Opération Dragon

I've read about Bruce Lee, and I knew he was very versatile - actor, martial artist, philosopher, etc. But I'd never sat down and watched one of his films before, mainly because the opportunity to do so doesn't come up very often. So last night, when Turner Classic Movies had a Bruce Lee double feature on with a guest discussing Lee's films, I took that opportunity to watch "Enter The Dragon".

The plot involves Lee, a skilled martial arts instructor, being recruited by British intelligence to enter a martial arts contest held by crime lord Han on his own private island. While there, Lee is supposed to look for evidence of Han's criminal activity. Han talks a big game about honor during the matches, but if things don't go his way he does not fight fair. And that includes Han having various prosthetics for his missing left hand that include knives and spikes.

There's no doubt Lee is a charismatic presence that commands one's attention. The choreography is so tightly performed (and also blocked out by Bruce Lee himself) that it's hard not to be dazzled. And I say that as somebody who really knows nothing about the martial arts.

I'd say that one aspect I found humorous were the lines given to African American martial artist Jim Kelly. They were typical of the kinds of lines and roles given to African American actors during the 70s at the height of the popularity of blaxploitation films. If you've seen Hollywood Shuffle - and if you haven't you should - it is hard not to notice such stereotyping. Still I'd recommend this film if you are curious about the film work of Bruce Lee.

A non-stop succession of brightly-coloured, almost continuous aggro with a villain with a metal hand who actually strokes a white cat that was a huge hit and posthumously made a star worldwide of Bruce Lee.

Very seventies, full of flairs, sideburns, zooms and a groovy Lalo Schifrin score; it was shot on location in Hong Kong without bothering to record any sound, the dialogue and sound effects obviously post-synced.

Although billed third, the delectable Ahna Capri actually gets sadly little screen time.

"Destroy the image, and you will break the enemy."

It's a real shame that I'm just now getting acquainted with Bruce Lee's work because I really love this stuff. Enter the Dragon is a joy to watch for any fan of martial arts flicks.

The story is about Lee's quest to bring justice to a renegade Shaolin monk (with a fake, removable hand) at a tournament he hosts to recruit people for his criminal organization, but the thin plot is really there only to give Lee lots of guys to fight. The man beats the crap out of people to the point where you wonder why the villains even bother to try to attack him. There are lots of great, old-school fights to check out, and the choreography is very impressive. 

If you have any kind of a fondness for martial arts in film, then Enter the Dragon should be at the top of your list of movies to see. It's absolute proof of what a talent and natural star he was, and a nice introduction to Lee's personal philosophy for life and the martial arts.

Even though it is more than 25 years since Enter the Dragon was first released, to this day it is still hailed as the landmark of martial arts films.

Used primarily as a vehicle for the late, great Bruce Lee this movie has a thin plot, little actual character development and the acting isn't fantastic.....it was never meant to be another Citizen Kane. Its merit lies purely in the action content. If you were to ask any learned martial artist I'm sure that 9 out of 10 would tell you that the fight sequences are unparalleled, even today. The fluidity of Lee is astounding. Unlike most martial arts films of that time the fighting is very realistic, and has a somewhat visceral quality. There is also the use of traditional Oriental weapons (nunchaku, escrima sticks, etc..), although the British censors in their wisdom have seen fit the cut the nunchaku sequence, and I'm afraid, like any censored movie, it just isn't the same watching when you know you aren't getting the full monty, so to speak.

Still, on the whole one of my personal favourites and a must see for any action or seventies film fan. If you get the opportunity see the remastered American version with added footage....I've got one,envy me!!!

Enter the Dragon (1973) was Bruce Lee's first (and only) solo big Hollywood production. Too bad he never got to see the fruits of his labor. He passed away during the film's post production (don't fret, two more official Bruce Lee films were made after this one. Despite all of the years of hard work and finally making it to the big times, he wasn't around long enough to enjoy it. Even though Robert Clouse is credited as director and another person is credited for writing the screenplay. This film has Bruce Lee's fingerprints all over it.

The movie is about a shady underworld crime lord (aren't they always) who controls most of the world's opium drug ring and a lot of other illegal dealings. British Intelligence is stumped, so they seek out someone who's slick, sly, stealth and who can kick a lot of butt and take care of himself. They find their man (Bruce Lee). After a great deal of convincing they get him to go to the island and participate in the crime lord's fighting tournament. Along the way, Bruce meets two American fighters (John Saxon and Jim Kelly) who are in the tournament for various reasons. Whilst on the island, Bruce does his nightly snooping around so he can find out more about the crime lord and his illegal activities. Will Bruce topple the organization? Can he make it out alive? Does Bruce really kick a whole lot of butt and take names? To find out you'll have to watch Enter The Dragon!!!!

Bruce Lee worked a great deal on this picture. He wrote most of the screenplay (uncredited), filmed all of the action scenes (uncredited) and directed several scenes (uncredited). Lam Ching-Ying, Angela Mao, Jackie Chan and Bolo Yeung appear in this film. If you haven't seen this film already then you're either a kid, lame or something is wrong with you.

Highly recommended.