Enter the Dragon

The ultimate Bruce Lee movie. This one sealed his status as a legend.

I could go on and on about what makes this movie immortal, but I feel I should let you see what makes it great. Bruce Lee was forever immortalized with this film and it will be cherished and praised forever.

"Boards don't hit back."

Enter the Dragon is already 50 years old. 50 years ago Bruce Lee destroyed henchman Jackie Chan. 50 years ago he also defeated Sammo Hung and John Saxon won against Bolo Yeun. Stuff of legends. We even have the classic Kung-fu Claw, the bad guy island and loads of henchman.

Enter the Dragon is a classic martial arts movie and one of it's most populair. I wish we could've gotten loads of more Bruce Lee. So sad that he passed away that young. He has the looks and charisma to do well in cinema.

Anyway so happy this one popped up on HBO Max that I couldn't resist not watching it and I'm glad I did. Great way to spend a saturday night.

1973. Bruce Lee is introduced to the Western world and in one film, he becomes a legend.

There's a strong argument that Way of The Dragon shows more of Bruce to qualify as his best work... but my vote goes here.

The several minute long slow motion fight scene - you know the one - is just captivating. After 100 views, I still am mesmerised at the grace, fluidity, prowess, and sheer mastery of this man.

The rest of the film is a Bond-like escapade. Did John Saxon ever double for Connery in a Bond film?

Well shot, well paced, very American in Asia. But the camera loved Bruce and he keeps the viewers on tenterhooks the whole time. The idea to start the film with a fight is brilliant as it feeds the audience straight away, leaving time to build the story. The final third is relentless anf gives us 100% Bruce unfiltered.

It's the film I judge all martial arts exploits on. Well... Bruce is who I judge everyone on. And for all the Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, et al.... nobody has come remotely close. I'd say a Scott Adkins film is the closest we will get to a pure martial artist but sadly the Cannon films style budgets get in the way.

Back to Enter. For this film, the replication of the slow motion fighting from Way of the Dragon was brilliant. The ending has been much copied and so it feels tedious after many rewatches.

We lost a great one in Bruce Lee. Still he inspires across the world and I don't see that waning. What a talent. What a loss.


8/10

2nd best Bruce Lee movie, with _Way of the Dragon_ a close first.

Good action scenes , it got a nice "old action flick" feel attached to it

Rating: 3.5* / 5* or 7/10

I actually think it's a 6.5, but it's like a very stereotypical film of the time, and that has its charm. Beyond that, I don't have much else to say because honestly, it's a movie where the more you think about things, the more random everything becomes.

Hollywood’s first big-budget martial arts movie, and Bruce Lee’s official western coming out party, is a sort of mashup between the era’s noisy Golden Harvest fighting flicks and its hip James Bond action/thrillers, with a hint of blaxploitation thrown in for good measure. Its narrative is split between three perspectives: the grizzled Shaolin fighter (Lee), the traditional suave leading man (John Saxon) and the vain, politically conscious firebrand (karate champ Jim Kelly), with some thematic crossover between roles. They’ve congregated on a small, private island for an invite-only combat tournament to determine the hardest man on the planet, but each has a secret ulterior motive hidden up their sleeve. As does the event’s organizer.

_Enter the Dragon_ is a good step-up for the genre, adding a touch of cinematic grandeur and legitimacy to the mix without losing any of its charm. There’s a looseness here that’s pure Hong Kong, an irresistible silliness that almost becomes plausible because it’s played so straight. You’ll snicker at the villain who wields an array of screw-on deadly weapons in lieu of a hand, but you’ll also believe his threat is genuine. We get a few western-isms - the casting of a hand-holdy white hero is the most obvious - but these fit into the tapestry better than expected. There’s overlap between John Saxon’s character and Bruce Lee’s, but neither feels like a second fiddle. This is no replay of Kato in _The Green Hornet_, where the more electric, adept character is unjustly overshadowed. _Enter the Dragon_’s leads are presented as equals, with similar goals and unique strengths. Lee dazzles in the action scenes and does the tricky, acrobatic infiltration act, while his counterpart gets chummy with the evil genius and holds his own in the ring. Saxon would probably look pretty adept under normal circumstances - he was partially cast because he holds legit black belts in judo and karate - but alongside an all-world competitive fighter and a bonafide legend, he seems downright clumsy, so it’s a smart idea that his fights depend more on cunning than technique.

Without Lee, though, this gamble would’ve been a misfire and who knows how the kung fu landscape would look today. The intimidating power of his personality, and the snap fury of his skirmishes, elevates the whole premise from a simple proto-_Mortal Kombat_ into something more engaging and spellbinding. The Dragon's character arc is a little puzzling - despite a tranquil, poetic introduction, he resorts to a murderous blood rage by the climax - but no one can doubt his conviction, nor his magnetism. The same is true for much of the film; it’s stylish, fiery and nimble, if not always sensible. A fun ride, with an engrossing, sleazy ‘70s underworld vibe and a rousing climactic mirror-room fight... just don’t fret the details.

The film runs like oil.a nice movie.you have to watch.