Bruce Lee was a legendary martial artist whose legacy continues to live on today. Characters in Bruce Lee’s likeness still exist in movies and video games. He also founded the martial art Jeet Kune Do.
Lee’s adventures on the silver screen captured the hearts of fans worldwide. Enter the Dragon reportedly grossed $90 million globally in the 70s, which was incredible for the time.
Naturally, Bruce Lee’s martial arts and fight scenes are sights to behold. You could argue that most of his brawls deserve a mention, but here are 10 of the best fights in Bruce Lee movies.
10
Chen Zhen Vs Dojo Students – Fist of Fury (1972)
Bruce Lee surrounded by fighters in a dojo in Fist of Fury
There are several jaw-dropping fights in Fist of Fury, but the scene in the dojo is particularly memorable.
Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) marches into a dojo full of students in training. They attempt to escort Chen from the building, and he defeats them one by one. After two fighters fall, the students rush Chen together, and he still manages to take them down with a flurry of kicks.
Next, we’re treated to one of the most influential scenes in martial arts movies. Bruce Lee shows off his skill with a pair of nunchaku before beating every remaining student with them. This scene was a big deal in the 70s, particularly in the UK, where the ratings board demanded edits removing the nunchaku fight entirely. Audiences waited decades for this restriction to change.
At the end of the scene, Chen throws down his weapons and defeats the dojo master with his fists. He addresses his defeated opponents with the now-legendary line “We are not sick men,” a direct nod to the Japanese/Chinese tension in the film.
9
Lee Vs Han’s Henchmen – Enter the Dragon (1973)
Bruce Lee sneaking through the underground lair in Enter the Dragon
Bruce Lee famously had fewer problems defeating scores of nameless henchmen than one well-trained opponent in his movies. Scenes like this can be anticlimactic, but one in Enter the Dragon is full of high-intensity martial arts with a mix of armed and unarmed combat.
Lee has all the skills of a trained spy in Enter the Dragon, but accidentally triggers an alarm, alerting the guards. He also conveniently loses his shirt early in the scene. He takes down dozens of enemies as prisoners watch before he is captured by Han.
The sequence in the underground lair has a bit of everything. Lee kills several guards barehanded and uses a staff, his iconic nunchuks, and even kali sticks.
8
Tang Lung Vs Gangsters – The Way of the Dragon (1972)
Bruce Lee holding nunchuks ready for combat in The Way of the Dragon
Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) turns the tables on a group of thugs behind the restaurant in The Way of the Dragon. It’s a refreshingly comedic fight where Bruce shows off his weapon mastery by wielding two pairs of nunchucks at once.
While we don’t know much about Lung’s attackers, each gangster has their own fighting style as they face our hero one by one. The musical cues are funny, as is the leader’s reaction when he realizes it’s his turn to fight.
The Way of the Dragon tells a serious story about a restaurant being bullied by local thugs who will stop at nothing to claim the business. It certainly isn’t a comedy, but this scene is fun and light-hearted.
7
Chen Zhen Vs Petrov – Fist of Fury (1972)
Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) about to deliver the killing blow against Petrov (Robert Baker) in Fists of Fury
Bruce is a powerhouse as Chen in Fist of Fury, although he does battle an opponent of superior raw strength during the movie’s climax. Chen squares off against Petrov (Robert Baker), a powerful fighter we see earlier in the movie bending a metal bar around his own arm.
Considering his imposing stature, Petrov is no match for Chen, only landing a couple of notable blows. Regardless, the duel is still a brilliant display of martial arts. The battle is technical and fast-paced, taking place against a beautiful garden backdrop.
The Chen vs Petrov encounter is among the best in Fist of Fury. He does fight another opponent, played by Hiroshi Suzuki afterward, but his battle with his Russian adversary is arguably more iconic.
6
Cheng Chao-an Vs Hsiao Mi – The Big Boss (1971)
Bruce Lee fighting Hsiao Mi in The Big Boss
The Big Boss marks Bruce Lee’s first major role in a feature film. He plays Cheng Chao-an, and his battle against the big boss himself, played by Ying-Chieh Han, remains one of Lee’s best fights.
The final showdown in The Big Boss is surprisingly raw and visceral. Cheng defeats a group of the boss’s goons before an extended empty-hand fight. The boss brandishes a pair of knives for the second half of the brawl, mortally wounding Cheng in the process.
Cheng still manages to defeat Hsiao Mi by deflecting a thrown blade back at him. He dramatically pummels his downed opponent before succumbing to his own injuries. It’s an impactful, tragic scene in Bruce Lee’s silver screen debut.
5
Billy Lo Vs Hakim – Game of Death (1978)
Bruce Lee hitting Hakim with a flying kick in The Game of Death
Game of Death is a bittersweet movie for Bruce Lee fans. It was the action star’s final outing, and he died during filming. Most of his scenes were intact at this point, but several sections were played by a substitute.
The fight between Billy Lo (Bruce Lee) and Hakim (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) is significant because Kareem was actually Bruce’s student. He’s also much taller, and that height advantage is obvious during the fight.
The brawl is raw and sustained. It’s not a one-sided battle either, with Hakim using his superior reach and raw strength to full effect. Both attempt to land killing blows in one of the most remarkable fights in Game of Death.
Bruce is wearing his iconic yellow-and-black jumpsuit in this battle, a costume now synonymous with characters based on him in other media. Lee eventually emerges victorious after a brutal chokehold, where the audience sees everything.
4
Billy Lo Vs Pasqual – Game of Death (1978)
Bruce Lee holding nunchuks ready to fight Pasqual in Game of Death
Billy Lo takes on Pasqual (Dan Inosanto) earlier in the Game of Death movie. Their duel is particularly significant for featuring an extended nunchaku scene and a mix of empty-hand and weapon fighting. Inosanto was also another of Bruce Lee’s students.
Pasqual is one of the few villains in Bruce Lee movies who know their way around a pair of nunchaku, leading to one of the more untraditional fights in the films. Both fighters effortlessly show off their skills, and we even see Inosanto wielding a pair of kali sticks.
The fight choreography is superb, and the scene embodies Bruce Lee’s philosophy of adaptive combat.
3
Lee vs O’hara – Enter the Dragon (1973)
Bruce Lee fighting Oharra in the tournament in Enter the Dragon
The Lee (Bruce Lee) fight with O’hara, played by Robert Wall, is an incredible display of martial arts. It also hits doubly hard because we know the role O’hara played in Lee’s sister’s demise.
O’hara is introduced quite early in Enter the Dragon. We see footage of his brutal training regime. The audience also watches a harrowing retelling of what happened to Lee’s sister and his role in it.
The stakes are high in the Lee vs O’hara fight on Han’s island. We know Oharra is strong, but Lee utterly dismantles him in a tournament setting. Lee lands several blindingly fast punches, frustrating his opponent, who is too slow to even react.
After a merciless one-sided thrashing, Oharra plays dirty, brandishing two smashed bottles. In response, Lee disarms and kills O’hara as Han and the tournament members watch.
It’s a powerful scene. As always, the martial arts are phenomenal, but this battle is so special because of its added weight and impact.
2
Lee Vs Han – Enter the Dragon (1973)
Bruce Lee with a scratched face exploring Hans mirror maze in Enter the Dragon
The battle between Lee and Han occurs at the end of Enter the Dragon. It’s a stylish fight where the audience knows the only way Han could ever beat Lee is to cheat.
Han is a surprisingly mobile fighter and attacks Lee with a claw hand made of blades. The fight is tense, and Lee is badly scratched and bloodied by the end of the encounter.
Lee is the superior fighter, but Han is cunning and leads him into a mirror maze. Our hero eventually smashes the mirrors so he can focus on his opponent, leveling the playing field. It’s an unforgettable fight, and Lee ultimately wins by impaling Han on an exposed spearhead.
Overall, the Lee vs Han clash is an artistic battle in a unique locale, and a fitting end to arguably the most iconic movie of Bruce Lee’s career.
1
Tang Lung Vs Colt – The Way of the Dragon (1972)
Bruce Lee fighting Chuck Norris as Colt in Way of the Dragon
Most fans of Bruce Lee movies knew this was coming, but the Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) vs Colt (Chuck Norris) fight takes the top spot when it comes to Bruce Lee’s best film fights.
Chuck Norris’ strength is so legendary that it’s become a part of internet culture. He squares off against Lee in the ruins of a grand coliseum in a dramatic fight to the death.
Both are clearly skilled warriors. We’ve seen Tang pull off incredible feats before this scene, and Colt is hyped up to be a skilled American fighter.
Compared to previous fights in The Way of the Dragon, Lung’s encounter with Colt isn’t one-sided. Colt scores plenty of knockdowns on our hero, who even has to resort to ripping out Colt’s chest hair to survive.
It’s a brilliant fight against an impressive backdrop, and a climactic end to the movie. The fight remains an impressive display of martial arts, but it’s also so much more than that.
Chuck Norris is a household name, and arguably one of the most influential martial artists on the planet. Bruce Lee’s legacy continues to live on more than 50 years after his untimely passing. We may never see a fight between two such renowned artists on the silver screen ever again, so its importance in the martial arts and even the action genres cannot be understated.