Enter the Dragon (1973) [Film Review]

Enter the Dragon; or, Blood and Steel

     Don’t think. Feel. It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.

Enter the Dragon is a 1973 co-production of Warner Bros. and Concord Production Ltd. which is regarded nowadays as the greatest martial arts film of all time. This was the fourth (and the last complete) movie with Bruce Lee in the leading role after his major breakthrough in Hong Kong in the early 1970s. Even though the film’s aim was to introduce Bruce to Western audiences; unfortunately, Bruce’s untimely passing disrupted the plans for his future films in Hollywood. Nevertheless, Enter the Dragon is still perceived as the paragon of a classic kung fu actioner, so let’s take a closer look at this motion picture.

Release Info

Directed by: Robert Clouse Starring: Bruce Lee, Shih Kien, John Saxon, Jim Kelly

Language: English, Cantonese Original Title: 龍爭虎鬥 Runtime: 102 min

 

Synopsis

Lee (Bruce Lee) is a professional instructor of martial arts from the Shaolin Temple. His services are recruited by the British authorities who order him to infiltrate the private residence of a crime lord known as Han (Shih Kien). Lee attends the martial arts competition that is organised on Han’s island and meets other attendees, such as Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly). All three come into contact with the elusive Han who actually deals with drug trafficking. Lee takes it upon himself to stop his criminal activity and also settle the score with Han’s bodyguard, O’Hara (Bob Wall).

Bruce Lee: The Crackdown

After Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), and Way of the Dragon (1972), Bruce Lee exploded in popularity across Asia. However, he was still unknown in the West (his biggest role there being that of Kato in The Green Hornet (1966-1967) series). Producers Fred Weintraub and Paul Heller approached Bruce about the possibility of making a movie with them and, after Golden Harvest approved the deal, Enter the Dragon received the green light.

The movie is very distinct with its style and aesthetics. Rather than being a faithful depiction of the East, it is more like a fable influenced by comic books. However, one has to appreciate the film for its simple storyline and lavish execution. There is a secluded island, martial arts tournament, and an over-the-top bad guy with an underground lair (he is just a Bond villain but without Bond). Enter the Dragon instils a unique feeling that Asia is a strange and exotic land with tough guys and beautiful ladies where everything is possible.

Interestingly, from the interviews from the American crew, it can be inferred that they just winged it and everything was awesome, but Linda Lee Caldwell contradicted that. She stated that Bruce was actively involved in numerous rewrites of the script, he brought onboard his own crew of martial artists, and choreographed his own stunts. Clearly, if it had not been for Bruce, the movie would not have achieved such success as it did.

With regard to performances, Bruce Lee is as great as in all of his previous films. There are also very good supporting performances of John Saxon and Jim Kelly who do a bit of fighting in the film. Shih Kien is deliciously campy as the main villain (but unfortunately his real voice was not used in the film). Sammo Hung and Angela Mao also have small but noticeable parts. If you pay attention to the action scenes, you can also spot Jackie Chan and Yueh Wah doing some stunts.

Recommendations

Highly recommended to every enthusiast of kung fu flicks. Enter the Dragon is a well made motion picture with great fights and an exhilarating finale. It is a real shame that we never got to see more films with Bruce Lee (I'm not even counting Game of Death from 1978).

Overall score: 8/10