Meng long guo jiang (1972)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Bruce Lee

Writer:

Bruce Lee (writer)

Release Date:

30 December 1972 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The Colosseum . . the battleground of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris [Video Australia]

Plot:

A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.

Plot Keywords:

Rome | Colosseum | Gangster | Italy | Coliseum

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bruce Lee	...	Tang Lung (a.k.a. Dragon)
Nora Miao	...	Chen Ching Hua
Chuck Norris	...	Colt
Ping-Ao Wei	...	Ho (as Paul Wei Ping-Ao)
Chung-Hsin Huang	...	'Uncle' Wang (as Wang Chung Hsin)
Robert Wall	...	Fred (Bob Fred)
Ing-Sik Whang	...	Japanese Fighter
Tony Liu	...	Tony
Unicorn Chan	...	Jimmy
Malisa Longo	...	Italian Beauty
Fu Ching Chen	...	Waiter (as Tommy Chen)
Di Chin	...	Ah Quen
Wu Ngan	...	Waiter
Robert Chen	...	Robert
Jon T. Benn	...	Boss

Also Known As:

Fury of the Dragon (Europe: English title)
Mang lung goh kong (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
Return of the Dragon (USA)
Revenge of the Dragon (USA) (cable TV title)
The Way of the Dragon (Hong Kong: English title)

Runtime:

100 min | USA:90 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin | English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-16 (cut: 1989) | Finland:K-18 (DVD rating: 2001) | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:(Banned) (1975) | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:(Banned) (1975) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | New Zealand:M | UK:X (original rating) | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1982) | Norway:(Banned) (1975-2003) (cinema release) | Norway:(Banned) (video) (1988-1995)

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Concord Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Bruce Lee wrote the death threat note which the mafia gave to Uncle Wang.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the opening credits it lists "Directed and Scriped" by Bruce Lee. It should read "Scripted", with a T.

Quotes:

Tony: [after being stabbed by Uncle Wang] Uncle Wang, why did you...?
'Uncle' Wang: Don't blame me for all of this. The blame is on Ah-Lung. He stirred up this trouble, the fool!
Tony: What does this... what does this mean?
'Uncle' Wang: What does this mean? You must know. I've worked hard all of my life. And I've got nothing at all to show for it! My own wife and children are waiting for me in Hong Kong. If the restaurant cooperates, they'll pay me well for all of this. After that I can go back to Hong Kong a rich man. So you see, I have to do this. I have to do it!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Slanted Screen (2006)

Soundtrack:

As A Judgement

A true classic from the greatest martial artist of all time.

This is the best Bruce Lee movie, period. The single reason is that this movie shows him off a lot more than the other ones.

In this film, the one and only Bruce Lee made his directing debut. Not only the movie showed the world why he is the greatest martial artist to ever live, it showed that he is way ahead of his time. This film showcased his astounding skills, agility, and charm much more so than the brilliant classic "Enter the Dragon", and this film will show how truly fast and nimble Bruce Lee is with his fists and feet (the people had to accelerate the frame rates of all his films in order to catch his movements properly). The fight scenes are unbelievable, and it is already widely regarded that the final Colloseum battle between Tang Long (Bruce Lee) and Colt (Chuck Norris) is the best fighting sequence ever filmed for a movie.

Do yourself a favor by watching the original Way of the Dragon with all it's original fighting noises intact. Those who are content on only watching the English-dubbed version are missing out on a lot!!!! Any true fans of Bruce Lee can attest the massive difference it makes in experiencing the real voices of Bruce Lee when he is fighting on-screen.