Bruce Lee's Top 10 Most Badass Moments
Arguably the OG beast! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the movie moments that best displayed the legend’s speed, skill, and all-out rage on screen.
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00:00 [fighting noises]
00:08 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the movie moments that best displayed the legend's speed, skill, and all-out rage on screen.
00:17 [screaming]
00:24 Number 10 - Nunchaku Duel - Game of Death
00:28 This movie contains some of Bruce Lee's most iconic one-on-one fight scenes.
00:32 In the film, his character must ascend a five-story tower by defeating a different style of martial artist on each floor.
00:38 [fighting noises]
00:46 The Nunchaku Duel is a major display of skill punctuated by plenty of Lee's signature ki-ai shouts.
00:52 Nunchaku mastery is all about speed, control, and technique.
00:56 Lee whips the weapon around his head and torso almost too quickly to see, never losing focus on his opponent.
01:02 [fighting noises]
01:07 He also uses the bright yellow Nunchaku to distract from savage oncoming kicks to the face.
01:12 Eerie precision combined with the wild look in Lee's eyes makes this fight one of his most memorable.
01:18 [fighting noises]
01:22 Number 9 - Tang Long vs. Two Martial Artists - The Way of the Dragon
01:27 Most remember American martial artist Robert Wall as O'Hara in Enter the Dragon,
01:31 but that wasn't the first time he and Bruce Lee duped it out on screen.
01:34 [fighting noises]
01:39 Wall appeared in 1972's The Way of the Dragon.
01:42 As one of two martial arts masters, Lee's character is tricked into fighting.
01:45 Needless to say, this trick backfires.
01:48 Lee connects foot to face dozens of times over in a beastly example of both strength and stamina.
01:53 [fighting noises]
01:58 This fight is a showcase of his ultra-precise blink-and-you'll-miss-it kicking style.
02:03 That speed definitely translated into force,
02:05 as Lee once broke a 150-pound boxing sandbag in half with one of his kicks.
02:10 [fighting noises]
02:16 Number 8 - Hiroshi Suzuki Katana Fight - Fist of Fury
02:20 First, some bad news.
02:22 The viral video of Bruce Lee playing ping-pong with Nunchaku isn't real.
02:26 The good news is that his second feature film, Fist of Fury,
02:29 aka The Chinese Connection,
02:31 contains an even cooler scene of Lee parrying a katana with Nunchaku.
02:36 [fighting noises]
02:42 The climactic fight against villain Hiroshi Suzuki
02:44 starts with the katana slicing Lee's improvised staff into bits,
02:48 along with part of his chest.
02:50 [fighting noises]
02:56 Once Lee starts batting away the razor-thin katana blade,
02:59 the momentum turns around.
03:01 This fight unites next-level skill with a true beast finisher
03:04 as an enraged Lee kicks Suzuki through the wall
03:07 before letting out a primal scream.
03:09 [fighting noises]
03:16 Number 7 - The Big Boss Final Fight - The Big Boss
03:20 Bruce Lee's first starring role contains an incredible finale,
03:23 an all-out brawl with the titular Big Boss that lasts over six minutes.
03:27 The camera work is simple, favoring full body shots over extreme close-ups.
03:31 This puts all of the emphasis on Lee's legendary skill.
03:34 [fighting noises]
03:38 Footwork, grappling, throws, and flying kicks all make an appearance
03:43 before the fight is even half over.
03:45 When Lee's opponent takes out a pair of vicious-looking knives,
03:48 beast mode kicks in.
03:50 [fighting noises]
03:54 Trapping one knife in a jacket while kicking the other one
03:57 out of the Big Boss' hand is ridiculous on its own.
04:00 The last seconds of this fight are truly brutal, though,
04:02 as Lee kicks a thrown knife directly into the Big Boss' stomach.
04:06 [fighting noises]
04:12 Number 6 - Hapkido Fight - Game of Death
04:15 This criminally underrated scene is a perfect example of Lee's adaptable fighting style.
04:20 Hapkido is a Korean martial art that focuses on circular movements and deflection.
04:25 [fighting noises]
04:30 Real-life Hapkido legend Ji Han-Jae rolls and flows out of Lee's first strikes
04:35 and even lands three over-the-shoulder throws in a row.
04:38 Lee's scrappier Jeet Kune Do style gets more energized as the fight wears on,
04:42 while Han-Jae loses steam as he takes hits.
04:45 [fighting noises]
04:49 This fight is one of the most straightforward and balanced in Lee's canon,
04:52 making the spine-break finishing move an unexpected beastly twist.
04:56 [fighting noises]
05:02 Number 5 - Revenge Against O'Hara - Enter the Dragon
05:06 Bruce Lee's characters rarely go completely feral during a fight,
05:09 but when they do, it's always fun to watch.
05:12 [fighting noises]
05:15 In Lee's smash hit, Enter the Dragon,
05:18 his character squares off with his sister's murderer in a secret martial arts competition.
05:22 The first half of the duel is another speed showcase,
05:25 as Lee's opponent O'Hara can't even see his punches, let alone react to them.
05:29 Yet O'Hara refuses to give up.
05:32 [fighting noises]
05:36 In response, Lee jumps onto O'Hara's broken body with a famous close-up scream.
05:41 [screaming]
05:46 Though the rumors of on-set beef between Lee and actor Robert Wall were fabricated,
05:50 there was an injury sustained during this fight.
05:52 Lee kicked Wall into the crowd so hard that the impact reportedly broke an extra's arm.
05:57 [screaming]
06:00 [fighting noises]
06:05 Number 4 - Ice Factory Fight - The Big Boss
06:09 While his one-on-one fights are impressive,
06:11 Bruce Lee really kicks into high gear when fending off a small army of opponents.
06:15 The Ice Factory Fight in The Big Boss is a true example of beast mode,
06:19 with its large scale and a standout setting.
06:22 [fighting noises]
06:29 Deadly ice-cutting equipment, from picks to saws to knives,
06:33 transform into the fight's improvised weapons.
06:35 Instead of blocking and parrying,
06:37 Lee hurls these blades through the air into his many opponents.
06:40 [fighting noises]
06:49 The entire fight is one massive highlight reel,
06:51 but we have to shout out the triple knife throw to the heart
06:54 as one of the most beastly moments on the list.
06:56 [fighting noises]
07:07 Number 3 - Basement Brawl - Enter the Dragon
07:10 One of Bruce Lee's most technically impressive fight scenes
07:13 comes near the end of this classic film.
07:15 [fighting noises]
07:21 The villain, Han, sends guard after guard to take down Lee
07:25 in the drug lab underneath his palace,
07:27 and Lee uses every trick in the book to knock them out in style.
07:30 [fighting noises]
07:36 This four-minute beatdown cycles through all of Lee's preferred weapons in rapid succession.
07:41 Oh, and the guard he arm locks while kicking another guard in the face?
07:44 That uncredited extra is a young Jackie Chan.
07:47 Ultimately, while Lee took out dozens of opponents in this fight sequence,
07:51 he was bested by three conveniently placed trap doors.
07:54 [fighting noises]
07:59 Number 2 - Chuck Norris Fight - The Way of the Dragon
08:03 Watching Bruce Lee knock out a horde of guys is awesome,
08:06 but against formidable opponents,
08:08 Lee shows that he can take hits as well as dish them out.
08:11 [fighting noises]
08:15 He eats more than a few brutal shots from Chuck Norris
08:18 in the finale of The Way of the Dragon.
08:20 After calmly letting the bad guy wear himself out,
08:22 Lee counters with blistering fast kick combos
08:25 and utterly concussive crosses.
08:27 [fighting noises]
08:30 The scene's hard cuts to a random kitten may seem odd on first viewing,
08:34 but Lee shows all the agility and speed of the tiny natural-born killer.
08:38 True beast mode means demolishing your opponent with energy to spare.
08:41 [fighting noises]
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08:59 Number 1 - Bruce Lee vs. An Entire Dojo - Fist of Fury
09:05 Many of Lee's characters have revenge as their driving motivation.
09:08 In Fist of Fury, the target isn't just one well-protected man,
09:12 it's an entire dojo.
09:14 [speaking in Japanese]
09:23 After Japanese martial artists insult Lee's deceased master,
09:27 he shows up at their school and fights them all, including the sensei.
09:31 Having all of Lee's opponents in the same room,
09:33 rather than arriving in small groups,
09:35 makes this fight more technically difficult than other group beatdowns.
09:38 [fighting noises]
09:46 Lee destroys the dojo, throwing opponents into each other
09:49 and deflecting attacks from every angle.
09:51 Then he takes out a pair of, what else, nunchaku,
09:54 and whips everyone in the face and shins.
09:56 His arrogant pose at the end is completely deserved.
09:59 [fighting noises]
10:07 Let us know your favorite Bruce Lee fight or finisher in the comments.
10:11 [fighting noises]
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10:25 [music]