‘Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits’ Blu-ray review

A high definition celebration of the myth and magic of one of cinema’s most famous martial artists highlights a quintet of his most popular films in Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits (Criterion Collection, not rated, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, 509 minutes, $124.95).

This fan watched Lee’s work back in the 1970s, often in drive-in theaters, and his entertaining brand of energetic fighting was like starring down a simmering tea kettle ready to explode at any time.

The seven-disc Blu-ray set contains films mainly from the 1970s. Lee tragically died in 1973 at the age of 32 before the release of his arguably best movie “Enter the Dragon.”

Here’s a quick rundown of the bunch that all feature new restorations, either 4K or 2K, that make each look far better than when they were originally released.

“The Big Boss” (1971, 100 minutes, 4K restoration) — Biographer Matthew Polly said audiences watched a film with such a fluid script that Lee was pitted against actor James Tien and whoever was most charismatic onscreen was not killed after the first act.

The story covers Lee as Cheng Chao-an looking for a new life by living with his relatives in Thailand after swearing an oath of nonviolence to his mother. Yeah, he ends up single-handedly wiping out a heroin ring operating out of an ice factory.

Raves for his first major film role made him a superstar in Kung Fu cinema and caught the attention of American filmmakers. The visual presentation and choreography does not disappoint.

“Fist of Fury” (1972, 107 minutes, 4K restoration) — The second of a two-picture deal with Hong Kong filmmaker Raymond Chow, which paid $15,000 total, offers Lee as the impulsive Chen Zhen in a frenetic story of revenge after his master, founder of the Chinese Jing Wu School in Shanghai, dies under mysterious circumstances.

A rival and racist Japanese school mocks and challenges the Jing Wu School and Chen must defend its honor as well as find out the truth about his teacher’s demise.

The 4K restoration is one of the best of the bunch with a sharpness down to watching Lee’s knuckles change color as his fury mounts and could only have been better if offered in a pure ultra-high definition format.

“The Way of the Dragon” (1972, 99 minutes, 4K restoration) — In a first for the star, Lee writes, directs and stars in a story set in Rome about Tang Lung saving his cousin’s restaurant from the Italian mob. With Lee in control, the action is head-shaking, and the close-quarters, dynamic combat scenes used real martial arts stars including a final battle against an American Colt (Chuck Norris), to deliver the realistic goods. The high definition is sometimes soft, but interior scenes and fights are crystal clear.

“Enter the Dragon” (theatrical version) (1973, 99 minutes, 2K restoration) — The film that turned the martial arts hero into a Hollywood star has Lee play a James Bond-styled agent who goes undercover at a combat tournament on a mysterious Island fortress to expose the evil plans of Mr. Han. It featured some of the greatest pure fight choreography created by Lee ever seen on screen.

“Game of Death” (1973, 99 minutes, 4K restoration) — Lee’s unfinished grand opus reportedly set to explore his unique fighting style Jeet Kune Do, became a mess after his death. The film was retooled with a new plot and doubles to represent Lee. It only offers roughly 11 minutes of the real action star who was shown mainly during the ending fight scenes, one of which pits him against a villain played by Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

The rest is such filmmaking schlock. As an example, a papercut of Lee’s face is pasted on a mirror and used to cover an actor playing Lee as he looks at his reflection. I’m not kidding.

In addition to the five above, viewers also get a special edition version of “Enter the Dragon” (three minutes longer and a 2K restoration); and “Game of Death II,” (1981, 97 minutes) a woeful cash grab in 1981 as the creators cobble together some previously seen footage of Lee and then embellish liberally.

Best extras: Well-known for offering a historical resource for any of the films chosen for re-release, the Criterion Collection delivers handsomely again with a small library’s worth of digital material, new and culled from other releases, for the super fan.

First, six optional commentary tracks include Lee expert Brandon Bentley on “The Big Boss”; Hong Kong-cinema expert Mike Leeder on “The Big Boss,” “Fist of Fury,” “Game of Death” and “The Way of the Dragon”; and producer Paul Heller on the special edition of “Enter the Dragon.”

It’s worth noting that Mr. Leeder just packs his commentary with nuggets and enthusiasm. He is scary with the details, even spending five minutes on “The Big Boss” talking about a character eating a rice ball and deciding whether a film element was scratched to show him spitting out a piece of it.

Next, viewers get new and vintage, extensive, solo interviews with some of Lee’s fellow actors and friends such as his widow Linda Lee Cadwell, Wing Chun grandmaster William Cheung, actors Robert Wall, Jon T. Benn and Nora Miao, and martial arts instructor Gene LeBell.

Also new, Mr. Polly offers roughly nine minutes of nostalgic nuggets for each of the films “The Big Boss,” “Fist of Fury,” “The Way of the Dragon,” “Enter the Dragon” and “Game of Death.”

For example, “Fist of Fury” was one of the first Hong Kong cinema-based movies featuring a white actor, and Lee made sure he was the star of “Enter the Dragon” by shooting an extra opening fight scene to start the film.

Additionally, a trio of longer-form vintage documentaries are also included leading with the 32-minute “Blood and Steel” from 2003 covering the genesis and making of “Enter the Dragon” with interviews with producers Paul Heller and Fred Weintraub, writer Michael Allin, cinematographer Gil Hubbs, and actors James Coburn and John Saxon and to name a few.

Second, a 90-minute, nearly all access documentary from 1973 called “Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend” shows the overtly dramatic, sometimes too-scripted, morbid look at the life, funeral and burial of Lee.

Its best moments focuses on Lee’s early years, his films and interviews with friends while the worst offers a ridiculous male narrator (who sounds ripped from a Movietone News reel) embellishing footage with descriptive assumptions of any of the mourners emotional states and thoughts.

And, the 47-minute “Legacy of the Dragon” offers another retrospective of Lee’s career from 2001. The compact biography highlights his film combat and focuses on the “Game of Death” with interviews from actor/fight choreographer Sammo Hung, martial arts instructor Dan Inosanto, producer Russell Cawthorne and actor George Lazenby.

One more note on “Game of Death.” Criterion adds “Game of Death: Redux,” a 34-minute version of Lee’s original vison for the film restored and produced by Alan Canvan. It presents all of Lee’s fight scenes and adds new dialogue and editing and, as usual, the combat is spectacular (reference the intense nunchuck battle).

Finally, viewers get in the package, a pulp paper, 24-page mini tabloid containing introductions to all of the films, photos, a full-color mini-poster and a lengthy essay by critic Jeff Chang.