"Enter The Dragon" of 1973 is not only essential for Bruce Lee fans, but a must-see for every lover of cult-cinema for a variety of reasons. While director Robert Clouse's stylish and violent Martial Arts extravaganza is not necessarily the greatest Bruce Lee flick, it is his most famous and most influential film, both due to the fact that it was his first American-produced film (and the first American-produced Martial Arts film ever), and, mainly, because it was the last film the Master appeared in before his untimely death. More precisely, "Enter The Dragon" had its world premiere only six days after the great Martial Arts icon had passed away on July 20th, 1973. The film's cult-status even excels its level of fame - the iconic picture of Bruce Lee with bleeding scratches on his chest must be one of the most widely known movie stills ever, and is immediately recognized even by people who have never seen the film and don't know its title. This film basically was the kick-off to the popularity of Martial Arts films in the Western World, but even apart from the fact how influential it was, this is a great film to watch. In its style, it somehow resembles funky and incomparably more violent Marial Arts version of the older James Bond films - sexy ladies and eccentric villains come along with stylish and ultra-violent unarmed battle on a beautiful remote island.
Kung Fu expert Lee (Bruce Lee) is applied to attend a tournament on a remote island owned by the mysterious Han (Kien Shih). Besides engaging in fights, Lee is to infiltrate the villainous Han's evil crime syndicate. But love of justice is not Lee's sole motivation to come to the island, as one of Han's henchmen is responsible for his sister's death... Lee is not the only kung fu-expert participating in the tournament, of course. Several other great fighters have arrived, most memorably the crafty Roper (played by none other than the great John Saxon) and the super-cool Williams (played by Jim Kelly, basically THE black Martial Artist, who went on to make another film with director Clouse, "Black Belt Jones" the following year). And then there are more familiar faces for Martial Arts fans, such as the monstrously-looking Bolo Yeung and the scar-faced Robert Wall. Angela Mao, Ahna Capri, and a bunch of other foxy ladies provide most welcome female eye-candy in-between the fights. The martial arts sequences are stylish, violent, and, in one word, amazing. Bruce Lee himself did the choreography of the fights - I don't suppose I need to say any more. All that is accompanied by a funky soundtrack and the typical awesome 70s feeling that my fellow fans of cult-cinema love so much. This is an absolute must-see for Martial Arts- and Cult-cinema fans, and I also highly recommend it to anybody else. I know the following statement is nothing new or original, but it sure is to the point: Bruce Lee was THE MAN, and always will be, and not an entire army of Jet Lis and Jackie Chans can ever replace him!
Kung Fu expert Lee (Bruce Lee) is applied to attend a tournament on a remote island owned by the mysterious Han (Kien Shih). Besides engaging in fights, Lee is to infiltrate the villainous Han's evil crime syndicate. But love of justice is not Lee's sole motivation to come to the island, as one of Han's henchmen is responsible for his sister's death... Lee is not the only kung fu-expert participating in the tournament, of course. Several other great fighters have arrived, most memorably the crafty Roper (played by none other than the great John Saxon) and the super-cool Williams (played by Jim Kelly, basically THE black Martial Artist, who went on to make another film with director Clouse, "Black Belt Jones" the following year). And then there are more familiar faces for Martial Arts fans, such as the monstrously-looking Bolo Yeung and the scar-faced Robert Wall. Angela Mao, Ahna Capri, and a bunch of other foxy ladies provide most welcome female eye-candy in-between the fights. The martial arts sequences are stylish, violent, and, in one word, amazing. Bruce Lee himself did the choreography of the fights - I don't suppose I need to say any more. All that is accompanied by a funky soundtrack and the typical awesome 70s feeling that my fellow fans of cult-cinema love so much. This is an absolute must-see for Martial Arts- and Cult-cinema fans, and I also highly recommend it to anybody else. I know the following statement is nothing new or original, but it sure is to the point: Bruce Lee was THE MAN, and always will be, and not an entire army of Jet Lis and Jackie Chans can ever replace him!