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Return of the Dragon

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87% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 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.
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Return of the Dragon

Critics Reviews

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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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Michael M I vividly remember seeing this movie premier in theaters called Return Of... I saw it dubbed with english dialog(more funnier)and now with Chinese dialog, slightly different than the original comedy, on TCM. I thought it was novel for the story to take place in Italy. I wish I could learn more about the careers/life of the portrayed students of Tang Lung; especially Tony Liu. Chuck Norris and Sho Kosugi; I already know about. Tony was just as gorgeous as Tang. What a shame. It was a refreshing concept for Bruce Li's movies that not all Asians are adept with karate and Kung Fu. Esterners, Westerners and even Nubians can have successful striking in a fight against them. Tang and Colt's bout could have been more closely match, considering the build up to the confrontation. Not to mention, 🤨Tang's bones didn't need to sound so brittle during his stretches. 🤭 Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/12/24 Full Review Yash B Out of the Bruce Lee martial arts films I have seen so far, "The Way of the Dragon" has by far the wackiest story. I do feel the movie is aware that is a bit silly, but it still features some exceptional fight scenes. It also has a showdown with Lee and Chuck Norris, which really is just a moment for the history books. Also, as someone who went to Rome for the first time this year, it is a cool city to see in an old-school movie like this. Overall, it is not my favorite when it comes to the storyline, but the fight scenes are really well done and it is another piece of the magical puzzle that was the legendary Bruce Lee. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/08/24 Full Review Andy B A martial arts spectacular, with an extremely odd sense of humour. So odd, that it could have ruined the film. But this film hangs solidly on Bruce Lee’s martial arts and two set pieces ( the nunchuck fight and the final showdown with Chuck Norris) are particularly good. This isn’t people on wires or bouncing off walls, this is gritty realistic martial arts which shows off the skill of those involved. The plot is thin - Bruce Lee is invited to Rome where a restaurant owner is having trouble with gangsters. Much fighting ensues. There is a bizarre plot twist which actually adds nothing to the film and there are some odd choices - the humour and the focus on the kitten in the final fight scene being the most obvious ones. This is the only film I’ve found where Chuck Norris doesn’t ruin it. Possibly because he barely speaks. If you like martial arts, settle in and enjoy Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/07/24 Full Review thiago s Filme bacana, se não fosse pelo bruce lee e por essas cenas, acho que o filme não seria grande coisa não. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/02/24 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
Return of the Dragon

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Cast & Crew

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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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