Be Water, My Friend: The 10 Most Defining Bruce Lee Moments

Every once in a while, something very profound happens that changes life as we know it. One such occurrence took place in my life 20 years ago, and as such, shaped my ideals and passions into what they are today. At 8 years old through persuasion of my mother, I sat and watched for the first time probably what I consider to be the most influential movie of all time. The movie itself was very simple, but it was also one of the first of its kind and has spawned countless imitations since its release 40 years ago. The star is unmistakable and loved throughout the world, the man who opened up the door of martial arts in cinema to the West. The chiseled body, the lightning fast moves, the immovable fixed gaze, the animalistic scream, we all know who he is. The movie: Enter The Dragon; the man: Lee Jun Fan aka Bruce Lee. Before long, I owned all of Bruce's films and was fly-kicking every door in the house, walking around shirtless, flexing my puppy fat pecks in front of mirrors and family members, whacking myself constantly every which way with homemade rubber nunchaku, and attempting to mimic (horribly I might add) at the top of my voice the awesome scream that accompanied every strike Bruce would deliver to all the poor sods on the receiving end. So what was it about the legend that inspired every aspect of my behaviour and personality so intensely? As time has passed, I've grown to love every aspect of Bruce as not only a movie star and martial artist, but as a human being, and one that was taken from this world far too soon. Every fan out there has their own moments that define Bruce Lee in their own eyes, but here's my very own moments that defined him for me when I was a kid. I've only included moments from his filmography and not his TV roles and appearances, because sadly, at the time back in the early 90's, they weren't readily available in Australia and I never had a chance to see them. That being said, without any further delay, I present to you the 10 most defining Bruce Lee moments. 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. 9) "This Time You're Eating Paper, The Next Time It's Gonna Be Glass!" - Fist Of Fury (1972) Aside from Enter The Dragon, Fist Of Fury (aka The Chinese Connection) would have to be Bruce Lee's next most recognized film on account of the remakes and sequels that came after it, and its link to real life martial arts pioneer Huo Yuan Jia and his student Chen Zhen. The most popular of the follow ups were 1994's Fist Of Legend with Jet Li very capably taking on the role of Chen Zhen and Yuen Woo Ping delivering his most awe-inspiring fight choreography to date, and most recently, 2010's Legend Of The Fist: The Return Of Chen Zhen, with Donnie Yen in the titular role. While I loved both films, you just can't beat the original, especially with scenes like this. Chen Zhen returns to his martial arts school to find his master dead under mysterious circumstances, along with a sign stating they are the "Sick Men of Asia." His first order of business is to storm the Japanese dojo where his master last fought, ask questions, and "return" the derogatory sign given to his school. It is within this scene that we find out just how much you should really do some serious neuron firing before challenging Chen. A cocky instructor attempts to throw Chen out of the dojo, but when that inevitably fails, every student then surrounds Chen, so he does what he does best. Shirts are removed, nunchakus come out, and all but Chen are on the floor writhing in pain. He takes the first instructor, begins tearing up the sign and forces him to eat it, while saying the above quote. It is for the above reason that Bruce Lee's Chen Zhen is so definitive. Played with layered emotions of melancholy and rage, Bruce takes us on a surprisingly emotional ride as he seeks out justice. And let me tell you, it wasn't the epic fight with the entire dojo that sold me on the fact that Chen Zhen was badass, it was the very moment that followed. Seriously, who makes anyone eat paper? 8) Threatening With One Finger - Way Of The Dragon (1972) You know you're in for it when you soil yourself from a threat made by simple body language accompanied by silence and grimacing. And this is exactly what happens (minus the soiling) to a mafia boss in Rome when he threatens the lives of Bruce's friends. Way Of The Dragon (aka Return Of The Dragon) was a fun and simple directorial debut from Bruce that saw him playing country boy Tang Lung from Hong Kong, who travels to Italy to help out a family friend when local mobsters threaten her restaurant. After many run-ins with these thugs, Tang decides he's had enough and confronts the boss in style. After kicking 20 different shades of snot out of his cohorts in front of him, Tang forcibly seats him and waves his finger from side to side before clenching his fists and flexing his biceps to that all intimidating crunching sound. 7) "I'm Here To Eat Chips And Kick Ass, And I'm All Out Of Chips" - The Big Boss (1971) Ok, I know. It's very clichéd and he doesn't actually say this in the movie, but I just couldn't resist. Thank you Roddy Piper and John Carpenter for immortalizing both bubble gum and this rockin' quote. Well, here it is, The Legend's very first feature film. Surprisingly, for a Bruce Lee movie, there was very little action in comparison to the rest of his filmography. It focused more on the story arc of Bruce's character Cheng, who begins to work at an ice factory with his cousins, who then begin to mysteriously disappear. Now here's the arc, Cheng at the beginning of the film took a vow to abstain from violence and conflict. So basically, we're waiting for a good hour (maybe a bit less) before Cheng busts out and starts taking goons down once the dung hits the fan, but that's all right, the build up just made it all the sweeter. Towards the end (no spoilers here), Cheng storms the compound of the titular character, and he does so as follows: walks towards the compound's at least meter-high fence holding a bag of chips in one hand and his jacket in the other. He casually jumps the fence without any run up (now that's pure awesomeness right there, and maybe a well placed trampoline) and is confronted by a few lackeys. While munching on his snack, he calmly warns everyone to back off or else. Being stupid as they are, two of them approach Cheng holding knives, but before they can even blink, Cheng has thrown his bag of chips and jacket in both their faces and delivered a kick to each of their groins (or stomach, I couldn't tell). As they fall, Cheng very coolly eats the last chip in his hand. Sure, that trick probably wouldn't work on anyone today, unless of course they had the speed behind them that Bruce did. But no one could ever deliver it as impeccably as this, period! It's one hell of a moment, coated in the gold of its simplicity. 6) Ice Creeaam!!! Ice Creeeeaaaam!!! - Way Of The Dragon (1972) I swear even though Eddie Murphy drew on childhood experiences when he wrote this joke, if he had seen Way Of The Dragon, this moment would've played some part in it too. One of the things I loved most about this movie was that it heavily contrasted the previous two movies in tone, as Bruce took a more lighthearted approach by injecting moments of humour and slapstick among the furious fight sequences. In the film's very first funny moment, we find Tang waiting in Rome airport after a long flight from Hong Kong. His escort is running late and he is starving, and rightfully so because if airplane food sucks today, can you imagine how horrible it would've been 41 years ago? He begins to search for a place to eat when he spots a little girl holding an ice cream cone, and what happens next is something that I never saw coming, and I'm sure everyone out there would agree with me. He taps the girl on the shoulder, and when she turns around to face him, he motions with his hand putting the ice cream in his mouth with a humongous grunt! She naturally runs off screaming "Mommy!!" And, if you're anything like me, you've paused the movie at this point because you're on the floor in tears of laughter. There are many more funny moments in Way Of The Dragon, but it was this one that was definitive because it immediately showed Bruce with a wicked sense of humour and the ability to poke fun at himself. Classic! 5) No Dogs And Chinese Allowed - Fist Of Fury (1972) If the message wasn't received the first time Chen destroyed a derogatory sign, you can bet the last shred of clothing on your back it will be this time. At this point in the movie, Chen hasn't made much leeway in finding out what happened to his master, and decides to enter what looks like a public garden. The only problem is, he spots a sign at the entrance that states 'No Dogs and Chinese Allowed,' and the attendee won't allow him in. Of course, this pushes a button for Chen (and rightfully so), but to add insult to injury, the attendee allows entrance to a woman and her dog. By this stage, Chen is close to boiling point, and who should wander over but a few Japanese gentlemen who offer to gain Chen entrance by suggesting he pose as a dog. And like the calm before the storm, one second Chen looks at them sternly but calmly, and the next second he explodes in a fit of rage and promptly drops them all with ease. He then slowly turns to the sign, kicks it off the wall and shatters it into pieces in front of everyone. This moment further cements Chen's stance on the prejudice that surrounds him in his own country, and Bruce plays it so intensely that the audience becomes completely immersed. 4) 5'7'' vs. 7'2'' - Game Of Death (1978) In 1973, Bruce's life was cut tragically short and left in his wake was his unfinished passion project, Game Of Death. He had shot some footage based around the concept of a pagoda where his character would have to fight his way through a different master on each floor in his attempt to make it to the top. This archive footage managed to find its way into Enter The Dragon helmer Robert Clouse's hands and with the aid of body doubles and obscured angles, a mess of a movie was fashioned. In one of the fights that Bruce did film, he squares up against his real life student and basketball legend, Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The only reason I include this is because although it isn't officially a part of Bruce's filmography (at least in my eyes), it was his baby, and it should be appreciated for what it could've been. If a statement was to be made and a real challenge posed, this was the perfect way to do it. And the moment I'm referring to specifically is not the actual fight that ensues, it's the moment where Bruce enters the room and sees the towering 7'2'' frame of Jabbar standing in the shadows. The look of disbelief on Bruce's face was the only time I remember him looking even slightly miffed before facing off against an opponent. This made the anticipation of the forthcoming duel even more intense, because you know that Bruce will have a hard time overcoming this challenge, and the human factor is boosted to a thousand. And without spoiling it for those who haven't seen it, what a duel it was! 3) "Don't Think, Feel!" - Enter The Dragon (1973) If there was one movie that allowed Bruce's philosophy to shine through, it would definitely have to be Enter The Dragon. After the opening fight sequence between him and Sammo Hung, Bruce's character is approached by government agent Braithwaite who, impressed by the throwdown, tries to convince him to go to Han's island undercover. Midway through the discussion, Bruce spots one of his pupils and gets up to share some philosophical insights. After failing twice and succeeding on the third attempt to kick him after asking his student to do just that, Bruce questions him as to how he managed to finally do it. The student replies with, "let me think," to which he cops a smack on the head and the immortal words, "don't think, feel!" It seems like very obvious advice, but advice that is very easy to be blind to. Most things will be staring us straight in the face and we'll never see it, and it's all too easy to think with the mind instead of feeling with the heart. And it is because of these sorts of things that made Bruce Lee so incredibly special and unique. 2) Face To Face - Way Of The Dragon (1972) An advantage that Bruce had from filming in Rome was being able to shoot a fight sequence inside the actual Colosseum. Gladiators fought a blood sport for people's entertainment back in ancient times, and now it was time for The Legend to leave his mark on the battleground. And what better way to do it than to face off against another legend of our time, Chuck Freaking Norris! So the scene is set, we've got two legends, the perfect backdrop, an intense build up, and a kitten refereeing. Nothing is missing, and the execution is perfect. Bruce could've taught a thing or two to most modern action directors in Hollywood today, as the camera was kept steady the entire time and long takes were used to showcase the brilliant skill of two martial artists at the absolute top of their game. Although action cinema has progressed over the years, this fight still stands up to the best of them, and Bruce shows us that strategic and quick thinking can be of considerable assistance in a particularly sticky situation. 1. "Boards Don't Hit Back" - Enter The Dragon (1973) Well, here we are at the number one spot, and in my opinion, it is an absolute doozy. It's halfway through the movie, and Bruce is at the tournament about to face off against Bob Wall's treacherous O'Hara. As they approach each other centre stage, they turn to bow at Han, and then turn to bow at each other. Only instead of bowing, O'Hara decides it to be fitting to rather raise a wooden board with one hand and shatter it with the other. Bruce doesn't flinch a muscle; he barely even bats an eyelid, and simply says, "boards don't hit back." Now if this was said to me, I would've run for the hills or tried to find an abyss so I could disappear into oblivion just so Bruce Lee would never find me. The delivery of the line was so perfect that it was even borrowed by fellow Enter The Dragon alumni Bolo Yeung in the classic Bloodsport after Jean-Claude Van Damme performed the Dim Mak on a tower of bricks: "Very good, but brick not hit back." God and everyone knows I've missed so many other awesome Bruce Lee moments, but I'd probably need a top 50 list at the very least to be able to get them all. So please leave a comment and tell me what I missed, or just share the love and your favourite moments from the best martial arts master of all time.

Be Water, My Friend: The 10 Most Defining Bruce Lee Moments

8) Threatening With One Finger – Way Of The Dragon (1972)