5 movies to remember Bruce Lee 50 years after his death

Despite being born in San Francisco, California, he grew up in Hong Kong from the age of four months. Lee is widely considered by critics, experts, media and great martial artists as the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century.

He is often credited with helping to change the way Asians were portrayed in American movies. He was innovative and the greatest exponent of martial arts, dedicating his life to this discipline, seeking perfection and truth, coming to create his own method of combat and philosophy of life, Jun Fan Gung-Fu, which later and added his philosophical concept would be called Jeet Kune Do.

Bruce Lee passed away in Kowloon, Hong Kong, on July 20, 1973. due to an allergic hypersensitivity to meprobamate, one of the chemical components of Equagesic, a pain reliever for headaches. That was the official cause, however the sudden manner of his death did nothing but generate various theories and magnify the figure of Lee.

His films, interviews and, above all, his charisma and influence spread the passion for martial arts throughout the West, generating a wave of followers throughout the world.

Next we leave a review of his 5 best films according to the specialized portal IMDb

The Big Boss (1971)

Cheng (Bruce Lee) arrives in Bangkok from China having promised his mother not to get into fights. Upon arrival, he finds a job at Mr. Mi’s factory, but discovers that the factory is actually a front for drug trafficking and prostitution. Two workers mysteriously disappear and the remaining workers decide to go on strike. The management sends armed men against them, and that is when Cheng decides to intervene, revealing his mastery in martial arts and making the workers triumph. So, Mr. Mi has Cheng appointed foreman and gives a party in his honor, but when he discovers the boss’s true intentions he decides to confront him with all the consequences of him.

Available on Amazon Prime Video.

The Way of the Dragon (1972)

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Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) comes to Rome to help a family friend, Chen Ching Hua (Nora Miao), who is threatened by local gangsters who want to take over her restaurant. Shortly after Tang’s arrival, criminals break into the restaurant with the intention of forcing Chen to sign the sale of her property. After being mocked for his native country’s fighting style, a furious Tang challenges the thugs and defeats them in an excellent display of martial arts. After failing to kill Tang, the gang’s mastermind hires Colt (Chuck Norris), a world karate champion from the United States, in a last-ditch attempt to kill him. Tang will meet the American in the mythical Roman Colosseum where they will fight as gladiators in a legendary death match.

Available on Amazon Prime Video.

The Orphans (1960)

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Perhaps the least known film in this top 5, it is a Hong Kong drama film directed by Lee Sun-Fung and starring Bruce Lee, who was then eighteen years old. The film is based on the Chinese novel of the same title by Au-yeung Tin. The Orphan was filmed in the early months of 1959 and was the last film Lee made in Hong Kong as a teenager before leaving for the United States in 1959.

Fist of Fury (1972)

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In 1908 Shanghai, Chen Jeh (Bruce Lee) is a martial arts student who, upon returning to his school, discovers that his teacher has passed away. After the insulting visit during the funeral of the representatives of a Japanese martial arts school, in which they are called “Sick of Asia”, Chen comes to give them a humiliating lesson and make them swallow their words. Feeling the laughingstock of everyone, the Japanese unleash a spiral of violence against the Chinese during which it is discovered that his teacher actually died of poisoning. Determined to avenge his death by taking down all those responsible, Chen embarks on a crusade against the Japanese school and his Russian ally Petrov, in which he will need all of his martial skill to emerge victorious.

Enter the Dragon (1973)

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“Young Lee is a Shaolin temple member and martial arts expert who is recruited by British intelligence services to infiltrate a drug operation, during a fighting tournament promoted by the mob boss.”

Starring Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly, it was the last film in which Bruce Lee made an appearance before he died on July 20, 1973. The film was released on July 26, 1973, six days after Lee’s death. .

Enter the Dragon is often considered one of the greatest martial arts movies of all time. In the year 2004, in the United States Enter the Dragon was cataloged as “culturally important” and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of that country.