A listing of the highest 12 most memorable Bruce Lee scenes from his films, ranked from traditional to epic. See how your favorite stacks up!
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Bruce Lee was often known as top-of-the-line when it got here to being a film martial artist. Not solely was he an precise professional, however he had the abilities to convincingly painting the great thing about martial arts on the massive display screen. Having initially began his profession as a martial artist in some films in Hong Kong however discovered himself consistently type-cast because the sidekick, which he attributed to being Asian. In an try to interrupt out of this mould that he had discovered himself in, he turned a martial arts professional, creating his personal type and utilizing it to coach different actors in the US. When he was solid in The Huge Boss, he began his brief however influential profession in kung fu movies.
Bruce Lee is a family identify relating to kung fu movies, very similar to how Muhammad Ali was within the boxing scene. Regardless of pioneering his personal fight type, he rapidly turned a film star. His identify is now nearly synonymous with kung fu films. Nevertheless, his abilities had been just for exhibits. He was famously identified for his one-inch punch and the flexibility to do 200 two-finger push-ups. So it’s no shock that his expertise and agility are what made him well-known in his films. All of his characters had been sturdy people with good morals, and he perpetually performed the protagonist going in opposition to unattainable odds.
Regardless of solely starring in a handful of films earlier than his premature passing (the final of which he was solely in a position to movie 40 minutes for and was going to be his directorial debut), there isn’t a scarcity of iconic scenes starring him. All of them are iconic, and choosing which of them had been the most effective was unattainable, nevertheless it was a process that needed to be achieved.
Here’s a checklist of the 12 finest Bruce Lee scenes, ranked from worst (however solely compared to his others) to finest.
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12. The Huge Boss: Bruce Lee battles hordes of Henchmen
The Huge Boss was Bruce Lee’s first-ever lead function, and Lee’s character was Cheng Chao-an, a vivid younger man who promised his mom that he would attempt his finest to remain out of bother. Nevertheless, whereas working at an Ice Manufacturing facility, he finds that his cousin has mysteriously gone lacking and rapidly finds out that his boss is behind it. Whereas investigating the Ice Manufacturing facility, he finds a few of his members of the family in a really horrible state. Earlier than he can name the police, he’s confronted by a military of henchmen of the boss. Initially unarmed (till he manages to take one of many dangerous guys), he faces many armed adversaries however simply cuts via the thugs. Like a lot of his ‘group’ scenes, the choreography is fantastically achieved, however this one was extra humorous than most, with a little bit of a Looney Tunes-type second with a gap in a picket shed the place Lee has thrown an opponent via.
11. Enter the Dragon: Bruce Lee battles Robert Wall
That is the primary of many movie star martial arts consultants on this checklist alongside Lee. Robert Wall was an American karate professional that originally got here from San Jose, and it was a well known undeniable fact that he and Lee shared an extended friendship. Now, the 2 went up in opposition to one another for Enter the Dragon. Within the film, Wall’s character is O’Hara and is portrayed as a fantastic, ‘tough-as-nails” combatant, however when he’s matched in opposition to Lee’s character, Lee (I do know, I used to be confused too), it’s clear that he wasn’t precisely as powerful as he was made out to be. Though this scene is close to the underside of the checklist, it’s nonetheless a memorable motion scene that went down in cinematic historical past, showcasing that Bruce Lee’s velocity wasn’t only for present and that he was an professional.
10. Fist of Fury: Bruce Lee battles a Katana-Wielding Karate Grasp
Fist of Fury was Bruce Lee’s second kung fu film, and some memorable scenes are talked about right here on this checklist. Though we all know that Bruce Lee is a talented opponent, it’s at all times incredible to see him taking down both a bunch of individuals or somebody who looks like they may initially have the higher hand over him. On this scene of Fist of Fury, Bruce Lee’s character Chen Zhen has fought a number of karate masters in a Japanese dojo. This one is especially memorable as a result of he takes on a Japanese martial arts grasp that may be a expert swordsman with a katana. With stunning velocity and easy actions, Chen Zhen manages to dodge the swings of the swooping katana, executing a last blow.
9. Fist of Fury: Bruce Lee battles Robert Baker
One other spotlight from the Fist of Fury film is the primary scene the place Lee takes on Robert Baker’s Petrov, often known as The Strongman. The strongman can bend steel bars together with his naked palms, and when the battle begins, Lee has lastly discovered a correct match for his talent. First, Petrov lands a staggering proper hook that leaves Chen Zhen reeling. Fortunately, Zhen manages to get out of his grasp and makes use of his unbelievable velocity to get the most effective of Petrov.
8. The Huge Boss: Ultimate Showdown
Now that we all know that Bruce Lee’s Cheng Chao-an is on one in every of his private vendettas to avenge his household, he goes after the boss in a battle with Han Ying-Chieh’s Hsiao Mi, the Huge Boss. As soon as once more, he’s going through an opponent that has a weapon, when he begins out with none, however Bruce Lee’s kung fu abilities transcend the necessity for weapons. After an extended battle to disarm Hsiao, he lastly overcomes the adversity. This is among the finest scenes within the film as a result of it’s the first time it looks like Lee has discovered a match. However, after all, he at all times wins in the long run.
7. Fist of Fury: Ultimate Showdown
After going through off in opposition to Rober Baker’s Petrov, Chen Zhen goes up in opposition to Riki Hashimoto’s Suzuki, the massive evil film villain. On this film, Lee actually acquired to showcase a few of his spectacular flurries and excessive kicks, ending off the principle antagonist with a bounce kick to the neck. You will see yet another nice scene on this checklist from this film, and you’ll simply be capable to see why it’s the film’s finest second.
6. Enter the Dragon: Bruce Lee battles hordes of Henchmen
Apart from Robert Partitions’s character, Enter the Dragon didn’t have many martial arts masters that matched Bruce Lee’s character’s prowess. What they did have, nevertheless, had been numbers. Throughout one of many scenes, Lee’s character, Lee (sorry, I couldn’t resist bringing it up once more), goes up in opposition to a horde of Han’s henchmen. Through the scene , we see why Bruce Lee’s transient stardom was as nice because it was. His facial expressions and physique language in the course of the fantastically choreographed battle completely convey the fashion and can his character feels as he makes his manner via individual after individual. Curiously, Jackie Chan, one other martial arts film legend, was one of many goons that he defeated.
5. Fist of Fury: Bruce Lee battles hordes of Karate College students
The final Fist of Fury scene on this checklist is one other magnificent group scene. Though there isn’t a scarcity of noteworthy martial arts films that depict Lee going up in opposition to a number of assailants, this one is beautiful. On this scene, he goes up in opposition to a complete dojo of Japanese karate college students as a result of their grasp has slaughtered all of his personal fellow college students. The film was not solely a testomony to the beautiful high quality of the martial arts choreography of the movie. It had a phenomenal message wrapped in a fantastically choreographed dance between a number of martial artists.
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4. Enter the Dragon: Mirror Room scene
As I discussed earlier than, Enter the Dragon appeared to have a slight scarcity of martial artists that had been a great match for Bruce Lee’s talents. It could have been unattainable for writers to write down him as weak in any of Lee’s movies, in order that they needed to get inventive about creating characters that didn’t match his abilities. Shih Kien’s character, the movie’s fundamental antagonist, is an clever man, and he makes use of a room of mirrors to his benefit to attempt to even the percentages between them. Lee’s character is caught making an attempt to tell apart illusions from actuality, however he manages to take action. That is extensively thought of one of many largest martial arts films on the market.
3. Approach of the Dragon: Nunchuck scene
Bruce Lee has solely introduced his nunchucks out a mere two occasions all through his martial arts cinema profession, one in every of them being a scene the place he stands as much as a gang making an attempt to rule the streets of Rome. In his second scene with these thugs, he introduced out the massive weapons, displaying glorious talent with an extremely hard-to-use weapon. Hilariously, this issue was masterfully displayed when a felony grabbed the weapons and harm himself whereas making an attempt to make use of them. That is one other occasion of Bruce Lee effortlessly taking down many opponents with out issues.
2. Sport of Dying: Bruce Lee battles Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
This was Bruce Lee’s final film, which was meant to have been his directorial debut and a film he starred in. The unique thought for the movie was sensible, as he was utilizing his personal type of fight that he developed, jeet kune do and would have fought many adversaries on his journey to the highest of a pavilion. Sadly, he solely managed to movie 40 minutes for the movie, and one of many scenes that he managed to finish was between himself and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, an NBA star on the time.
Being seven-foot-two and a basketball participant, Abdul-Jabbar’s character, Mantis, was a foe not like any that Lee had ever confronted in his films, fully dwarfed by his towering stature. The dimensions distinction between Abdul-Jabbar’s Mantis and Lee’s was one of many largest obstacles within the choreography.
The remainder of the film was accomplished with the assistance of a Bruce Lee lookalike. Fortunately, the top-notch choreography was held up all through the movie. Nevertheless, Bruce Lee’s affect may nonetheless be strongly felt all through the movie. Though it was meant to have been a debut for his directorial profession, it turned extra of an homage to him as a result of unlucky circumstances.
1. Approach of the Dragon: Bruce Lee battles Chuck Norris
After all, I needed to put a film scene between these two grasp martial artists, Bruce Lee nad Chuck Norris, on the prime. Two martial arts legends on one display screen? Undoubtedly primary.
On this movie, Bruce Lee stars as Tang Lung, whereas the legendary Chuck Norris stars as Colt. This conflict of the titans simply topped each battle that Bruce Lee had filmed till that time. Their battle rages on for 9 minutes, and their unbelievable talent as consultants is well seen all through the battle. The 2 have by no means been extra evenly matched in cinema historical past, with Lee’s astonishing velocity and agility arrange in opposition to Norris’ absolute uncooked energy. I assure you’ll maintain your breath and wince as they alternate blows. Regardless of the film’s story, I used to be nonetheless figuring out who to root for.
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Bruce Lee Biopic
For those who, like many others, felt such as you didn’t get sufficient and wish to see Bruce Lee once more, we will shortly. Ang Lee has been gearing as much as create a biopic about his hero and has even been getting ready his son, Mason Lee, to take his place. His son is 32, the age that Bruce Lee was on the time of his passing, and he has been coaching for the final couple of years to attempt to attain the wonderful normal that Bruce Lee saved himself at. So though it won’t be the identical as seeing Bruce Lee himself, quickly we’ll see somebody who appears extremely comparable taking over the honour of the function. We’re nonetheless figuring out when this would possibly occur, however Ang Lee has assured reporters and information retailers that it’s within the works and is decided to make it occur.
Now we have seen the conflict of titans and plenty of unbelievable martial arts masters going up in opposition to one another on this checklist of scenes between Bruce Lee and numerous opponents.