The Way of the Dragon is the directorial debut of Bruce Lee. He also wrote and produced it. I have to be honest here, the story and the way the film ties up the little bits of story with the action is not that noteworthy.
It's not bad by any means, but like for example the betrayal part comes out of nowhere and doesn't make much sense. Had the delivery of that scene been more tragic and dramatic, then perhaps it would have intensified the viewing experience. The evil laugh just made it cartoonish. The goons in the film are also super goofy. They certainly didn't know how to fight. I think they should have done their best to make them more dangerous and menacing. It also doesn't help that the film very randomly shows of the sights of Rome. Couldn't they have integrated that a little better? Very likely, a budget issue. I don't mind it that much, but it does affect the pacing.
So what about the fights? Obviously, another showcase of what Bruce Lee was capable of. And like with his other films, that never gets old. Still, like I said earlier, I wished the fights were more intense and meaningful. Like they were in The Big Boss and Fist of Fury. The main baddie (John T. Benn), is not really convincing as a villain. The only good thing he did was hiring three extraordinary fighters portrayed by Bob Wall, In-shik Hwang and Chuck Norris. The fight between Bruce and Chuck is certainly the highlight of the film. It's one of the first fights I can think of that truly shows the philosophy of martial arts. You get to see both martial artists warm up and expose their fitness. Especially, Bruce Lee is a sight to behold. He is all muscles. The fight itself is exciting, but what impressed me more is the respect given to each other. At one point, Chuck is severely hurt, Bruce hints to stop the fight, but Chuck, as the warrior he is, wants to keep going. While a bit reluctant, they carry on and Chuck dies. The sadness in Bruce's face says it all. To honour Chuck, he covers him with his jacket and belt. Then Bruce realizes this all could have been avoided and wants to take it out on the people responsible. This fight did more with me than everything before and yes for this fight that is a good thing. For the whole film it points out the weaknesses.
Overall, I did like the comedic bits initially. It does show a more lighthearted Bruce who isn't afraid to poke fun at himself. And that is something I can appreciate. But let's be real, we want him to kick ass and nothing else. So you might be thrown off a little if you are waiting for the fights. The disc comes with all kinds of extras which I haven't paid attention to. I will eventually since they do seem worth checking out. Like with the previous 4K versions, this is probably the best version to watch and own.
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