10) Lightning Nunchaku – Enter The Dragon (1973)
What do you do when surrounded by a bunch of guys holding sticks and staffs wanting to seriously pummel you into the ground? Why, you steal a pair of nunchaku from an all-too-slow guard and show off your skills to said guard by swinging them around your body with lightning fast speed and precise accuracy, of course.
Enter The Dragon has widely been considered a martial arts James Bond film, with Bruce playing a spy who has to infiltrate an island fortress to retrieve an MIA operative and bring down tournament mastermind Han, who just happens to dip his hands in prostitution and deal a bit of opium on the side. This impressive fight scene in the caverns showcased the unmatched and boundless talent of Bruce’s arsenal as he takes down guard after guard with an assortment of weapons, hands and feet (there’s also a sneaky cameo from a young Jackie Chan to boot).
When the swinging started, and the sole guard watches on in disbelief, magic was literally happening on the screen and there were no fast cuts or under-cranking to create the illusion of this unbelievable feat, The Legend was really doing it. And the pay off? The guard still picks up whatever weapon he could find and stupidly advances on Bruce, followed by obvious consequences.
This was the moment that Michaelangelo got bumped off the top spot of most impressive nunchaku display, but to be fair, Bruce Lee was the second time I ever saw this weapon in action, and let’s face it, there was never any contest.
But props to the stunt actor in Michaelangelo’s suit, he is still pretty awesome.
