Movie Reviews: Enter the Dragon

Title: Enter the Dragon

Cast:

Bruce Lee as himself
John Saxon as Roper
Jim Kelly as Williams
Shih Kien as Han
Robert Wall as O'Hara
Bolo Yeung as Bolo
Ahna Capri as Tania
Angela Mao as Su Lin
Betty Chung as Mei Ling
Geoffrey Weeks as Braithwaite
Peter Archer as Parsons
Li Jen Ho as the Old Man
Marlene Clark as Roper's Secretary

Directed by: Robert Clause  

Country: Hong Kong and United States

Distributed by: Warner Brothers and Golden Harvest

Genre: Martial Arts/Action

Year of Release: 1973

Synopsis: Also known as "The Deadly Three", Enter the Dragon is probably Bruce Lee's most well-known and highly acclaimed film of all time. In this movie, the famous martial arts actor stars as a disciple of the Shaolin school of Chinese Kung-Fu who possesses great philosophical insight in martial arts and physical prowess. He receives an invitation to a martial arts tournament which takes place on a small island organized by the mysterious crime lord named Han. Lee learns from his Sifu (mentor) that Han is a former student of the Shaolin, but was expelled for abusing their ways and their code of honor. And soon after learning about the death of his sister at the hands of Han's henchmen, it becomes personal.

Personal Comments: Out of all the other films that Bruce Lee has played in during the course of his career from "The Big Boss", "Fist of Fury", and "Game of Death", Enter the Dragon was the one Bruce Lee film that I used to watch non-stop during the heart of my childhood years. In fact, as far back as I can remember, I used to watch this movie throughout the heart of the 80s all the way through somewhere in between the early to mid 90s. And I have to admit that I've enjoyed this film quite a bit back in those days. And of course, as everybody knows by now, Enter the Dragon was Bruce Lee's final film that he played in before his untimely death in 1973. In fact, based on what I heard, Bruce Lee died just a few short weeks before the movie was released in theatres that same year. Needless to say, Enter the Dragon gained Bruce Lee international fame and recognition. So technically speaking, he wasn't internationally well-known until the time he died. But as a long time Bruce Lee fan, I always recognized him as an awesome martial arts actor even though I wasn't even around back in his time.

Interestingly, Enter the Dragon was the first Chinese martial arts film to have been produced by a major Hollywood studio. And in this case, that studio is Warner Brothers in association with Golden Harvest. But of course the majority of the film's setting is largely based in Hong Kong. Enter the Dragon is jam packed with a large variety of memorable and unforgettable scenes. In fact, I'd like to take this time to go over some of the best scenes in this movie in the most descriptive way I can put it. The movie opens up with a scene depicting Bruce Lee winning a match against an opponent. Of course, being the first scene in the entire movie, Lee doesn't actually beat the guy to a pulp, but rather he beats him into submission. Still though, I thought it was a great opening sequence. And you've got to love the part where Lee strikes discipline into his student by making him understand the principals of martial arts and what it means to be a true martial artist. And the way he does so is very thought provoking. Especially if you remember his most unforgettable lines: "Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly glory." And "Never take your eyes off your opponent. Even when you bow."

There are a lot of other unforgettable moments in this film. And some of the few include where we see Roper and Williams in action in their respective introductions. First we see Roper, played by John Saxon, beating up a few thugs from a local mob who threaten to beat him up if he doesn't comply with their demands. And then we see Williams, played by Jim Kelly, defending himself from a duo of racist police officers. Their introductions were pretty nicely carried out. Though I have to admit they weren't nearly as entertaining as the rest of the film was since this was in fact a Bruce Lee film. Because one thing to keep in mind is that this was the last film Bruce Lee acted in before he died. So I want to give my respects to Lee by saying that he had some really outstanding performances in this movie. One of the best parts in Enter the Dragon (in my opinion) was the part where he had to participate in Han's martial arts tournament, and he ends up literally beating O'Hara to death. And the way he finishes off his opponent was pretty well done. Though I must admit I found it to be pretty brutal and dramatic the first time I watched it as a child. Especially when he jumps on him and snaps his neck.

One interesting thing I learned about this movie is that Chinese actor Shih Kien (the main villain) didn't actually speak a word of English. More specifically, English was not his first language. Therefore he had to memorize his dialogue for the English version of the film and as a result, carry out his lines in the most practical and believable way he could possibly execute it in, which explains why his dialogue is a little slow in some instances. But otherwise, I'd say he did a pretty good job overall. And I mentioned something similar in my review of the 1931 Dracula film starring Bela Lugosi, where his dialogue seemed kind of slow and delayed in some parts. But anyway, taking note of this, I'd say that their performances were well executed even though it does sound kind of humorous nowadays when you listen to them. Another thing I loved about Shih Kien, aside from the fact that he was an ambitious crime lord who lived on an island fortress, was the fact that he was a badass. In fact, he was a pretty good fighter considering how easy some of Bruce Lee's other opponents were. One feature which I thought was pretty creepy at the time was the fact that Kien was without a left hand, and throughout the film, he replaced it with different weapons which he would use to injure and kill his victims with. In one part, he brutally beats Williams to death with an iron hand, and in another scene he claws at the face of one of the prisoners with a bear claw, killing that person instantly. But probably his best weapon yet, was the metal claw he used in the final fight scene against Lee, which looked downright deadly.

Like all of Bruce Lee's films, Enter the Dragon is all about kick ass martial arts fighting action. And aside from all the various moments in the movie where Bruce Lee kicks ass with nothing but his bare hands, he also performs some unforgettable moments like the scene where he uses kali-sticks, and then later uses a pair of nunchucks. The part where he performs acrobatic moves with the nunchucks before using them to beat his opponents senseless with is arguably one of the most memorable moments in the entire movie. In fact, I guess I could say that it's one of the most unforgettable and needless to say mimicked of Bruce Lee's moves since it's been used and referenced in various other martial arts films by different actors. And it's also been referenced in various media as well from TV shows, games, and even anime. I think the scene I enjoyed the most was the final fight against Han (Shih Kien) in the gallery section, and then later in the mirror maze. In fact, I remember the part with the mirror maze pretty well. Not only was it difficult for Lee to know where he was going with the reflections making the path difficult to see, but he also had trouble trying to find his opponent. And one could only imagine that if you can't find your way through or out of the mirror maze, then you're as good as dead. Especially if the opponent gets you first. Fortunately for Lee, he was able to use his intellect and instincts to help him through this challenge. So he breaks the mirrors to have a clear focus on the path and to easily find the opponent. I think the highlight of the entire scene is definitely the part where Lee finishes off Han by hitting him with a kick and impaling him on a spear which he through against the entrance to the mirror maze. The whole fight scene by itself is quite memorable and enjoyable.

I know I've mentioned this before. But as everybody knows by now, Bruce Lee passed away shortly after completing Enter the Dragon. It is said that on May 10th, 1973, he collapsed in Golden Harvest Studios while doing dub work for the movie. Suffering from seizures and headaches, he was rushed to the hospital where doctors diagnosed him with cerebral edema.  Although they managed to stop the swelling, this didn't prevent the inevitable from happening. Because in the following week, Bruce Lee was pronounced dead in the hospital. He was buried in the Lakeview cemetery in Seattle. To this day he is remembered for his movies, philosophy, and for creating the martial art style Jeet Kune Do, which is practiced and preserved by various present day martial arts masters. The crazy thing is that his son Brandon Lee also died an untimely demise. And I still remember quite vividly to this day when I heard about it on the news on the day it happened. In the 90s, Brandon was on the brink of his golden years as a famous martial arts actor. In fact, some people may remember him from films like Showdown in Little Tokyo and Rapid Fire. But the film that he is most credited for is the 1994 film The Crow. Unfortunately, Brandon was accidently shot in the abdomen with real ammunition while shooting the film in 1993, just a year before its theatrical release. He was buried next to his father in the Lakeview cemetery in Seattle. To complete the film, stunt double Chad Stahelski, who was a friend of Lee's at Inosanto Academy, served as a stand-in; special effects were used to give him Lee's face. Another stunt double named Jeff Cadiente was also used to complete the movie. The Crow was released in May of 1994 and became a box office hit, grossing over $50 million dollars in the U.S., and gaining a loyal cult following many years after its release.

To this day, the legacy of the Lees continues to grow strong through the preservation of Bruce's philosophy and the martial art style Jeet Kune Do. Brandon Lee is especially remembered for the films he's acted in. Although he's probably not as well remembered as his father Bruce, Brandon still has a huge fanbase who admires and praises him even years after his death during the production of the Crow. It's also worth pointing out that Bruce Lee's movies have inspired and influenced various anime and video games. Some of the few notable titles include Fist of the North Star, (Hokuto no Ken in Japan) and Cowboy Bebop. And the reason why I say this is because Kenshiro, the main protagonist from Fist of the North Star, looks very similar to Bruce and even shares some similarities to him such as making similar sounds to Bruce Lee's animalistic battle cries. And Spike Spiegel, the main protagonist from Cowboy Bebop, is a master of Bruce Lee's martial art style as well as an expert in weapons. And also, Bruce Lee's appearance and attire has inspired numerous look-alikes for video games. Some of them include Fei-Long from the popular Street Fighter series, and Kim Dragon from the less popular World Heroes series. It's also worth mentioning that Jon Talbain, a character from Capcom's Darkstalkers series, also shares a bit of influence from Bruce Lee in both his attire and fighting style.

Overall: Enter the Dragon is arguably Bruce Lee's best film in his career. Given that it was the last film he played in before his death in 1973, it is probably the film that most fans these days remember him by. And now, nearly 40 years after its release in theatres, Enter the Dragon continues to inspire actors, writers, artists, and martial artists alike; for impact that this movie had on the filming industry and on audiences was so huge that it still remains one of the most highly acclaimed martial arts films of all time. And if it wasn't for this film along with Bruce Lee's unique martial art style, we probably wouldn't have all that other stuff that we have today. Plus it was a childhood favorite of mine. Not only that, but a lot of today's martial arts actors seem to derive their influences from Lee's films and style. For this, Bruce Lee has since gained my utmost sense of praise and respect, for he was one of the greatest celebrities that ever existed. And his legacy and influences shall be remembered for years to come. Overall, I'll give Enter the Dragon a solid 5 stars. It's a great classic to own at home.

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