|
Review by
Calvin
McMillin: |
Conventional
wisdom would suggest that when comparing martial artists,
Bruce Lee stands supreme as the intense, indestructible
killing machine, whereas Jackie Chan is the reverse: a happy-go-lucky
everyman who just happens to know kung fu. But Bruce Lee's
performance in 1972's Way of the Dragon runs counter
to that assumption. Oh sure, Bruce kicks the living bejeezus
out of everyone who gets in his way, but to be honest, his
character is only a step away from the prototypical Jackie
Chan character. Just like Jackie was in Rumble in the
Bronx, Rush Hour, and Shanghai Noon, our
man Bruce is the proverbial fish out of water in Way
of the Dragon.
In Way of the Dragon,
Bruce stars as Tang Lung, the Hong Kong equivalent of a
backwater hick, who is plopped down in the middle of bustling
Italy. In a departure from his two previous HK roles, Lee
is not all business this time around: he smiles, jokes,
laughs, and generally mugs for the camera when he's not
dealing out some martial justice. The comedy is not limited
to Tang Lung though. If you ever wanted to know what a cross
between Sam Lee and Starsky and Hutch's Huggy Bear would
look like, you'll want to check out the unfortunately named
Mr. Ho (Wei Ping-Ao), a preening, pink clothed punk in the
employ of the enemy. As with a Jackie Chan film, there's
not much romance for Bruce this time around either, as the
poor guy has to fight off his irritable bowels just about
as frequently as he does the local thugs who are muscling
in on the neighborhood Chinese restaurant.
Of course, everyone will want
to check out the famous Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris confrontation
in the Colosseum, and with good reason - it's a stellar
fight. In fact, Bruce is able to even work in his own personal
philosophy of the martial arts during the battle. If you'll
notice, Tang Lung only begins to beat the American fighter
Colt (Norris) when he abandons his strictly Chinese style
of fighting for something more effective, a perfect example
of Bruce Lee's adopted precept, "Absorb what is useful,
discard what is useless, and add what is uniquely your own."
Deep philosophy and toilet humor? What a movie! (Calvin McMillin
2002) |
|
