50 Greatest Bruce Lee Moments

Double Dragon

The Moment: Lee Jun-fan, nicknamed 'Bruce' by the hospital doctor, is born in San Francisco on 27th November 1940.

Why It's Great: The timing, not only the year of the dragon but also the hour of the dragon, is considered a harbinger of good fortune. Also, 'dragon' is a really cool word to put in your film titles.

Scram!

The Moment: Lee's character Chen Zhen storms the Bushido School in Fist of Fury , and nobly gives the minions an opportunity to escape before he does maximum damage. They decide to stick around. Big mistake.

Why It's Great: Lee at his angriest, the actor's contorted features accentuated on the English-language dub by the repeated shrill cry for the henchmen to "Scram!"

Well Hung

The Moment: The opening sequence of Enter The Dragon sees Lee take on a fellow Shaolin monk in a friendly exhibition fight. Inevitably, Bruce wins.

Why It's Great: One of the most enjoyable aspects of Bruce's films in retrospect in seeing future stars take a beating at Lee's hands. His opponent here is none other than legendary fight choreographer Sammo Hung.

Garnering Fame

The Moment: Lee made his film debut as a heavy in 1969 James Garner private detective thriller Marlowe , scripted by Bruce's student Stirling Silliphant.

Why It's Great: A properly scene-stealing moment of carnage, as he tries to intimidate Marlowe by destroying the detective's office with kicks and punches.

Giving It All That

The Moment: Lee's scuttling, crab-like fighting stance is one of the most distinctive elements of his style, a walk as famous as those of Charlie Chaplin or John Wayne.

Why It's Great: With the light-on-his-feet musicality of his movement, Lee could have been a dancer.

No Sex, Please

The Moment: Towards the beginning of Way Of The Dragon , a topless beauty tries to seduce Lee's character Tang Lung.

Why It's Great: As a rule, Bruce has better things to worry about during sex. He turns that into a gag here by having Tang Lung run away.

Slow Starter

The Moment: Bruce keeps it low-key in his first fight as a leading man in The Big Boss , hanging back and still nonchalant when he finally gets involved.

Why It's Great: A very wry, unruffled beginning as Bruce takes out two goons and then returns to his indifferent, arms-folded pose to save his best for later.

Screen Test

The Moment: After being discovered by Hollywood producers, the next step was to impress the studios in a screen test. So he did.

Why It's Great: If Bruce felt any pressure, it didn't show - he's charm itself, smiling at he explains kung fu - "it's like being hit with an iron chain with an iron ball on the end of it. Wang!"

Wits, Not Fists

The Moment: En route to Enter The Dragon 's fight tournament, fellow contestant Parsons tries to provoke Lee into a fight. Instead, Bruce tricks him onto a rowing boat, where he has to sit out the rest of the journey, wet and humiliated.

Why It's Great: Witty proof that some opponents aren't worth the bother of fighting.

Liquid Thinking

The Moment: Writer/producer Stirling Silliphant, a student of Lee's, gives his teacher a recurring role on TV show Longstreet , playing the hero's own martial arts instructor Li Tsung.

Why It's Great: Silliphant was so impressed by Lee's teachings he let Bruce use his own words, notably this famous advice...

"Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put+H26 water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend."

Victory Dance

The Moment: After winning his first major skirmish in The Big Boss , Cheng leads his friends in a geeky victory march.

Why It's Great: Lee at his funniest and most charming - it's not all about maiming villains.

Taking A Break

The Moment: When Rome's local Mafia intimidate the Chinese restaurant of Tang Lung's friends in Way Of The Dragon , the fighter introduces himself to his enemies the only way he knows how.

Why It's Great: Having dispatched one of the Mob hoodlums, Lee casually sits on his unconscious body while waiting for the others to make their move.

The Kato Show

The Moment: Bruce Lee's breakthrough comes playing Kato in the 1966-7 ABC TV series of The Green Hornet .

Why It's Great: Technically, Van Williams (playing the Green Hornet) was the show's star, but Lee's popularity meant that the series was marketed in Hong Kong as The Kato Show .

Great Vs Better

The Moment: The middle of three fights filmed for Game Of Death before Lee's death, as he takes on Ji Han-Jae, the renowned master of the Korean martial art, hapkido.

Why It's Great: The original plot of Game Of Death involved Bruce facing a series of challenges, designed to showcase the superiority of his technique over rival styles. It's a mark of his peers' respect that great martial artists like Ji were willing to take a beating.

Cool For School

The Moment: Bruce studies drama and philosophy at the University of Washington, but finds time to set up his own martial arts school in Seattle, the Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute.

Why It's Great: Never simply a fighter, Lee's grace, serenity and charisma owes to his diverse student interests.

Cooking Up A Storm

The Moment: Fist Of Fury gets a little more furious as Chen Zhen eavesdrops on a villainous chef who confesses to poisoning the hero's late master.

Why It's Great: Who says Bruce Lee's films have no plot? The carnage inflicted in this kitchen is rooted in the film's narrative of rivalry and revenge.

Triad Trials

The Moment: Lee inadvertently beats up a Triad boss' son in a street fight. His father whisks Bruce to safety to live with relatives in America.

Why It's Great: Think the storylines of Bruce's films were far-fetched? The guy's life was like a movie!

Emotional Content

The Moment: Near the beginning of Enter The Dragon , Bruce's character - Shaolin monk Lee - is seen training a pupil to put 'emotional content' into his fighting.

Why It's Great: One of Bruce's definitive on-screen philosophies, which highlights the difference between hero and villain. "I said 'emotional content.' Not anger. Now try again…with meaning."

Angry Face

The Moment: Lee's signature look whenever anybody has the temerity to hit him - an expression of pure, undiluted, pissed-off-ness.

Why It's Great: Never mind his martial arts moves, Lee can reduce an opponent to a quivering wreck simply by glaring at them.

Knives Out

The Moment: A knife-wielding goon is sent to deal with Cheng in The Big Boss .

Why It's Great: Bruce's first major movie fight begins in style. One kick to disarm his opponent, the second to knock him out.

The Foot Fist Way

The Moment: Working his way through the Game Of Death , Bruce Lee is sent sprawling by a kick from 7ft tall Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's massive foot…while his opponent is still sitting down.

Why It's Great: It's not often that an opponent is allowed to leave Bruce Lee looking so foolish… but the greater the challenge, the greater the victory.

Fancy Dress

The Moment: Chen Zhen infiltrates his enemies' lair in Fist Of Fury , disguised as a phone company engineer.

Why It's Great: Bruce is amusingly dorky in big glasses and overalls, reminding us that his movie star talents went well beyond fighting ability.

Hitting The Wall

The Moment: Tang Lung is confronted in Way Of The Dragon by an American heavy, hired by the Mafia in the vain hope of stopping him.

Why It's Great: Lee's opponent is played by Bob Wall, one of the greatest American kickboxers and yet - not for the last time - getting absolutely slaughtered by Bruce.

Enter The Nunchaku

The Moment: Bruce's first use of nunchakus in one of his films, as Chen Zhen wields them to finish off a bunch of Bushido School pupils in Fist Of Fury .

Why It's Great: What an introduction for this signature Lee weapon, as Bruce lies down to swing the nunchaku and bring down his opponents from the ground.

Crackers!

The Moment: Cheng shows up to the final showdown in The Big Boss munching away on a bag of prawn crackers.

Why It's Great: He throws away the bag, beats up the first couple of villains, and then proceeds to finish the cracker he's still holding.

Bruce The Philosopher

The Moment: A keen philosopher, Lee went on record with several famous sayings that set him apart from the usual Hollywood star.

Why It's Great: Useful advice whatever the occasion - "It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."

Bruce Is Mightier Than The Sword

The Moment: The Bushido School sensei confronts Chen Zhen with a katana during Fist Of Fury .

Why It's Great: Most people would baulk at being threatened with a sword. Not Bruce Lee.

Passing The Baton

The Moment: It only lasts for a couple of seconds, but during Bruce's kill-spree in Enter The Dragon , one of his hapless assailants is none other than Jackie Chan.

Why It's Great: The symbolism is obvious. Here's one legend of Hong Kong cinema, in his last completed film, sharing screen-time with another at the beginning of his own career.

Shadow Of A Man

The Moment: In The Big Boss , Cheng pinions a goon against a wall and then pushes him through it.

Why It's Great: The perfect outline of his victim, arms stretched out, is left in the wood - the kind of sight gag you'd expect from Looney Tunes .

Bruce Vs Robin

The Moment: In a rare crossover, The Green Hornet and Kato appeared in Batman , giving Bruce Lee the opportunity to fight Burt Ward's Robin.

Why It's Great: According to legend, Bruce pretended he was angry with Ward and wanted a genuine fight, but couldn't keep a straight face.

Straight To Camera

The Moment: How best to convey to the audience just how swift and brutal Bruce is? Have him kick and punch directly towards the camera and, by extension, YOU.

Why It's Great: Although the camera operators must have needed nerves of steel, Bruce's legendarily accurate control meant he didn't actually hit anyone behind the camera.

Magic Hands

The Moment: In Fist of Fury , Chen Zhen perturbs Russian villain Petrov with some fancy hand movements.

Why It's Great: Directors famously shot at higher frame rates - usually 32 frames per second - in order to be able to slow down Bruce's moves, but occasionally it allowed artier effects like this.

Branded Nunchakus

The Moment: Bruce demolishes Dan Inosanto with a pair of nunchakus (yellow to match his tracksuit) in the unfinished Game Of Death .

Why It's Great: Dan Inosanto was one of Bruce's most trusted partners, and a fellow master of Jeet Kune Do. The star always looked after his friends and peers.

Pal Bearers

The Moment: At Lee's funeral, the pallbearers included Steve McQueen, James Coburn and George Lazenby.

Why It's Great: An icon needs mourners to match. Getting two of The Magnificent Seven , plus James Bond, isn't a bad start.

Board Already

The Moment: In Enter The Dragon 's martial arts tournament, Lee is drawn against the bullying O'Hara (Bob Wall), who tries to intimidate Bruce by karate chopping a wooden board.

Why It's Great: "Boards don't hit back," replies Bruce, with ice-cool wit.

Sure Knows How To Pick 'Em

The Moment: Cheng is ambushed and outnumbered in an ice factory in The Big Boss . But guess what? Ice factories have ice picks.

Why It's Great: Lee goes loco with his improvised weapon, quickly bringing the odds to a more manageable level.

Give Him An Inch

The Moment: Bruce made his mark on American tastemakers at the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships, by demonstrating the one-inch punch.

Why It's Great: Literally, Lee knocks a guy down from an inch away. No wonder he caught Hollywood's attention.

No Contest

The Moment: Out come the nunchakus, as Tang Lung squares off against a small army of Mafia goons in Way Of The Dragon .

Why It's Great: Bruce's nunchaku demolition is all the more enjoyable because the supposedly ruthless Mafia boss has barred his men from using guns, therefore leaving them with NO CHANCE.

Deeper Underground

The Moment: Finding his way into Han's underground lair in Enter The Dragon , Bruce finally goes to town, using sticks, nunchakus and (of course) his bare hands.

Why It's Great: Director Robert Crouse slows-down the footage for one single take in which Bruce takes out 5 or 6 men. Pure kung fu porn.

Yippee

The Moment: Sick of losing fights, 13-year-old Bruce begins training with Yip Man, the iconic master of the Wing Chun martial art.

Why It's Great: While several of Bruce's classmates refused to train with him due to his mixed-race heritage, Yip Man allowed Lee to train privately with him. Take that, racists.

Getting Ready

The Moment: Tang Lung arrives at the Colosseum in Rome in Way Of The Dragon , to find his path barred by Colt (Chuck Norris). The two prepare to do battle.

Why It's Great: Most Bruce Lee fights are swift and sudden. Here, the star (also directing) allows time to show two icons making their preparations, in a spine-tingling pre-showdown sequence that resembles a Sergio Leone Western.

Size Matters Not

The Moment: The surreal high-point of Game Of Death , even in its posthumous, reshot form, is Lee's battle with 7ft 2in basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Why It's Great: Deliberately mismatched in size, Bruce cast Abdul-Jabbar (one of his best real-life students) to fight in his signature style of Jeet Kune Do in order to present the fighter's most formidable challenge.

O'Ha-ha-hara

The Moment: Lee gets revenge on Bob Wall's sadistic O'Hara, the man who sparked his sister's suicide, and owns his ass in one of Enter The Dragon 's signature scenes.

Why It's Great: An agitated O'Hara goes for Lee with a broken bottle, and Bruce gets serious, stomping until his disgraced opponent is dead.

Taking The Wind Out Of Petrov

The Moment: Bruce's climactic showdown with esteemed fighter Robert Baker (playing Russian gangster Petrov) ends in an extremely painful-looking karate chop to the windpipe.

Why It's Great: For most of this fight, Bruce is wearing the cheekiest of grins, making the savagery of its lethal finale all the more striking.

Hall Of Mirrors

The Moment: Lee pursues Han deeper into his lair at the end of Enter The Dragon , and finds himself in a disorientating chamber full of wall-to-wall mirrors.

Why It's Great: Bruce had better fights, but as cinema, there's nothing that quite matches all those distorted reflections for surreal, memorable imagery.

A New Style

The Moment: Decrying traditional martial arts as too rigid for modern fighting, Lee invents Jeet Kune Do (literally, The Way of the Intercepting Fist) to create what he calls "the style of no style."

Why It's Great: This is the Eureka moment that freed the path for Lee, and generations of imitators, to mix things up in their film careers.

Busted Bushido

The Moment: After his Jingwu School is mocked by rival Bushido pupils in Fist Of Fury , Lee's character Chen Zhen shows up at their place and takes down the lot.

Why It's Great: No need for fast cutting with a genuine talent like Lee. Director Lo Wei hangs his camera high and shoots long aerial takes of Bruce doing his stuff.

Who's The Boss Now?

The Moment: The final showdown with The Big Boss , Bruce's first classic mano a mano showdown (here with Yin-chieh Han).

Why It's Great: The gory ending as Cheng plunges his fingers into the villainous Hsiao Mi's chest.

Tiger Style

The Moment: Enter The Dragon 's climactic battle sees blade-handed villain Han (Shih Kien) repeatedly slash Lee's face and body, creating the single most iconic image of Bruce's career.

Why It's Great: How hard is Bruce? He stops, tastes his own blood, and then makes sure he inflicts maximum pain on Han.

The Best

The Moment: This is it. Bruce Lee's greatest on-screen moment comes in his systematic take-down of Chuck Norris in Way Of The Dragon . It's an elegant, exciting ballet between two fighters - one great, the other the best ever.

Why It's Great: The sheer length and variety, as Lee foxes Chuck with a variety of moves - including pulling a clump of his chest hair out. And still Chuck, Bruce's most tenacious opponent, comes back for more. No wonder Bruce, having killed his enemy, covers his body out of respect.