Enter the Dragon

Starring: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Kien Shih, Anha Capri
Directed by: Robert Clause
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
1973

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Lee (Bruce Lee) is a British Agent who travels to a mysterious island to compete in a martial arts competition hosted by a crime lord (Kien Shih) intent on infiltrating his operation to bring him down.

Review:

Tim: Enter the Dragon is the movie that introduced the martial arts movies to mainstream Hollywood. It was supposed to be the major introduction of the great Bruce Lee to American audiences. Sadly, it was the first and last American movie Lee made, due to his untimely death. Decades later, this remains the definitive martial arts movie of all time. It is a true classic.

The movie works because of the charisma and screen presence of Bruce Lee. It saddens me to think of all the amazing movies we could have had starring Lee. His untimely and tragic death is one of the saddest moments in Hollywood history. Lee is just fantastic in this movie. It is impossible to take your eyes off him. He is in peak physical shape, in total control of his mind and body. He possessed such a quiet confidence that easily translated to the big screen. The finest moments of the movie all involve Lee. Perhaps my favorite scene is the first battle he has in the tournament. He and his opponent touch hands lightly, and then, in one of the greatest moments in cinematic history (in my humble opinion), Lee proceeds to strike his opponent in the face. Watch closely, because when I saw this movie, I could barely follow Lee's movements. He is so unbelievably fast, I could scarely believe my eyes. He was an absolute master of martial arts. The supporting cast is pretty good, specifically John Saxon.

Now, this movie is a classic, but it is not a flawless movie. The best scenes all involve Lee fighting one-on-one with the movie's villains. These scenes are truly remarkable, and alone make this movie worthwhile. The problem with the movie are all the other scenes, specifically the ones involving the infiltration of the criminal kingpin's operations. These are not particularly exciting or interesting. Even more, all the scenes without Lee are a step down- we miss his presence badly.

Enter the Dragon may have some flaws, but it is still a truly great movie. Fans of martial arts in movies (any genre, because Bruce Lee inspired them all) need to see this film. It is one of the most influential and important movies of the 1970s, a movie whose mark can still be seen in cineplexes today.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Crow, The Matrix