Bruce Lee Double Feature: The Way of the Dragon/Game of Death

Before his untimely death in 1973, Bruce Lee set the bar as a new kind of action hero—small and wiry, with a fierce martial arts prowess backed by a charming charisma—in the five feature films he made, two of which are presented in this set. Lee wrote and directed The Way of the Dragon (1972), his third movie, mixing hard-edged kung-fu and goofy humor in a story about a country boy who goes to Rome to protect his cousins from the mob. The story ends with a memorable showdown with world champion karate artist Chuck Norris in the Roman Colosseum, a brutal battle that revels in the intense punishment taken by the combatants. Norris is one of Lee's best opponents and a marvelous physical contrast: brawny and hairy, using power and blunt moves while Lee counters with speed, gymnastic skill, and balletic grace. More personal was Lee's fifth and final production, Game of Death, an ambitious expression of his fighting philosophy that culminates in the rigorous challenge of the titular contest, where contestants take on successively greater masters as they fight their way to the top of a tower. Lee died after shooting only a few scenes, and the resulting film, released in 1978, was cobbled together by producers from Lee's finished footage (including his impressive battle with the towering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), outtakes, and new scenes with a double in a yellow jumpsuit (the resulting mishmash reveals only flashes of Lee's brilliance). Regardless of their flaws, these two films are landmarks of modern martial arts cinema, presented at a bargain price. Recommended. [Note: also newly available is Bruce Lee Double Feature: The Big Boss/Fist of Fury.] (S. Axmaker)