Le cercle de fer

this is a mystically inclined adventurous journey of the meaning to life having purpose and fullfillment based on helping one another find the way to enlightenment,which the teacher(the blind man),and the student/venturer of meaning(cord)do. they use their opposite individualities to conjure up a unique and unforgettable partnership,which eventually becomes a true friendship at the end which is the result of understanding each other better and allowing each other's contrasting views to coincide to develop into the unique zenforce/fighting team that they become. the scenic background is a desert based atmosphere,whether it's israel or palestine.this type of setting coupled with the compelling music make this a landscape monument for the uniquely inclined deeper striver of zen/buddhism and enlightenment. like other's on imdb have mentioned,this is not a typical bloodsport,kickboxer or streetfighter type of flick.it's a picture that illustrates and exemplifies a deeper meaning to the journey one has with fullfilling they're search for martial arts based enlightenment. must be seen several times to really understand.unless you're a good listener and attentive viewer you wont appreciate it enough the first time you check it out.that's why i recommend that you watch it at least twice.once for yourself and the other time with a friend. for it's creativity and deeper meaning of martial arts based enlightenment i give this one a 9/10 rating.

Bruce Lee was perhaps the world greatest Martial Artist. His many films prove to his audience that he was indeed that. As for being a writer, there is much to be desired. This is one of Bruce Lee's written works and called " The Circle of Iron. " It was originally conceived to be a teaching tool for the young student. In this offering, David Carradine plays, The Blind Man / Monkeyman / Death / Changsha all of who are guides and teachers to Cord the student (Jeff Cooper.) Cord's task is to find and defeat Zetan (Christopher Lee). Roddy McDowall and Eli Wallach round out the cast and provide philosophical statements for Cord. This film itself is a hodgepodge of information and Zen philosophy, designed to instruct those who seek to learn the Path or DOW. For audiences seeking lots of excitement and physical Martial arts confrontation, this movie is somewhat of a disappointment. Still there is enough to keep the student from wondering off till the lesson is learned. ***

This is a silly movie and not for those who want credibility, realism, SFX, CGI, or The Rock. But, it is about some of the more exalted aspects of what it means to seek the limits of what you can do with a combination of your spirit and your self. Karate, kung-fu, la savate... they're all just ways to fight. This film is for those who know that ways to fight are stepping stones to something greater. It follows a man who does not know, but who is learning, that punching and kicking merely create freedom to explore and to learn; the benefits of his quest will come from something more than his physical self can achieve.

It's not a great movie, but it addresses great questions and, if you look at it through the lens of metaphor, it can point you towards an answer or two. As well as that, it's a punctuation mark--if not a prose passage--from the '80s era of movies that asked us to keep believing things we knew were probably not true, but would be oh-so-cool if they were.

If you are looking for a Steven Segal-type martial arts movie, you will not find it here. This movie is about the philosophy of Kung Fu. It is done with humor as well as unique action and drama.

Each year, in a martial arts contest, someone wins the right to seek out Zetan and the Book of Enlightenment. During that search, the seeker will face many trials that are severe. Not all will succeed.

Though Cord, a man with no school, wins the fight, he is disqualified because he has broken several rules, and another is chosen. The Chosen one, however does not succeed in facing the first trial and sends Cord in his place. Before the first trial, Cord meets a blind man who becomes his teacher. It is as if this man is actually seeking for someone like Cord. The blind man plays a flute that only Cord can hear. The flute is also a staff that aids the blind man.

A special note: David Carradine learned to make bamboo flutes and he made the flute the blind man carried. In fact he made three for the movie.

The movie is filled with imagery and lessons on life and enlightenment. Thought as you watch it a second and a third time, it becomes more clear that there are Two seekers. Even a Teacher can still be a Seeker and a Seeker can also be a Teacher.

This spiritual journey by muscleman Jeff Cooper is filled with goofy philosophics delivered with ridiculous austerity by the likes of guest stars David Carradine, Eli Wallach and Christopher Lee. It's all supposed to be mystical and enlightening, but it's mostly an unexhilirating peplum potboiler, without the enjoyably kitsch qualities that made that genre endearing. Listening to Lee philosophize was as dull as watching him perform was exciting. Oddball chopsocky.