Netflix pick for 9/15/14 – ‘Return of the Dragon’ a.k.a. ‘The Way of the Dragon’

“Return of the Dragon” is Bruce Lee’s final complete film and hey guess what it is awesome because Bruce Lee was a cinematic perfect storm of charisma and uniqueness which made him one of the most interesting movie stars of all time and this movie does well to feature much of his most excellent talents. It also builds up to an epic showdown at the Coliseum against a fella played by Chuck Norris, so if Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris doesn’t sell you on this movie, I don’t know what will.

Written and directed by Bruce Lee after the mega success of “Enter the Dragon,” this is a movie in which Lee plays a simple Chinese fella who stays with a relative in Rome to help them deal with the local mafia, as they have been putting the pinch on the family’s restaurant business. But when Bruce Lee’s Chen character shows up, everything goes wrong for the mafia, as despite seeming to be very naive and innocent, this guy is really a world class fighting machine, easily dispatching practically all challengers no matter how many there are or what weapons they have. That’s the worth of Chinese boxing, or else this movie would have you believe.

Originally titled “Way of the Dragon” but re-titled to make it seem like a sequel to the aforementioned hit film, “Return of the Dragon” is here on the Netflix Instant and is definitely worth watching.