Bruce Lee's Top 10 Most Badass Moments
#10: Nunchaku Duel
“Game of Death” (1978) This movie contains some of Bruce Lee’s most iconic one-on-one fight scenes. In the film, his character must ascend a five-story tower by defeating a different style of martial artist on each floor. The nunchaku duel is a major display of skill punctuated by plenty of Lee’s signature kiai shouts. Nunchaku mastery is all about speed, control, and technique. Lee whips the weapon around his head and torso almost too quickly to see, never losing focus on his opponent. He also uses the bright yellow nunchaku to distract from savage oncoming kicks to the face. Eerie precision combined with the wild look in Lee’s eyes make this fight one of his most memorable.
#9: Tang Lung vs. Two Martial Artists
“The Way of the Dragon” (1972) Most remember American martial artist Robert Wall as O’Hara in “Enter the Dragon,” but that wasn’t the first time he and Bruce Lee duked it out on-screen. Wall appeared in 1972’s “The Way of the Dragon” as one of two martial arts masters Lee’s character is tricked into fighting. Needless to say, this trick backfires. Lee connects foot to face dozens of times over in a beastly example of both strength and stamina. This fight is a showcase of his ultra-precise, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kicking style. That speed definitely translated into force, as Lee once broke a 150-pound boxing sandbag in half with one of his kicks.
#8: Hiroshi Suzuki Katana Fight
“Fist of Fury” (1972) First, some bad news: The viral video of Bruce Lee playing ping-pong with nunchaku isn’t real. The good news is that his second feature film, “Fist of Fury,” aka “The Chinese Connection,” contains an even cooler scene of Lee parrying a katana with nunchaku. The climactic fight against villain Hiroshi Suzuki starts with the katana slicing Lee’s improvised staff into bits (along with part of his chest). Once Lee starts batting away the razor-thin katana blade, the momentum turns around. This fight unites next-level skill with a true beast finisher, as an enraged Lee kicks Suzuki through the wall before letting out a primal scream.
#7: “The Big Boss” Final Fight
Top 20 Badass Jason Statham Moments
“The Big Boss” (1971) Bruce Lee’s first starring role contains an incredible finale: an all-out brawl with the titular Big Boss that lasts over six minutes. The camerawork is simple, favoring full-body shots over extreme close-ups. This puts all of the emphasis on Lee’s legendary skill. Footwork, grappling, throws, and flying kicks all make an appearance before the fight is even half over. When Lee’s opponent takes out a pair of vicious-looking knives, Beast Mode kicks in. Trapping one knife in a jacket while kicking the other one out of the Big Boss’s hand is ridiculous on its own. The last seconds of this fight are truly brutal, though, as Lee kicks a thrown knife directly into the Big Boss’s stomach.
#6: Hapkido Fight
“Game of Death” (1978) This criminally underrated scene is a perfect example of Lee’s adaptable fighting style. Hapkido is a Korean martial art that focuses on circular movements and deflection. Real-life Hapkido legend Ji Han-jae rolls and flows out of Lee’s first strikes and even lands three over-the-shoulder throws in a row. Lee’s scrappier Jeet Kune Do style gets more energized as the fight wears on, while Han-jae loses steam as he takes hits. This fight is one of the most straightforward and balanced in Lee’s canon, making the spine-break finishing move an unexpected beastly twist.
#5: Revenge Against O’Hara
Top 10 Most Iconic Revenge Scenes in Movies
“Enter the Dragon” (1973) Bruce Lee’s characters rarely go completely feral during a fight, but when they do, it’s always fun to watch. In Lee’s smash hit “Enter the Dragon,” his character squares off with his sister’s murderer in a secret martial arts competition. The first half of the duel is another speed showcase, as Lee’s opponent O’Hara can’t even see his punches, let alone react to them. Yet O’Hara refuses to give up. In response, Lee jumps onto O’Hara’s broken body with a famous close-up scream. Though the rumors of on-set beef between Lee and actor Robert Wall were fabricated, there was an injury sustained during this fight. Lee kicked Wall into the crowd so hard that the impact reportedly broke an extra’s arm.
#4: Ice Factory Fight
Top 10 Most Badass Mark Wahlberg Movie Moments
“The Big Boss” (1971) While his one-on-one fights are impressive, Bruce Lee really kicks into high gear when fending off a small army of opponents. The ice factory fight in “The Big Boss” is a true example of beast mode with its large scale and a standout setting. Deadly ice-cutting equipment, from picks to saws to knives, transform into the fight’s improvised weapons. Instead of blocking and parrying, Lee hurls these blades through the air into his many opponents. The entire fight is one massive highlight reel, but we have to shout out the triple knife throw to the heart as one of the most beastly moments on the list.
#3: Basement Brawl
“Enter the Dragon” (1973) One of Bruce Lee’s most technically impressive fight scenes comes near the end of this classic film. The villain Han sends guard after guard to take down Lee in the drug lab underneath his palace, and Lee uses every trick in the book to knock them out in style. This four-minute beatdown cycles through all of Lee’s preferred weapons in rapid succession. Oh, and the guard he arm-locks while kicking another guard in the face? That uncredited extra is a young Jackie Chan. Ultimately, while Lee took out dozens of opponents in this fight sequence, he was bested by three conveniently-placed trap doors.
#2: Chuck Norris Fight
Top 10 Chuck Norris Moments
“The Way of the Dragon” (1972) Watching Bruce Lee knock out a horde of guys is awesome, but against formidable opponents, Lee shows that he can take hits as well as dish them out. He eats more than a few brutal shots from Chuck Norris in the finale of “The Way of the Dragon.” After calmly letting the bad guy wear himself out, Lee counters with blistering-fast kick combos and utterly concussive crosses. The scene’s hard cuts to a random kitten may seem odd on first viewing, but Lee shows all the agility and speed of the tiny natural-born killer. True beast mode means demolishing your opponent with energy to spare.
#1: Bruce Lee vs. an Entire Dojo
Top 20 Bruce Lee Moments
“Fist of Fury” (1972) Many of Lee’s characters have revenge as their driving motivation. In “Fist of Fury,” the target isn’t just one well-protected man: It’s an entire dojo. After Japanese martial artists insult Lee’s deceased master, he shows up at their school and fights them all, including the sensei. Having all of Lee’s opponents in the same room, rather than arriving in small groups, makes this fight more technically difficult than other group beatdowns. Lee destroys the dojo, throwing opponents into each other and deflecting attacks from every angle. Then, he takes out a pair of (what else?) nunchaku and whips everyone in the face and shins. His arrogant pose at the end is completely deserved.