- English name：Enter The Dragon
- Broadcast time：July 26, 1973
- Starring：李小龙（Bruce Lee）、John Saxon、Jim Kelly、茅瑛（Angela Mao Ying）、Ahna Capri、石坚（Shih Kien）
- director：Robert Clouse
Introduction
Today, we are going to talk about a film which is theatrical released in August 19, 1973.It is the last film completed by Bruce Lee (李小龙Lǐ Xiǎolóng) before his untimely death(英年早逝yīngniánzǎoshì), Enter the Dragon (龙争虎斗lóngzhēng-hǔdòu) was his entrée into Hollywood. The American-Hong Kong coproduction, shot in Asia by American director Robert Clouse, stars Lee as a British agent sent to infiltrate the criminal empire of bloodthirsty Asian crime lord Han (Shih Kien) through his annual international martial arts tournament. Lee spends his days taking on tournament combatants and nights breaking into the heavily guarded underground fortress, kicking the living tar out of anyone who stands in his way.
The mix of kung fu fighting (choreographed by Lee himself) and James Bond intrigue (the plot has more than a passing resemblance to Dr. No) is pulpy by any standard, but the generous budget and talented cast of world-class martial artists puts this film in a category well above Lee’s primitive Hong Kong productions. Unfortunately he’s off the screen for large chunks of time as American maverick competitors (and champion martial artists) John Saxon and Jim Kelly take center stage, but once the fighting starts Lee takes over.
The tournament setting provides an ample display of martial arts mastery of many styles and climaxes with a huge free-for-all, but the highlight is Lee’s brutal one-on-one with the claw-fisted Han in the dynamic hall-of-mirrors battle. Lee narrows his eyes and tenses into a wiry force of sinew, speed, and ruthless determination.
Plot
Shaolin has two top disciples, Han and Li. Han (played by Shi Jian) betrayed his master early on, bought an isolated island and proclaimed himself the king, and bribed a group of thugs to secretly produce drugs. No one on the island is allowed to carry weapons, and no outsiders are allowed to enter or leave, except for the World Martial Arts Tournament held every three years.
Entrusted by his master, Li (played by Bruce Lee) participated in the tournament arranged by the police. He sneaked into the isolated island where Han was entrenched as a contestant. After the welcome party that night, Li went deep into the basement of the island to investigate secretly and injured several guards.
The next day, Li went out to fight Han’s right-hand man Ao Jiada, who was the murderer of Li’s relatives. As soon as Li came on the court, he showed his extraordinary punching speed, knocking Ao to the ground three times at a very short speed. Ao Jiada was angry and tried to plot against Li because he knew he was not his opponent, but Li did not give him any chance. After a few more heavy kicks, Lee, who could no longer bear it, used his ultimate move to beat Ao to death on the ring.
After the competition, Han took the American player Williams (Jim Kelly) to his study. It turned out that he suspected that it was Williams who sneaked into the basement last night and brutally killed him. Han also took a fancy to the American master Lu Bo (John Saxon) and took him to the basement to force him to join. That night, Lee went deep into the basement again and sent a telegram to the police for help, but the alarm was set off. Lee beat the thugs who came to the basement. In this fight, Bruce Lee used three weapons: the brow-high stick, the Philippine short stick, and the nunchaku, all of which were superb. Fully demonstrated his familiarity and proficiency with various weapons.
Lee was eventually trapped in the mechanism in the basement and was taken to the ring. Han tried to ask Lu Bo to kill Lee, but was sternly rejected. The strongman sent by Han was defeated by Lu Bo. Han, who was humiliated and angry, came out in full force and asked all the thugs to capture Lee and Lu together. At this time, the islanders who were imprisoned underground by Han escaped from prison with the help of an insider and started a large-scale fight with Han’s men.
Professional evaluation
Positive reviews
1、This was Bruce Lee’s entry into the international big screen. The film was invested by Warner Bros. and was officially released in American theaters. Bruce Lee has since become a kung fu idol for American teenagers.
2、In the film, Bruce Lee not only showed off his boxing skills, but also used three weapons: a stick at the eyebrows, a Filipino short stick, and nunchakus. The fighting scenes were very exciting.
Negative reviews
1、”Enter the Dragon” is indeed outstanding in entertainment effect, but it has lost the martial arts style of “Way of the Dragon”. Bruce Lee can no longer control the filming and action scenes of the film at will. Although the plot of “Enter the Dragon” is the most compact among Bruce Lee’s works, the martial arts scenes are still inferior to “Way of the Dragon”.
2、Bruce Lee starred in the American movie “Enter the Dragon”. Hollywood and Hong Kong are different. The male protagonist is either an elegant gentleman or a blue-collar tough guy who can’t stand the childishness of men. In the film, he is a bookworm and a contemplative person. Facing provocation, he is calm and tolerant, and tries to solve problems with strategy. Unfortunately, Hollywood didn’t trust him at that time. In order to guarantee the box office, two American movie stars were found to co-star and share the role. This character had no room to develop and quickly fell into the fighting scene.
