“In this world of guns and knives, Tang Lung is the one who walks the lonely road.”
Mixed with a solid sense of comedy that Jackie Chan would later use in his films, Bruce Lee’s The Way of the Dragon is a non-stop barrage of unarmed fighting as he plays Tang Lung who has traveled from China to Rome to help his relatives’ restaurant survive the Mafia.
It is no understatement to suggest that Bruce Lee’s return to Hong Kong, after America refused to make him a star, was the best thing for his career. Lee was pissed off; frustrated by Hollywood’s inherent racism and refusal to put any faith in the idea that an Asian could ever carry a profitable film.
But all that changed when Lee, after appearing solely as a sidekick in The Green Hornet television series for a year and then floundering out in Hollywood, returned to Hong Kong to help his mother move. He was greeted at the airport by adoring fans - fans he didn’t think existed - and, thanks to the son of director Lo Wei, found backing, support, and was able to revamp a story and its fighting sequences in The Big Boss.
The rest is a part of a BADASS box office history as Lee, using a very different and brutal fighting style, put to bed the whole Peking opera style of fighting. To Lee, fighting was not a ballet. It was quick. It was bloody. And it consisted of quick kicks, fast one-two-three hits, and a cinematic style which demanded the editors watch and anticipate Lee’s every move.
Lee was a street fighter and, using every bit of his charisma and his style of fighting, he revolutionized an entire industry, performing like no other Hong Kong actor had done before. Kineticism, thy name is Bruce Lee and Arrow Video knows it, presenting 4K digital restoration of The Way of the Dragon, with a deft hand.
Lee's only completed directorial effort is unlike any kung fu film that came before it, mixing thrilling action, stunning international location filming and charming humor in a way that would prove heavily influential on other Hong Kong filmmakers in the years since.
After the back-to-back triumphs of The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, Bruce Lee was given the chance to write, produce, and direct his third outing as a martial-arts superstar. He used the opportunity to add a touch of goofily entertaining comedy to the typically action-driven proceedings in The Way of the Dragon, which finds him playing a rigorously trained martial artist who travels from Hong Kong to Rome to help his cousin, whose restaurant is being threatened by a gang of thugs, whose main baddie is none other than Chuck Norris.
Reaching new heights of physical virtuosity, Lee unleashes an astonishing display of nunchuck-swinging, fly-kicking mayhem, all culminating in one of his most breathtaking fights: an epic gladiatorial death match with Norris in the Roman Colosseum.
The Way of the Dragon is an epic powerhouse of a martial arts movie, solidifying the transition to Kung-Fu as sword fighting movies became passé relatively overnight thanks to the arrival of Bruce Lee on the street fighting scene.
Limited Edition
Home Video Distributor: Arrow Films
Available on 4K UHD -
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Audio: Mandarin: Lossless; English and Cantonese: mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; two-disc set
Region Encoding: Region free playback
Martial arts expert Tang Lung (Bruce Lee, who also scripted and directed) travels from China to Rome to help relatives whose Chinese restaurant is being threatened by Mafia thugs. He dispatches the crooks and their fighters, leading to a high-kicking showdown against hired American karate killer Colt (Chuck Norris) in the ruins of the Colosseum. Nora Miao, Robert Wall also star.
Video
Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, The Way of the Dragon is beautifully remastered in 4K by Arrow video. Interiors are strong. Colors pop throughout, but it is the blood effects - burning bright in the transfer - which seal the deal on this one. It’s full of great atmosphere thanks to the quick-footed script and looks visually eye-popping due to the 1080- upgrade. Black levels are strong throughout, bringing out nice details in both the loud and quiet moments of this epic adventure. The tracking shots are glorious to behold in 1080p. Blacks are solid and shadows maintain their lines. Even the costumes are noted stitch by stitch.
Audio
Fans of the genre get to choose between the newly restored lossless Mandarin track or the English and Cantonese mono audio on the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut. An alternate lossless English mono audio on the Japanese Cut is also provided for all your chop socky needs.
Supplements:
Get ready to duel to the death with these supplemental items!
Commentary:
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See Special Features for the breakdown.
Special Features:
LIMITED EDITION 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY CONTENTS
- Illustrated collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by Walter Chaw
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
DISC 1: THE WAY OF THE DRAGON (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible), restored by Arrow Films from original film elements, of the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut and the Japanese Cut via seamless branching
- Original newly restored lossless Mandarin, English and Cantonese mono audio on the Hong Kong Theatrical Cut
- Alternate lossless English mono audio on the Japanese Cut
- Optional English subtitles
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing on both English audio options
- Two feature commentaries, one by Frank Djeng & Michael Worth and one by Brandon Bentley
- The Way of the Camera, a documentary looking at Lee's filmmaking and fighting method in his directorial debut, featuring interviews with Golden Harvest producer Andre Morgan, martial arts experts Michael Worth, Jon Kreng, Andy Cheng, Frank Djeng, David Yeung, film historian Courtney Joyner and actors Piet (Peter) Schweer, Jon Benn and John Saxon
- Meet the Italian Beauty, a newly filmed interview with star Malisa Longo
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Composite 4K UHD Grade
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MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 90 mins
Director: Bruce Lee
Writer: Bruce Lee
Cast: Bruce Lee; Chuck Norris; Nora Miao
Genre: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "Once more the colosseum echoes the sound of a fight to the death"
Distributor: Bryanston Distributing
Official Site:
Release Date: September 1973 (United States)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: A man visits his relatives at their restaurant in Italy and has to help them defend against brutal gangsters harassing them.
