Called “The fight of the century”, the film that brought together Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris on the big screen continues as an important part of martial arts cinema.
“Return of the Dragon,” filmed in 1972, came as the third film in Lee’s career and Norris’s first credited appearance. In the film, Norris plays Colt, a fighter sent to take on Tang Lung (Lee) in a one-on-one fight at the Colosseum in Rome.
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Unlike his previous three films, this time Bruce Lee would not only play the lead role in “The way of the dragon”, but also wrote the script and directed the project. After being given creative control of the feature film, the actor was allowed to show whatever kung-fu scenes he wanted, ending with a dramatic 10-minute showdown between his character and Chuck Norris’ character.
For many, this scene has a special place in the history of kung-fu movies due to the delivery in the fight and the well-done choreography that both artists showed. Since Colt was the antagonist, the match ended with Lee gaining the victory.
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- Who would have won if Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee had actually fought?
Perhaps a difficult question to answer as Bruce Lee died in 1973. The one who did give his point of view on this subject was Norris years ago in an interview.
In a 2009 chat with Michael Eisner for CNBC, Norris detailed how he met the popular ‘Dragon’ and how he ended up being cast in the film.
“After winning the world title, the producer introduced me to Bruce. We started talking and we hit it off, so he told me we should train together when he’s in Los Angeles. I came back and we were practicing for a while. Then he left for Hong Kong and I haven’t heard from him for years. From one moment to another, he called me and told me that he wanted me to be his opponent in the movie. I accepted,” Norris said.
As for who would have won in a real fight, the actor and former tang soo do world champion responded, “I was a professional fighter and he was not; he was very good, yes. The truth I don’t know who would have won. He never meant to come to that and neither does Bruce. In any case, we did get to train together,” he explained.
“The Return of the Dragon” is available on Amazon Prime Video.
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