Bruce Lee Jun-Fan is the most famous cinematic martial artist of all time having revolutionized the martial arts film industry with movies like Fist of Fury, Game of Death, and his Hollywood breakout film, Enter the Dragon. Lee grew up on the streets of Hong Kong eventually learning the style of Kung Fu known as Wing Chun under the tutelage of Ip Man before later combining it with other combat forms from around the world to develop his own martial arts philosophy, Jeet Kune Do. Having taught non-Chinese students in San Francisco when most Chinese martial artists esoterically restricted their wisdom to their own ethnicity, Bruce Lee adapted to a multicultural society and emphasized never limiting oneself to specific styles or mindsets. Following his tragic and untimely death in 1973, his legacy has influenced not only the martial arts world but also popular culture as a whole. So here are my favorite Bruce Lee fight scenes. And to clarify, this list will consist only of fight scenes primarily featuring Bruce himself and not those that are mostly performed by body double actors many of which were used to complete his final but unfinished film Game of Death. Since there aren't many Bruce Lee films to work with here, multiple scenes from individual films will be sorted through to fill up the top 12 list.
#12. Enter The Dragon (1973; vs. Sammo Hung)
Starting off the list is the most influential and highest grossing martial arts film ever made Enter The Dragon. As the first Hollywood film to be based on Chinese martial arts and Bruce Lee's last completed film, this collaboration between Golden Harvest and Warner Bros. also became one of the most profitable films at the time. It's success went well beyond the world of martial arts cinema amassing a global box office of $350 million which is equivalent to $1 billion if adjusted for inflation. Bruce plays a martial arts instructor recruited by a British intelligence agency to infiltrate the private island of a crime lord named Han who is holding a martial arts tournament.
Bruce personally directed the entire opening sequence set in the Shaolin Temple which was in fact a last minute shoot requested by Bruce himself. Not only did Lee's character inspire Liu Kang from Mortal Kombat but appearing opposite Lee in a sparring match is the then relatively unknown Sammo Hung who would go on to become one of the most innovative martial arts actors and fight choreographers of all time. Displaying his anatomy-defying acrobatics, Sammo is still no match for Bruce being stunned by a few quick jabs, thrown around a bit and finally beaten by a submission move. UFC hall of famer Urijah Faber and many others call this opening fight one of the oldest depictions of mixed martial arts in film. Bruce Lee is often considered to be the father of MMA and this particular fight sequence is cinematic evidence of that with Bruce and Sammo using Kempo-style gloves, kickboxing shoes, and shin guards to allow a full range of striking and grappling which follows Bruce's philosophy of using the appropriate safety gear to maximize full-contact sparring and simulate an actual fight as closely a possible. Sammo isn't the only star-in-the-making to work on the film as future Hong Kong martial arts film villain Yuen Wah actually stunt doubled Lee for his gymnastic exit. And while the sequence was choreographed by Lee much of the action direction is also credited to Lam Ching-Ying who cameos as one of Han's guards and would later make his own mark as another notable figure in Hong Kong action film history. Bruce was actually challenged to real fights by some of the movie's extras and several unknown individuals who invaded the film's set. Many of the extras and stuntmen would also be involved in on-set brawls due to them being members of rival triads further raising the notoriety of an already badass and record-breaking martial arts movie.
#11. The Way of the Dragon (1972; vs. Italian gang)
Next on the list is The Way of the Dragon. Originally titled Return of the Dragon, the film's working title was Enter the Dragon until Hollywood execs contacted Bruce about his starring role in the actual Enter the Dragon. Lee was the writer, director, and producer, and even recorded his own percussion segments for the soundtrack, a testament to his multi-talented filmmaking skills. This was Bruce's directorial debut and the only directorial project he would ever complete requiring the creation of his own production company for the film called Concord Production Inc. with help from Raymond Chow, the founder of Golden Harvest.
Bruce Lee is a man from Hong Kong sent to Rome to help protect a young Chinese restaurant owner from an Italian gang who repeatedly scares away customers after the owner refused to give up their property. After beating down some thugs with a wooden pole Bruce pulls out not one but two nunchuks as more gangsters arrive armed with knives and sticks knocking them out one by one with single well-placed swings. Bruce Lee may be known for his more serious and stoic attitude but this film has plenty of humorous moments and this fight scene is no exception with Bruce mocking the gangsters with a trollish smile and the gang leader trying to imitate Bruce's nunchuk skills but ends up whacking himself in the forehead. This was Lee's first and only attempt at a comedy while still delivering all his signature intensity with action choreographed by Bruce himself and his childhood best friend Chan Ling-Ching who back then went by the nickname Unicorn Chan or Little Unicorn.
#10. Enter The Dragon (1973; vs. Robert Wall)
The second fight scene from Enter The Dragon on this list will be featuring actor and martial artist Robert Wall who plays O' Hara, Han's bodyguard who had murdered Bruce Lee's character's sister. O' Hara shows off his strength by punching in half a wooden board in which Lee responds with one of his most iconic lines of dialogue, "Boards don't hit back" expressing his personal philosophy on the importance of sparring with live opponents. Lee proceeds to backfist O' Hara into oblivion overwhelming him with pure speed, a feat which Bruce has proven off-screen as well having offered $100 to anyone on set who could block his jab which obviously no one could. Lee is even rumored to be able to snatch a coin out of someone's open hand and leave another one behind before their hand could close. When O' Hara tries grabbing Lee's leg, Lee executes his now famous backflip kick which was actually performed by stunt double and famed Hong Kong acrobat Yuen Wah, the same man who performed the gymnastics sequence in an earlier entry. This is followed by yet another signature Bruce Lee move where he stops O' Hara's flying kick mid-air with a fall-back kick to the groin.
Last but not least is Lee delivering an extremely powerful side kick that allegedly broke the arm of one of the stuntmen who tried to catch Robert Wall. Lee walks away having won the fight but O' Hara attempts a last-minute attack with a broken bottle prompting Lee to break his right arm with a well timed kick and stomps him into the ground with an amusingly constipated facial expression. As funny as it looked this presented some satisfying closure to Lee's personal character arc as he was able to avenge his sister without breaking the rules of the tournament and only resorting to self-defense. Things were a bit more complicated behind the scenes however as Bruce actually suffered from a serious cut on his hand when Robert Wall's timing was off while using the broken bottle which was in fact a real glass bottle. Despite Lee having effortlessly defeated O'Hara, Robert Wall is actually an incredibly high-ranking martial artist bearing a 9th degree black belt in Tang Soo Do and an 8th degree black belt in Kyokushin Karate. This is not his first time in a film alongside Bruce either as he also appeared as a Karate fighter hired by the Italian mob in The Way of the Dragon and as a villain in Game of Death where he fights Bruce Lee's character in a locker room. Though Bruce was doubled by Yuen Biao as the scene was shot after Bruce's death.
#9. Enter The Dragon (1973; vs. Shih Kien)
Following up the last entry is the third Enter The Dragon fight scene to make the list this time pitting Bruce against the film's primary antagonist Han played by famous Hong Kong villain actor Shih Kien. After the island's prisoners revolt against Han's men, Lee chases Han into a museum. To prepare against Lee's deadly martial arts skills, Han replaces his prosthetic hand with a steel claw which he used earlier to kill Williams, played by Karate champion Jim Kelley who's career skyrocketed after the film's release. Han manages to wound Lee but all that does is give Lee an excuse to lick the blood in a fit of masochistic fury giving us one more iconic Bruce Lee moment. Lee intercepts Han in mid-air with a flying kick and soon after kicks Han completely out of the view of the camera, a shot that is as classically epic as it is corny with Han obviously being replaced by a dummy to exaggerate the impact of the hit. Han tries gaining the upper hand by taking out a spear but is disarmed before disappearing into a room filled with mirrors.
Unable to easily spot the real Han from all of his mirrored reflections, Lee breaks many of the surrounding mirrors to reveal Han's actual location recalling his Shaolin master's wisdom of destroying the images and illusions of the enemy in order to defeat them. Bruce was a man of incredible strength but he still needed some low-budget magic to pull off this scene by holding a piece of iron in his hand out of camera view to break only a handful of the 8,000 total mirrors used for the sequence. Finally determining Han's true position, Lee kicks him straight into the same spear Han had tried impaling Lee with before, leaving Han hanging on the revolving mirror wall like a fancy coat rack. Although the fight choreography is fairly basic the psychological thrills instilled in the mirror room is one of the most memorable scenes in the entire movie. In spite of the in-movie animosity between the two, Shih Kien and Bruce Lee were close friends with Bruce actually calling him his "uncle". Lee reportedly had a premonition about is own death during filming which he shared with Shih Kien. Kien advised Lee to not overwork himself. Sadly this advice was not enough to save Lee as he tragically died of cerebral edema three weeks prior to the film's premiere. Thankfully we have Enter The Dragon as a record of Lee's extraordinary charisma as well as his great chemistry and almost familial bond with fellow Hong Kong actor Shih Kien.
#8. Game of Death (1972; vs. Ji Han-Jae)
Bruce Lee's last and uncompleted film Game of Death makes its first appearance on this list. It was only released years later after Bruce's passing in 1978 with a new plot and two actors standing in for Lee along with extra footage directed by Robert Clouse, director of Enter the Dragon. However, there is a version of the movie with Bruce's unfinished original footage featured in the documentary Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey for all of the diehard Bruce Lee fans to enjoy. Lee joins a team of martial artists to save his two kidnapped siblings and retrieve a stolen Chinese artifact from a Korean crime syndicate. Lee and his martial arts team members ascend up a large pagoda which each floor presenting a different martial arts master that must be defeated to advance to the next level very much like a video game (or "game of death" if you will) which of course inspired actual video games later on as well as certain films like The Raid and Dredd. The pagoda serves as an allegory as each floor represents a higher level of martial enlightenment and an ever greater understanding of Jeet Kune Do.
The penultimate floor is guarded by a Hapkido practitioner played by 10th degree Hapkido master Ji Han-Jae who easily defeats Lee's two companions. One of them being Shaw Bros. and Golden Harvest veteran and co-star of Lee's films James Tien while the other is played by Chieh Yuan who coincidentally died at the same age and of the same cause as Bruce Lee. Lee sports his trademark track suit, a symbol of his more modern and scientific methodology to combat favoring athletic fitness over a traditional uniform. This same outfit would be modified into a motorcycle jacket for Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill series only further proving its iconic status. Ji Han-Jae initially outgrapples Bruce repeatedly tossing him all over the floor. But Lee soon adapts and is able to apply some trapping and striking combinations with a few takedowns as well as a sneaky groin shot. Lee finally ends the fight with a back-breaking knee that would make Bane jealous and Batman wince.
Another 10th degree Hapkido master and Kung Fu movie star Hwang In-Shik was planned to appear as one of the floor guardians specializing in kicking techniques but unfortunately his footage was never shot. Though he did appear as a Karate mercenary in the only other film Lee directed, The Way of the Dragon. Other martial artists were set to also face Bruce on-screen but their scenes were sadly left as nothing more than mental sketches. Wong Shun-Leung, disciple of Ip Man himself and Bruce's closest mentor, was asked to play a Wing Chun expert guarding the 2nd floor. After declining the role, he was replaced by Taky Kimura who would've showed up as a Praying Mantis Kung Fu stylist but as is the case with the other talented martial artists that never made it onto the film, Kimura's scenes were never filmed either. Sammo Hung was even asked to act as one of Lee's martial compatriots but had already become involved with another movie after not hearing back about Game of Death for about eight months. Sammo was later chosen to choreograph additional fight sequences for the 1978 version but martial arts cinephiles everywhere can only dream of the Kung Fu camaraderie that could have been if Sammo Hung and Bruce Lee joined forces in the completed form of Game of Death that never was.
#7. The Big Boss (final fight)
Before being overtaken by Fist of Fury, the highest grossing Hong Kong film at the time was The Big Boss. Confusingly also titled Fists of Fury, this was Lee's breakout film in Hong Kong helping him outshine his co-star James Tien who was already an established Hong Kong star. Lee had rejected an offer by Shaw Bros. Studios and instead accepted a two-movie contract from producer Raymond Chow of the then newly founded Golden Harvest, the second movie in this contract being Fist of Fury. Lee works at a Thai ice factory and discovers that his cousins have been killed and their bodies cut into pieces after they had learned the factory was being used as a front for a drug trafficking operation. Vowing vengeance on the drug traffickers, Bruce takes them all on alone in a violently over-the-top ice factory fight where he demonstrates such ludicrous and cartoonish strength that he punches a man through a wall so hard that he leaves a human-shaped hole in it.
In the film's climax, he confronts the titular "big boss" of the operation at his own mansion with Lee wearing a white long-sleeve which he seems to wear consistently throughout the movie whenever preparing to kill a man. Bruce effortlessly takes out his men after finishing his bag of chips, a concept that definitely missed its potential as a cheesy commercial. It might be a mere coincidence and purely based on my own speculation but the scene might have even been subtly referenced by the Judo Master in the recent DC HBO Max streaming series Peacemaker. But I digress. You've seen Bruce Lee with nunchuks but how 'bout Bruce Lee with knives? Brandishing their blades, Lee finally faces the big boss himself played by Hong Kong actor Han Ying-Chieh who would later join the cast of Lee's next film Fist of Fury. Han Ying-Chieh was also the fight choreographer for The Big Boss which explains why the fight scene is more traditional complete with the "Kung Fu footsie" style of leg kicking. There's still some resemblance of Bruce's own personal choreographic approach as he otherwise had almost complete creative control characterized by a rhythm involving a few quick exchanges followed by short pauses to assess strategy. A rhythm used to add a certain level of realism which is of course fitting of Lee's JKD which was all about practical combat. Further conflicting with Bruce's idealized conception for the screen fighting, director Lo Wei insisted on some trampoline-aided moves like the "jump kick joust" which we also witnessed in his fight with Shi Kien in Enter the Dragon. A move which Bruce Lee obviously tried his best to remove to retain a relative degree of realism but was ultimately overruled by Lo Wei.
Regardless of the creative differences involved, the rest of the fight plays out intriguingly enough. Lee and the big boss engage in some leg-centered ground grappling until Han Ying-Chieh pulls out two daggers ripping away Bruce's shirt transforming Bruce into his final form; shirtless Bruce. Lee disarms one knife with the boss's own jacket, a trick that might've inspired some similar creativity in Jackie Chan decades later. The big boss tries throwing his remaining knife at Bruce but he kicks it back into his gut before thrusting his fingers into his ribs in probably the most brutal Bruce Lee finishing move caught on screen. If this weren't enough, Lee keeps punching the big boss's corpse until the cops arrive. This fight sequence may not as cleverly convey Bruce Lee's JKD as in his earlier entry from Game of Death but it is simply entertaining in its own right. The later biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story starring Jason Scott Lee and the TV series The Legend of Bruce Lee starring Danny Chan both include off-screen fights occurring on the set of The Big Boss based on a rumor of a real fight that went down but has since been debunked. The alleged incident may have been related to Hong Kong action legend Lam Ching-Ying having actually challenged Bruce to a 1-on-1 which ended in Lam receiving a sidekick that sent him flying across the room. Complicating the film's production even more, Bruce was significantly malnourished and caught the flu during filming causing him to be admitted to a hospital resulting in him losing ten pounds in the process. Yet none of this stopped him from dominating the Hong Kong movie industry with The Big Boss thanks in part to one of the most intense climactic film fights out there.
#6. Game of Death (vs. Dan Inosanto)
For my second pick for fight scenes from Game of Death I have Dan Inosanto as the third floor guardian, an expert in Filipino Kali as he is in real life who had exchanged his martial arts knowledge with Bruce allowing many Filipino combat principles to be incorporated into Jeet Kune Do. As mentioned before, Game of Death is perhaps the ideal film to explore Jeet Kune Do as each level of the pagoda requires a specific adaptation to defeat the various martial artists guarding each floor. Bruce uses a long bamboo stick symbolizing the flexibility of Jeet Kune Do which he also equates to a sword (as Jeet Kune Do was also influenced by western fencing) against the shorter stiffer Escrima sticks carried by Inosanto. After giving a clownish smile, Lee starts whipping Inosanto like a prepubescent child while lecturing him on the importance of being more open and fluid as opposed to adhering to rigid routines. The concept of "broken rhythm" is also explicitly emphasized, where a fighter catches their opponent off guard after breaking the natural rhythm of movement that has been established throughout the fight. This broken rhythm would apply not only to practical combat but also deconstruct the conventions of fight choreography itself as most Kung Fu film fights during this period would be based on the unbroken rhythm of extended sequences of staccato dance-like movements. Bruce Lee would place short pauses between intense flurries of motion allowing a respite for the audience and to subvert their expectations when an unexpected attack or counterattack would be executed.
Dan finally pulls out a pair of nunchaku, a weapon that can be considered more "flexible" with Bruce responding by wielding his own nunchuks matching his bright yellow tracksuit. Both demonstrate their incredible nunchaku skill and Inosanto manages to land one blow to Bruce's cheek and even attempts knocking his feet off the ground as Bruce had done in a particular dojo scene in his earlier film Fist of Fury (more on that fight scene later). Bruce is ultimately the better nunchaku duelist though opting to kick the shit out of Inosanto before using his nunchuks like a garrote and snapping his neck. Dan Inosanto and Bruce Lee had become very close with one another by the time of Game of Death's filming and Inosanto was in fact the one who acquainted Bruce with the nunchaku in the first place. Once Bruce passed away, Inosanto became one of the world's leading experts on Jeet Kune Do having trained in a variety of martial arts from around the globe like Bruce himself staying true to the open-mindedness of Jeet Kune Do. Dan Inosanto's nunchuk duel was a much easier fight for Lee than it was against Ji Han-Jae guarding the higher floor but the dialogue in this fight scene elevates it above the sequence with the Hapkido grandmaster by being interspersed with martial arts philosophy and increasing the accessibility of Bruce's cinematic translation of JKD.
#5. Fist of Fury (1972; final fight)
Fist of Fury was Bruce Lee's second Kung Fu flick and his second film with Golden Harvest also directed by Lo Wei which would outgross his previous film The Big Boss surpassing its spot as most commercially successful Hong Kong film at the time. Lee plays Chen Zhen, fictional student of Huo Yuanjia, a real historical Chinese martial artist, who returns to 1930s' Shanghai learning that his master was poisoned by a Japanese martial arts school. After several physical confrontations between Chen Zhen's own Jingwu Chinese martial arts academy and the rival dojo, the Japanese school attacks and kills most of the Jingwu students. Chen Zhen arrives at the dojo one last time to settle the conflict. Some lists categorize each of these scenes as separate fight sequences but I'm going to disregard that so I can just show all of them. They are all sort of connected together into one long final fight scene anyway.
Chen Zhen demolishes some Japanese students after giving them a chance to leave delivering an awesome no-look kick on one and punching the eye out of another. Chen Zhen then engages in a rematch with the dojo's head instructor played by Chinese actor Fung Ngai who learned his lesson from their previous fight and brings out a katana. But Chen Zhen is simply too fast kicking the katana out of his hand and forcing it to plunge into the sensei's back. Afterwards, Chen Zhen fights some remaining lower-ranking masters in the courtyard executing a one-two combo on the headmaster's bodyguard's balls driving his fists into his phallus with one punch for each testicle (sadly could not find a clip of it to add above).
Chen Zhen's next face-off is with Petrov, Russian mafia boss and visiter to the dojo played by Bruce Lee's own student and close friend Robert Baker whose English dialogue was dubbed over by Bruce himself. Shown in earlier scenes easily hammering nails into wooden boards with his bare hands and bending solid metal bars, Petrov proves to be the most skilled opponent so far successfully landing a few punches on Chen Zhen. But like most of Chen Zhen's enemies, Petrov is overwhelmed by Chen's incredible speed, no match for his Wing-Chun style trapping-striking combinations as well as his lightning fast jabs and kicks. Flowing like water, Chen Zhen outmaneuvers the stiff and form-driven Karate style of Petrov. Petrov does find a way to put Chen into an armbar but he bites his way out of it getting a mouth full of tasty rusky boot, which, during a sparring session, Bruce actually mentioned he would do in a real fight. Chen Zhen then ends their one-on-one with a head-splitting side-kick and neck chop.
For the final fight, Chen faces the head of the school Hiroshi Suzuki who may have the most villainous mustache in kung fu film history played by Japanese actor and pro baseball player Hashimoto Riki. Bringing out a katana like the earlier sensei Chen faced, Suzuki "batters up" and tries slicing apart Chen Zhen's legs but Chen somersaults off the table (doubled by Yuen Wah) grabbing a hold of a wooden pole which Suzuki chops down into firewood. Chen Zhen responds by impolitely offering him a bowl of rice before pulling out his favorite weapon, the nunchaku, despite Bruce Lee himself stating how unrealistic and uneven that weapon match-up would be. Fun fact, this was also the first film usage of a nuchaku by Bruce besides in the Green Hornet TV series. Chen eventually disarms Suzuki of his sword and the two engage in a brief open-handed fight until Bruce strikes out Suzuki through the paper wall with a home run kick. Eagle-eyed viewers may notice that Jackie Chan had doubled Suzuki's actor for that particular stunt.
Han Ying-Chieh, "the big boss" from the film of the same name, was also the martial arts director for Fist of Fury but let Bruce choreograph every fight scene he himself appeared in. Bruce Lee and director Lo Wei were notorious for their on-set disagreements and the strong themes of Chinese nationalistic pride and anti-Japanese sentiment in Fist of Fury caused the more culturally sensitive Lee to never work with Lo Wei again. In spite of their behind-the-scenes feud, Fist of Fury would become a major milestone in martial arts filmmaking being remade several times with varying success with the character of Chen Zhen becoming so iconic that it was later portrayed by other martial arts actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Donnie Yen.
#4. Enter The Dragon (1973; vs. many)
For the last Enter The Dragon fight scene on the list we find Lee sneaking into Han's underground lair to covertly contact British intelligence through the most subtle of means; by throwing a god damn cobra into the communications room to clear away its personnel. As simple of a move as it might've looked, Bruce had to try tapping the cobra's head about ten times to get it right and resulted in him being nonfatally bitten. This attempt trips the alarm anyway however sending in every security guard in the vicinity. Lee's character was in a way Bruce's own version of James Bond as the movie was both a martial arts action film and spy thriller which surprisingly made Enter The Dragon more money than the entire James Bond movie franchise up to that point. Lee incapacitates a few of the guards in slow-mo with an eerie sci-fi B-movie background soundtrack. Unable to pry open an elevator door with his bare hands (what a badass), he steadily walks towards the camera while knocking out a multitude of guards running towards him from out of view with lightning fast strikes. He then finishes off an elevator filled with even more guards by going back to his Wing Chun roots, arming himself with a wooden pole and later switching up his martial arts style with some Eskrima sticks.
One of these guards knocked out by Bruce's Eskrima sticks was actually Jackie Chan whose inclusion in the scene is most remembered for having been the guard who was put in a neck-breaking arm bar hold. Jackie Chan has mentioned in interviews that he was accidentally hit in the face by Bruce who personally promised to allow Jackie to appear in all of Lee's future films as an apology. But as fate would have it, this would be the two's last film together though Chan did at the very least have a chance at joining Bruce Lee in his international breakout movie. It's been estimated that around 51 guards were taken out by Bruce in this scene alone. A large percentage of them by Lee's nunchaku, the one signature weapon that any Bruce Lee weapon fight would be incomplete without. There's not nearly as much emotional content in terms of storytelling as the previous entry from Fist of Fury but seeing Bruce annihilating an army of stuntmen is always a sight to behold, or in the words of the film's main antagonist, "extra ordinary".
#3. Fist of Fury (vs. dojo)
If you've been waiting on the most famous Fist of Fury fight scene to finally show up then here it is. The Japanese martial arts school responsible for having poisoned Chen Zhen's master had recently given them a sign saying "Sick Men of East Asia" to taunt the Jingwu school and proclaim the racial inferiority of the Chinese people. An infuriated Chen returns the sign to the Japanese school and effortlessly defeats its top two students. He is then surrounded by the entire dojo in a who's who of pre-fame Hong Kong stuntmen like Yuen Wah (also Bruce's stunt double in the film), comedy star Stephen Chow, and even fight choreographer Corey Yuen all under an almost isometric view that has been paid homage to in the Crazy 88 Kill Bill fight. Mid-fight, Chen reaches his ultimate form by going shirtless demolishing the Japanese fighters with a series of kicks, no-look punches and elbows, and a chin-shattering uppercut while demonstrating his Herculean strength by flailing around two men like a merry-go-round (obviously dummies) hurling them across the room and slamming one unfortunate white belt head first into the floor.
Then comes the film debut of Bruce's nunchuks which he uses to smashes some skulls in and breaks some ankles. Witnessing the inhuman physicality of Chen Zhen, the dojo's hefty head instructor decides to enter the fray holding up fairly well against Chen throwing him around with some old-fashioned Judo techniques (or more specifically "Kito-Ryu Jujutsu" as the school is labeled as in the movie). Chen Zhen's pure speed and strength is too great for the sensei however leaving the Japanese master fumbling around the floor of his own dojo. Keeping the promise they made earlier, the dojo's top students are forced to literally "eat their words". The movie may sort of be a piece of Chinese nationalist propaganda but anyone can appreciate the electrifying presence of Bruce Lee every time he steps onto the screen and especially how he unleashes his full-blown fury onto his master's murderers.
#2. Game of Death (1972; vs. Kareem Abdul Jabar)
The final Game of Death fight scene on this list would of course have to be the classic David vs. Goliath martial arts movie fight between Bruce and the final floor guardian portrayed by NBA legend Kareem Abdul Jabar. Dumbfounding Lee with his immense stature, Kareem sits in a rocking chair and simply stretches one leg out to knock Lee back halfway across the room. A black tracksuit with yellow stripes was almost chosen as Lee's outfit but changed to the familiar yellow with black stripes specifically so that Kareem's footprint would be more visible on Bruce's chest. Because Kareem was a student of Lee at the time, he was specifically selected to play the fighter guarding the pagoda's top floor, a master of Lee's own Jeet Kune Do style except with much longer limbs. Kareem proves to have the reach advantage and greater strength while also possessing virtually equal skill causing Bruce to try running up the stairs. His quick retreat is thwarted however as he is pulled down by the orangutan arms of Kareem almost as if blocking a layup shot.
Lee tries grappling his legs and the two exchange some kicks and punches. In yet another sports reference, Bruce throws a haymaker with his best possible baseball pitching form. Kareem even tries pushing Lee's face into the jagged edge of a broken jar but Lee counters this by hand-stand front flip kicking Kareem's head. It isn't until the very end that Bruce accidentally learns of Kareem's weakness to sunlight, the shades being revealed as being meant to shield his glowing red albino eyes rather than being just a fashion accessory. Lee tears out holes in the paper walls of the room blinding Kareem and puts down the stunned giant with a guillotine. The final floor metaphorically ends Bruce's journey to martial ideation. Bruce Lee stated that only accepting death will allow the fullest appreciation and realization of life and as both fighters have embraced death they have also attained the ultimate level of martial arts mastery and self-expression.
#1. The Way of the Dragon (1972; vs. Chuck Norris)
There is no question that the best Bruce Lee fight scene is in The Way of the Dragon against the internet meme and Texas ranger himself Chuck Norris. With a stray cat as their only audience, their epic showdown takes place in the actual Roman Colosseum in a gladiatorial battle that would draw the envy of even Russel Crowe. This was Chuck Norris' film debut and as an undefeated world Karate champion at the time and a martial arts colleague of Bruce, there could be no better martial artist than Norris to play Colt, a mercenary hired by the Italian gang. Bruce even had Chuck gain weight for his role to appear more formidable creating an interesting contrast in body types to further add to the distinctness of each fighter. The two start off with some warm-up routines with Norris performing some kata while Lee does various stretches before the two fighters break into their combat ready stances. Bruce uses some traditional Kung Fu in the beginning and is easily beaten by Chuck who lands some spinning hook kicks, straight punches, and elbow strikes. Though Lee is able to get the last laugh by giving Chuck a free partial chest waxing.
Upon realizing the uselessness of his more conservative approach to combat, Bruce resorts to his Jeet Kune Do style. Using the Ali shuffle to stay light on his feet, he dodges Chuck's whirling kicks. With the flow and formlessness of water, Lee then goes on the offensive using Chuck's own reflexes against him by throwing feints and following up with non-telegraphic attacks like the oblique kick which Bruce Lee popularized later becoming prominently used by many MMA champions. In a potential nod to his earlier film, Bruce also uses a Wing Chun trap-and-strike combo similar to the one used on Robert Baker in Fist of Fury. Chuck hilariously tries imitating Lee's freestyle of fighting but to no avail. Chuck's orthodox linear movements are simply too predictable leading to Bruce exploiting an opening in Chuck's defenses breaking his right arm and leg. Knowing Chuck will never surrender, Lee reluctantly snaps the neck of his unrelenting yet helpless opponent. Heavily distraught over having killed his admirable adversary, Bruce places his fallen opponent's karate gi and belt over his lifeless body out of respect.
Game of Death may be Bruce's ultimate expression of Jeet Kune Do but sadly went unfinished. The Way of the Dragon on the other hand is a movie that was fully completed with Lee at the helm in almost every aspect of production. And while Kareem Abdul Jabar was a well-trained JKD stylist, Chuck Norris is a legitimately skilled fighter, a role that would serve as a launchpad for his own action movie career and also enabling this fight to more completely convey Jeet Kune Do's art of fighting without fighting. Lee had even asked Karate fighter and kickboxing champion Joe Lewis to appear but had declined. As awesome as it would've been to see one more tournament fighting legend in the film, Bruce and Chuck's duel is more than any martial arts movie fanatic could've asked for. This is Bruce Lee as a fully self-actualized martial artist. And with a total of 45 hours to film this fight scene alone as well as 1/4 of the movie's script filled with details on solely the fight sequence itself, it still stands as a symbol of Lee's immense choreographic achievements and to this day celebrated by many as the greatest fight scene of all time.
And so ends the first of many top 12 lists dedicated to specific martial artists. Leave a comment if you had any qualms or compliments about my ranking. Do you think I should've included some fight scenes from the retro cheese fest that is The Green Hornet? Subscribe to the website so you can be notified immediately when a new article is published. Up next is the cinematic antithesis to Bruce Lee. And by that I mean Jackie Chan.
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