The Best Bruce Lee Movies, Ranked
Bruce Lee is the most beloved martial artist in the world, and even though he died at a young age, he still delivered the building blocks for fantastic martial arts films.
Though Lee has been in more movies prior to the ones he’s most famous for, his work in martial arts defined his best movies. Here are his best films that were released when he was alive as well as posthumously, all of which are available to watch now on Apple TV, HBO Max, and more, for a thrilling good time!
Unfortunately, Lee died before he could finish filming Game of Death, and though he filmed over 100 minutes of footage, only around 12 minutes were used. The film was a martial arts extravaganza where Lee fought various masters up a pagoda until he saved his family from a crime lord.
This isn’t a truly complete film, as so much of the gaps left by Lee were stunt doubles. That said, the scenes that feature him in his iconic yellow jumpsuit were enough to maintain his iconography, but being that it’s incomplete and released years after his death, it can’t be much higher on the list.
Bruce Lee’s first major lead role, The Big Boss, was a massive moment for the actor and saw his ruthless fighting style in action. Playing the role of a man vowing to never fight, he’s pushed into an unthinkable situation that forces him to break his vow.
The Big Boss is what launched Lee’s stardom in China, but it still feels like Lee at his most raw. As a result, later films in his career show a more seasoned Lee in action and make for a film that would’ve been great to see the actor revisit and perfect further.
The Way of the Dragon is more of an action comedy than Lee’s other works, and it gives the film a unique signature. Placing Lee in Rome to protect a restaurant from gangsters is an interesting premise, but also not the main reason that audiences tune in.
In reality, the reason why I feel this film can’t be higher on the list is that everyone watches it for Lee’s fight against Chuck Norris. Seeing his Jeet Kune Do go up against Norris’ Karate is an amazing fight and also one of the few times Norris ever lost.
Perhaps the most socially important film in Lee’s career, Fist of Fury is a story of revenge as a man tries to find out how his master died, only to find ties to a Japanese martial arts school. That said, what makes it so impactful is how Lee tackles the racism that Chinese people felt by the Japanese in the 1900s.
This poignant message, complete with some of Lee’s best stuntwork, makes for an emotional martial arts film that has to be seen. Its ending alone is legendary and remains Lee’s most dramatic work.
Lee’s first big-budget film in the West, Enter the Dragon, is still a feat of martial arts perfection to this day, which is why it’s an easy #1 on this list. Finally allowing Lee to use his English-speaking voice, the film has him working undercover in a martial arts tournament to stop a crime lord.
Enter the Dragon is hands-down Lee’s best film because it’s the one where he gets to express himself the most. No more dubbing for the West or oversensationalizing his combat sounds. It’s all him, and that alone makes for a fantastic experience.
