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Return of the Dragon

R 1972 1h 31m Action List
87% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 86% Audience Score 25,000+ Ratings A martial-arts master travels from Hong Kong to Rome to protect a family and its Chinese restaurant from a gang of thugs. Read More Read Less

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Critics Reviews

View All (15) Critics Reviews
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times This sort of stuff is magnificently silly, and Lee, to give him credit, never tried to rise above it. Rated: 2/4 Apr 29, 2018 Full Review Almar Haflidason BBC.com Strip down the excess of strange characters and bizarre humour, and you have Bruce: mesmerising, fast, witty, and one of the rare examples of true screen magnetism. Rated: 4/5 May 30, 2001 Full Review Alistair Lawrence Common Sense Media With the fight scenes the lifeblood of the movie, little time is spent on plot or character development. Rated: 3/5 Nov 6, 2023 Full Review James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk hampered by a rather pedestrian plot and, more problematically, some awkward direction and an inconsistent tone that renders some parts of the film absurd while other parts work quite well Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 8, 2021 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins From the start, spunky xylophone-infused music inspires a humorous tone, like that of Jackie Chan's late '70s features. Rated: 7/10 Aug 31, 2020 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Injecting a bit of cultural humor which feels Chaplinesque, this is more lighthearted and well-rounded for Lee compared to the two previous features. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 26, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Cam H This movie is a staple in the Bruce Lee saga. Fight scenes are top notch, especially the nunchuck scene. The comedy aspect is hilarious and it’s got some undertone of darkness with the family betrayal that unexpectedly goes down ! This is a must watch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/21/24 Full Review Dinos K The fight scene between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris was the best fight scene in the cinema history. I liked how, when Norris' injured, Lee nods him to surrender because he doesn't want to kill him Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/06/24 Full Review Harvey I The fight scene between Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee will go down as the greatest fight scene between two combatants. Fantastic choreography. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/24 Full Review CodyZamboni Fun, enjoyable action comedy as Bruce Lee goes to Rome to help out restaurant beseiged by thugs. Movie is filled with engaging, empathetic characters, funny socially awkard comic turns by Lee, campy villains, nostalgic 70s fashions and hairstyles, top notch fight scenes, nice Rome location scenery, an attractive female lead, all make this one of Lee's best films. Bonus : the epic showdown between Lee and Chuck Norris. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/24 Full Review DanTheMan 2 After the hard-hitting success of his previous movies under Lo Wei, Bruce Lee swoops in with The Way of the Dragon, his directorial debut of which he also writes, that dabbles just as much in off beat cultural Chaplin-esque humour as it does in flying fists and palpable tension. It's magnificently silly with Bruce never above putting himself in the firing line for jokes, representing a more lighthearted and well-rounded affair but when the gloves come off, Bruce delivers. The film's action feels raw, the breathless technique with a feral edge that combines art and realism in a perfect marriage; to top it all off, Chuck Norris then enters the picture, set to Ennio Morricone's score to Once Upon a Time in the West, and everything changes. Their final fight in the Colosseum is the stuff of legends and rightly so, the long sweeping takes and dramatic lighting highlight both fighters physical prowess, don't play to your opponents strength, express control and discipline never sinking to their level. The Way of the Dragon is genre defining for a reason, inspiring many modern greats from Jackie Chan to Jet Li, that is guaranteed to leave you not only shaken but also thoroughly stirred. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/02/23 Full Review Dick C It's a marvelous film by a Kung Fu Legend, Bruce LEE,... Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Return of the Dragon

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Cast & Crew

The Man From Hong Kong 100% 63% The Man From Hong Kong Five Fingers of Death 86% 80% Five Fingers of Death Fists of Fury 69% 73% Fists of Fury Master Killer 83% 89% Master Killer Master of the Flying Guillotine 90% 87% Master of the Flying Guillotine Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A martial-arts master travels from Hong Kong to Rome to protect a family and its Chinese restaurant from a gang of thugs.
Director
Bruce Lee
Producer
Bruce Lee, Raymond Chow Man-Wai
Screenwriter
Bruce Lee
Production Co
Concord Productions Inc.
Rating
R
Genre
Action
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 28, 2017
Runtime
1h 31m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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