Directors of Bruce Lee films who aren't Bruce Lee (eg Robert Clouse, Lo Wei) sometimes get a bad wrap, with critics tending to attribute everything good in the movies to Lee. This was Lee's properly credited directorial debut - but it isn't as good as his first two films with Lo Wei, so Wei obviously bought something to the party.
It's still entertaining, mind, and the fight scenes are excellent - particularly the climactic battle between Lee and Chuck Norris in the Colosseum - but the handling is flabby, the acting campier (check out the black guy among the villains), and there is far too much dopey comedy. (This is all a matter of personal taste of course but Lee wouldn't be the first auteur who went over board on the hyuck factor).
Story wise the movie is weak too - and Lee wrote the script - because the stakes are so small: who cares if the Mob take over Lee's relative's restaurant in Rome? There's not even a good old racial element that could've been used because there are so many Chinese in the mob. (Though I did like the twist that the uncle turns dodgy and kills his own staff with a view to getting all the carnage over and done with.) Still, definitely worth watching.
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