From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2007)

Way of the Dragon
Way of the Dragon Movie Poster
Directed by	Bruce Lee
Produced by	Bruce Lee
Written by	Bruce Lee
Starring	Bruce Lee Nora Miao Chuck Norris In Sik Whang Robert Wall Wei Ping-Ao Wang Chung-Hsin
Music by	Joseph Koo
Cinematography	Tadashi Nishimoto
Editing by	Chang Yao Chang
Distributed by	Golden Harvest
Release date(s)	1972
Running time	N/A
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Way of the Dragon (Chinese: 猛龍過江) released as Return of the Dragon in the U.S.) is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film. It was the third major film of Martial Arts Legend Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee has the leading role and is also the writer, director, and producer of this film.

Contents 1 Cast and roles 2 Plot synopsis 3 Trivia 4 DVD releases 5 External links

• Bruce Lee as "Tang Lung" (a.k.a. "Dragon")
• Nora Miao as "Chen Ching Hua"
• Chuck Norris as "Colt"
• Robert Wall as "Fred"
• Hwang In-Shik as "Japanese Martial Artist"
• Wei Ping-Ao as "Ho"

Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) is sent from Hong Kong to Rome to help some family friends whose restaurant is being targeted by the local gangsters. After their offers to purchase the restaurant are repeatedly turned down, the gangsters resort to intimidation. Tang Lung fends off the local gangsters. The mafia boss sends gunmen, but Tang Lung defeats them with his throwing darts. The mafia boss then hires foreign martial artists to challenge Tang Lung, but Tang Lung defeats them all. The final duel takes place between Tang Lung and the best of the foreign martial artists, Colt (Chuck Norris), in the Colosseum. Tang Lung kills Colt, and the remaining criminals are finally arrested or killed. Having solved the problem, Tang Lung returns to Hong Kong.

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Way of the Dragon was the first Hong Kong film to be partially shot on location on a Western continent.
• "Way of the Dragon" shattered all previous box office records in Hong Kong and remains his biggest hit overseas.
• The Italian gangsters in the film speak English, not Italian, because all of their scenes were shot in Hong Kong.
• Only Bruce Lee and Nora Miao appear in the outdoor sequence showing Roman monuments.
• The film wasn't officially released in the US until after his death and the release of his breakthrough hit Enter the Dragon. The title was then changed to Return of the Dragon to imply that it was a sequel to Enter the Dragon despite the fact that the two films have nothing in common and even Lee's characters have different names and back stories. The back of the home video case also made the same false claim.
• Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx is said to be a tribute to Way of the Dragon. The films have a similar plot: a young man travels to a foreign country to help out a troubled shop.
• While it went largely unnoticed by Western viewers, the soup scene proved memorable to Chinese audiences. Campbell Soup had become a popular brand in Hong Kong when Way of the Dragon was first released.
• The nunchaku scene was heavily edited when the movie first appeared in Britain.
• Way of the Dragon is the only movie to show Bruce Lee wielding two nunchaku at once.
• The original Chinese audio track has the Chinese characters speaking Chinese and the Italian gangsters speaking English. This distinction explains why Tang Lung looks puzzled when the gangsters speak to him. In the English translation, everyone speaks English, so it is not immediately clear why he can understand some people but not others.
• The film has garnered a cult following due in part to the fight scene between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.
• National Review author and novelist John Derbyshire has an uncredited role in the film.
• The video game Double Dragon Advance pays homage to one of the scenes in the movie in its official art.
• Aside from Slaughter in San Francisco, it is the only other film in which Chuck Norris portrays a villain.
• It is the only film in which a character played by Chuck Norris actually dies.
• According to Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee pitched the idea of their duel in the Coloseum to him over the phone; Norris, who was the world karate champion at the time, says he asked Lee, "So you want to beat the world champion?", and, according to Norris, Lee responded, "No, I want to KILL the world champion."
• Birdie and Rose's shared stage in Street Fighter Alpha could be considered a reference to the fight between Tang Lung and Colt, as it also takes place in the Colosseum and also has two cats in the background, like the cat in the same area where Tang and Colt are fighting.

20th Century Fox

• Released: May 21, 2002

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) letterboxed

• Sound: English (2.0)

• Region 1

• Note: Contains the cut American Return of the Dragon version

20th Century Fox

• Released: October 18, 2005

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic

• Sound: Cantonese (2.0), Madarin (2.0), English (5.1)

• Supplements: Celebrity interviews; Photo galleries; Trailers

• Region 1

• Note: Only available as part of the Bruce Lee: The Ultimate Collection boxed set; Contains the uncut Hong Kong version

Medusa Communications/Hong Kong Legends (United Kingdom)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic

• Sound: Cantonese (5.1), English

• Supplements: Commentary by Bey Logan and John Benn; Trailers; Interviews; Photo gallery; Reflections on "The Little Dragon" promo

• Region 2

Medusa Communications/Hong Kong Legends (United Kingdom) (Platinum Edition)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic

• Sound: Cantonese (5.1), English (5.1)

• Supplements: Commentary by Bey Logan and John Benn; Interview with Robert Lee; Bruce Lee trailers; Production manager interviews; Memories of the Master featurette; Bruce Lee screen test; Photo gallery; Artist and Warrior interview

• Region 2

Universe (Hong Kong)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) letterboxed

• Sound: Cantonese (5.1), Mandarin (5.1)

• Supplements: Trailers; Cast and crew info

• All regions

Mega Star (Hong Kong)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) letterboxed

• Sound: Cantonese (5.1), Mandarin (5.1)

• Supplements: Trailers; Cast and crew info

• All regions

Zoke Culture (China)

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (2.35:1) anamorphic

• Sound: Cantonese (DTS 5.1), Cantonese (Dolby 5.1), Mandarin (Dolby 2.0)

• Supplements: Trailers; Still gallery

• All regions

• Complete filmography of Bruce Lee's career in the movies

v • d • e Cinema of Hong Kong

Action cinema • Actors • Directors • Cinematographers • Ocean Shore • Producers • Shaw Brothers Studio • Films A-Z • Action films Films by year: 1909–1929 • 1930s • 1940s • 1950 •1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 • 1960 •1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 •1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 •1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 •1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 •