Martial-arts legend Bruce Lee wrote, produced, directed and starred in Way of the Dragon, and with the exception of a precious few minutes, he’s shirtless for the entire film. But for Lee, his bare-chested time wasn’t about vanity — it was necessary for fighting. The film features some of the best martial arts ever put on film, but the shirtlessness adds some kitsch as well. In the final climactic showdown at the Roman Colosseum, Lee and Chuck Norris stare each other down, remove their shirts and spend a decent amount of time cracking their knuckles. In the ensuing fight, Lee tears off a chunk of Norris’ ample chest hair, crippling him, and then delivers the deathblow, breaking his neck. When the fighting is done, Lee dutifully suits back up in his black shirt, living to fight another day.
Top 10 Shirtless Movies
This weekend, as moviegoers take in the remake of Conan the Barbarian in all its bare-chested, chiseled-torso glory, TIME takes a look at other movies in which clothing was clearly optional