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

Lady Snowblood (1973) [Film Review]

Lady Snowblood; or, Vengeance is Hers

      Tsukamoto Gishiro, I'll kill you!

This week’s review will be about a movie that “inspired” Quentin Tarantino to make one of his intertextual mash-ups known as Kill Bill (2003). Lady Snowblood is a simple revenge tale about a woman trying to avenge her parents' death, but contrary to Tarantino’s morbid and disjointed picture, this film presents the story in a more sophisticated and definitely truer way to the chanbara genre.

Release Info

Directed by: Toshiya Fujita Starring: Meiko Kaji, Toshio Kurosawa, Ko Nishimura, Eiji Okada
Language: Japanese Original Title: Shurayuki-hime Runtime: 96 min

Synopsis

Japan has entered the Meiji era in the 1870s, the period during which the Shogunate ceased to exist, the power was restored to the Emperor, and industrial development ensued. However, in the midst of socio-political changes, crime flourished as well. Four ruthless criminals brutally kill the village teacher, his son, and rape his wife. Having ended up in prison, the disgraced woman gives birth to a daughter whom she calls Yuki (snow) and, before dying, she tells the inmates to raise the child for vengeance. Given an exhausting training by a priest Dōkai (Ko Nishimura), Yuki (Meiko Kaji) grows up to become a professional assassin. The priest calls her “a child of the netherworlds,” a demon spirit that came to this world for the sole purpose of revenge. Indeed, Yuki assumes her new identity as Shura Yuki Hime (Lady Snowblood) and sets out to hunt down the killers of her family.

The Unsurpassed Classic

After seeing Lady Snowblood, I thought it wasn’t surprising that Tarantino made his pitiful mixed-bag of various genre references, since the original film, which served as inspiration, is so bloody damn good. Financed independently, directed by Nikkatsu-veteran Toshiya Fujita, and starring glorious Meiko Kaji (already known at the time for Stray Cat Rock and Female Convict 701: Scorpion series), the movie is an adaptation of manga by Kazuo Koike and Kazuo Kamimura.

Ironically, the film is vastly different in tone and style that Fujita usually used to do for Nikkatsu, but it’s his only picture that has mainstream recognition outside of Japan. Allegedly, it took some time for Meiko Kaji to be persuaded to play the part and, eventually, she agreed on condition of having some input in the shaping of the character. Thus, Lady Snowblood is not a typical pink/exploitation flick of its times, but primarily an action violence picture. We follow Yuki’s quest, divided into four chapters, in which we see her beginnings, each step as she tracks down and mercilessly kills the criminals, and the morbid finale of her revenge at the "House of Joys" that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Some of the more particular cinema connoisseurs unanimously claim that Lady Snowblood is just an outdated, poorly executed B-Movie. Well… they could not be more wrong. Only those who have not seen the movie can claim something like that. Lady Snowblood is literally an unpolished gem among samurai flicks. It perfectly delivers the story of good vs. evil in which the protagonist masterfully slaughters the baddies.

What’s more, the film also rocks in terms of character development. Even though we know that Yuki is just a female assassin, as the plot progresses, we may slightly doubt her earthly nature. We never see her eat or drink, or even engage into sexual intercourse and display her body. Yuki is only focused on completing her mission, her destiny, because it is the only reason of her coming into this world. Although we may perceive some “love interest” through the character of Ryūrei Ashio (Toshio Kurosawa), this is not his function in the story; Ashio serves to provide a metatextual comment on the events and tie-in the storytelling structure of manga to that of the film.

In terms of filmmaking techniques, the picture was simply ahead of its times. The very first scene of Yuki taking on the gang of thugs is beautifully staged and choreographed. The 180-degree-shots of fighting Yuki match perfectly with the framing shots in crowded scenes as well as the handheld sequences of chasing, not to mention lots of Yuki close-ups to hint at her twisted psyche and barely controlled wrath.

In other words, Toshiya Fujita did a splendid job in his directorial duties and Meiko Kaji steals the picture with her mesmerising performance, making the role of Shura Yuki Hime easily the best one in her career. I’m not saying that Lady Snowblood is a flawless film, because it could have been a little longer, more linear in its narration, and more elaborative on the historical context of the Meiji era. Nevertheless, if the movie had a bigger budget and had been made a bit earlier (in the golden era of samurai classics), I’m confident that it would get the attention it rightfully deserves.

Recommendations

I recommend this to anyone who likes good old revenge flicks with moderate amounts of bloodshed but greater emphasis on the main character and enormous pay off at the end. To me, Lady Snowblood is a Japanese version of Once Upon a Time in the West. If you like this feeling of spaghetti westerns, but at the same time dislike the overt craziness of Tarantino, then Lady Snowblood is the movie for you.

Overall score: 9/10