#1 – Dojo Fight (Fist of Fury)

Why Lee-mendous? Fist of Fury was Bruce Lee’s hymn to his countrymen. Set in the 1930s when occupying Japanese forces brutalised Chinese nationals, Lee’s Chen Zhen is the one man who refuses to kneel.

In this scene Lee strides into the karate dojo, the spiritual home of Japanese martial arts, and demonstrates his superior kung-fu. A canny nationalism that played well with local audiences is blended with fight choreography from Lee that was a shot of adrenalin to the heart of Hong Kong cinema. It was also the first time audiences saw Lee dispense justice with his mighty nunchaku.

Interesting-Lee: Although the Japanese react with baffled astonishment at the exotic nunchaku, the weapon actually originated in Okinawa.

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