the same name, the film incorporates some of the footage from the film Lee was making before his death into a new story that would include scenes with Lee and basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with a lot of new footage from Clouse. Also starring Colleen Camp, Gig Young, Dean Jagger, and Hugh O’Brian. Game of Death is a riveting though messy film from Robert Clouse and Sammo Hung.
After refusing to do more work for a syndicate for a legitimate life as an action film star, the film revolves around this man who has been targeted by a Hong Kong crime syndicate who wants him dead as well as threatening the life of his singer girlfriend. After being shot on a film set where he was presumed death, the actor Billy Lo would survive as he fakes his death so he can deal with the syndicate head on. The screenplay that Clouse and Chow write would follow a simple storyline as it plays into this actor going after the crime boss Dr. Land (Dean Jagger) and his main henchman Steiner (Hugh O’Brian) while the few that knows he’s alive is the journalist Jim Marshall (Gig Young) who also watches over Lo’s girlfriend Anne (Colleen Camp).
Robert Clouse’s direction does have moments that are exciting as well as scenes and compositions that help tell the story. Yet, it’s messy due to the fact that he only uses very little of what Bruce Lee was doing with the original film with the exception of three scenes where Billy Lo was fighting Dr. Land’s three henchmen though it’s truncated in some spots. Shot on location in Hong Kong and parts of Macau, Clouse’s direction is quite straightforward though many of his shots involving the Lo character are often seen in wide and medium shots with Kim Tai-Jong and Chen Yao-po as doubles for Lee where they would often wear big sunglasses or seen from afar though there’s time you do see their faces where it’s obvious that it’s not Bruce Lee. Hung’s direction for the fight scenes is also similar in terms of trying not to have the close-ups of the doubles that include Yuen Baio for some of the acrobatic stunts of Lo.
Clouse would use footage from other films that Lee was in such as Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon for a few scenes of the film that Lo is making as the latter feature bits of Lee fighting Chuck Norris for the film’s opening sequence. There are moments in the film that do feel awkward at times where there’s Lee’s head superimposed on an actor’s head in one shot for a scene where Lo is being lectured by Steiner. It’s a moment that does take out some of drama and suspense while there are a few other parts of the film that would feature close-up of Lee from other films that don’t fit in with the footage that Clouse and Hung are creating in the action and suspense as it does create a sense of continuity errors that do become noticeable. Even as Clouse would use footage from Lee’s funeral for a scene is something that feels wrong and very unnecessary. Despite these flaws, Clouse and Hung do manage to create something that Lee would’ve made though the actual film by Lee in its in-completed form is more entrancing in its sense of fluidity and careful choreography through the fight scenes. Overall, Clouse and Hung create an engaging but flawed film about a movie star faking his death to fight a crime syndicate.
Cinematographer Godfrey A. Godar does nice work with the cinematography despite some of the visual continuities in matching the unfinished footage with the finished footage visually. Editor Alan Pattillo does some fine work with the editing although it does dwell into some fast-cutting to take out some of the things in the fight that does raises question into its continuity. Sound recordist Danny Daniels does superb work with the sound in capturing some of the action and sound effects despite some of the fake yells for the Lo character. The film’s music by John Barry does some excellent work with the usage of strings and bombastic percussions to play into the action and suspense as it’s one of the highlights of the final film.
The film’s cast does feature some notable small roles from Mel Novak as an assassin named Stick, Robert Wall as a brutish fighter/henchman of Dr. Land in Carl Miller, Sammo Hung as Miller’s opponent in a fight, Dan Inosanto and Ji Han-jae as a couple of men that Lo would fight, and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar as the tall henchman known as Hakim. Gig Young is excellent as Lo’s journalist friend Jim Marshall as one of the few that Lo can really trust while Colleen Camp is wonderful as Lo’s girlfriend Anne as this singer who is forced to see the actions of the syndicate up close. Dean Jagger’s performance as Dr. Land is weak as he’s just this old man that just orders people and feed his fish while Hugh O’Brien is terrific as his lead henchman Steiner as a guy with a blade inside his cane. The performances of the men playing Billy Lo can do cool stunts but they don’t really showcase the essence of Bruce Lee while Chris Kent’s dubbing as Lo is pretty lame.
The unfinished version of Game of Death that was written, directed, and starring Lee that was shot by cinematographer Tadashi Nishimoto and edited by Peter Cheung with music by Joseph Koo and Peter Thomas is a very different film from what Clouse and Hung created. Though Clouse and Hung used 11-minutes of what Lee had filmed, the thirty-eight minutes of material that Lee had filmed is way more compelling than the final product. It revolves around a retired martial arts champion named Hai Tien who is coerced out of retirement to enter a game of death at a South Korean pagoda where he is to face five masters as each level feature a master that is very difficult. Three of the five levels were filmed as it features a Dan Inosanto as the third-floor guardian, Ji Han-jae as the fourth-floor guardian, and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar as the fifth-floor guardian Mantis though he’s re-named as Hakim in the final version of the film. Tien is joined by two other men in this game in Mr. Tien (James Tien) and Mr. Yuan (Chieh Yuan) who would participate in fighting the fourth and fifth guardians.
Whereas Hung’s direction for the fights are messy due to the mixture of footage with Lee and the recreated footage with the doubles. The fight scenes by Lee is more engaging as Cheung’s editing offers so much in terms of what is happening as well as getting the sense of rhythm in the fighting to play into its suspense and drama. Even in the climatic showdown with Mantis where there’s so much attention to detail in the drama as well as the room where the fight is happening. The performances of Jabbar, Inosanto, and Han-jae are given more attention as they show not just their skills but also the sense of respect in the fight itself. Especially as Lee showcase what it at stake as an example of what he was aiming to do as he also gives this incredible performance as a fighter where Lee displays that air of charm and toughness.
The finished version of Game of Death is a stellar but flawed film from Robert Clouse and Sammo Hung. Despite its good intentions along with some nice action sequences, it’s a film that is bogged down by some continuity issues as well as the fact that the doubles playing Bruce Lee aren’t that good. Lee’s unfinished version of the film is far more interesting as it show what Lee was hoping to do as it has something much grander. In the end, the final version of Game of Death is a good film while the unfinished version of the film is spectacular all from the mind of the legendary Bruce Lee.
Related: The Big Boss - Fist of Fury - The Way of the Dragon – Enter the Dragon
© thevoid99 2017
