Enter the Dragon is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Robert Clouse;
starring Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly.
This was Bruce Lee's final film appearance before his death on 20 July 1973.
The film was released on 26 July 1973, six days after Lee's death, in Hong Kong.
He was also one of the film's writers.
Often considered one of the greatest martial arts films of all time, in 2004, Enter the
Dragon was deemed "culturally significant" in the United States and selected for preservation
in the National Film Registry.
Enter the Dragon was the first Chinese martial arts film to have been produced by a major
Hollywood studio – Warner Bros. and was produced in association with Golden Harvest
and Lee's Concord Production Company.
The film is largely set in Hong Kong.
Among the stuntmen for the film were members of the Seven Little Fortunes, including Jackie
Chan, Sammo Hung and Bolo Yeung.
This was arguably instrumental in Chan and Hung's further association with Golden Harvest
studios, which later launched their careers.
The portly Hung is shown fighting Lee in the opening sequence of the movie and Chan shows
up as a henchman when Lee is discovered inside Han's underground lair.
The finished version of the film was not significantly different from the original screenplay.
Bruce Lee did not revise the script.
Bruce Lee directed the film's opening Shaolin Monastery fight sequence.
Lee wanted to use the film as a vehicle for expressing what he saw as the beauty of his
Chinese culture, rather than it being just another action film.
The original script contained most of the dialogue in the movie.
Plot Lee is a Shaolin martial artist from Hong
Kong who possesses great philosophical insight into martial arts as well as physical prowess.
He receives an invitation to a martial arts competition on an island organised by the
mysterious Mr. Han. Lee learns from his Sifu that Han was also once a Shaolin student,
but had been expelled from their order for abusing their code of conduct.
A British Intelligence agent named Braithwaite approaches Lee and asks for his help in an
undercover mission.
Han is suspected to be involved in drug trafficking and prostitution.
However, since Han's island is only partly in their jurisdiction, they are unable to
conduct any formal investigations – Han will not allow firearms on the island, both
to impede assassination attempts and to prevent the international authorities from gaining
a justification to launch a raid.
Han runs a martial arts school to protect his drug operations, as well as holding his
tournament every three years to recruit international talent to expand his criminal business.
Lee agrees to help Braithwaite, believing his efforts will also redeem the Shaolin honour
that Han has tarnished.
However, Lee then learns from his father that Han's bodyguard O'Hara had been involved in
the death of his sister, Su Lin.
Despite feeling ashamed of himself, Lee then finds himself compelled on a mission of revenge
as well.
Lee arrives on Han's island and receives a warm reception.
Joining him are other competitors including Roper, a down-on-his-luck white American playboy-gambler
on the run from the mob, and Williams, an African-American activist on the run after
defending himself against two racist white policemen in Los Angeles.
Roper and Williams are old friends who also have a betting scam going: one will under-perform
until the other can get a bet on the outcome at good odds.
Both win their first fights easily.
That night, the competitors are all offered girls of their choice by Han's assistant,
Tania.
Williams chooses several women, while Roper cunningly chooses Tania. Lee asks for a girl
he saw earlier in Han's entourage, who he remembers from Braithwaite's briefing as Mei
Ling, an agent whom Braithwaite had placed on the island to gather intelligence: however,
she has been unable to escape Han's strict observation.
That night, leaving Mei Ling in his bedroom, Lee begins searching the island for evidence
and finds a secret entrance to an underground base, where drugs are being manufactured and
tested on unwitting prisoners.
He runs into Han's guards but manages to take them down and flee before they can identify
him.
He is seen by Williams, who is outside for some fresh air and practice, despite strict
rules against being outside after dark.
The next day, Han warns the competitors about wandering out of their rooms at night.
He punishes his guards for failure in their duties by leaving them in the hands of Bolo,
his sadistic chief enforcer.
Moments later, Lee is called to his first match and his opponent turns out to be O'Hara,
who is clearly outclassed and eventually killed when he attacks Lee with broken bottles.
Announcing that O'Hara's dishonorable attack has caused him to lose face very badly, Han
ends the day's matches.
Later, Han summons Williams and accuses him of attacking the guards the previous night.
Williams denies this, claiming he wasn't the only one out at night, but changes the subject
about leaving the island.
As Williams defies him, Han summons his henchmen; Williams takes them out but Han himself is
also skilled and beats Williams to death with his cast iron prosthetic left hand.
The next day, Han takes Roper on a tour of his underground base and invites him to be
his representative for his heroin smuggling operations in the United States.
Roper is reluctant, but Han shows him the mutilated corpse of Williams, hinting that
Roper will face the same fate if he refuses to co-operate.
The same night, Lee breaks into the underground base and gathers sufficient evidence to warrant
Han's arrest, but sets off an alarm while messaging Braithwaite.
After fighting with dozens of Han's guards he is eventually lured into a trap and captured.
The next morning, Han asks Roper to fight Lee as a test of his loyalty.
Roper refuses, so Han has him fight Bolo instead, but Roper defeats him.
The infuriated Han then orders all his men to kill both Lee and Roper.
Despite being hopelessly outnumbered, Lee and Roper manage to hold off the enemy until
Mei Ling releases the captives in Han's underground prison, who join them in the fight and even
the odds.
Amidst the chaos, Han attempts to fight his way out, only to have Lee chase him to his
museum, where Han retrieves a bladed replacement for his hand.
After realising he is outmatched in the museum, Han retreats into a room full of mirrors,
which proves disorientating for Lee, until he smashes all the mirrors to foil Han's illusions
and allow him to defeat Han, impaling him on his own spear.
When Lee returns to Roper, he finds that most of Han's men have been defeated and rounded
up, but Roper also finds Tania's lifeless body lying amongst the wreckage.
Lee and Roper exchange a weary thumbs-up just as military helicopters arrive in response
to the distress call.
Cast Production
The scene in which Lee states that his style was the style of "Fighting Without Fighting"
and then lures Parsons into boarding a dinghy is based upon a famous anecdote involving
the 16th century samurai Tsukahara Bokuden.
Jackie Chan appears as a guard during the underground lair battle scene and gets his
neck snapped by Lee.
He also performed several stunts for the film, including the scene where Lee's character
quickly climbs a rooftop at night.
However Yuen Wah was Lee's main stunt double for the film, most notably for the more acrobatic
feats in the film, such as flipping over the abbot's arms at the beginning and the scene
where Lee does a back-flip when O'Hara catches his leg during their fight.
The title of the film was originally intended to be Blood and Steel.
Enter The Dragon was filmed without sound.
All of the dialogue and effects were dubbed in during post-production.
Music
Argentinian musician Lalo Schifrin composed the film's musical score.
While Schifrin was widely known at the time for his jazz scores, he also incorporated
funk and traditional film score elements into the film's soundtrack.
Reaction Box office
In 1973, Enter the Dragon grossed an estimated $25,000,000 in North America, and an estimated
$90,000,000 worldwide, on a tight budget of $850,000.
In India, the movie opened to full houses.
In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$3,307,536—huge business for the time, but substantially less
than Lee's Fist of Fury and Way of the Dragon.
By 1999, Enter the Dragon had grossed more than $200,000,000 worldwide.
Critical response The film was well received by critics and
is regarded by many as one of the best films of 1973.
Critics have referred to Enter the Dragon as "a low-rent James Bond thriller", a "remake
of Doctor No" with elements of Fu Manchu.
J.C. Maçek III of PopMatters wrote, "Of course the real showcase here is the obvious star
here, Bruce Lee, whose performance as an actor and a fighter are the most enhanced by the
perfect sound and video transfer.
While Kelly was a famous martial artist and a surprisingly good actor and Saxon was a
famous actor and a surprisingly good martial artist, Lee proves to be a master of both
fields."
The film currently holds a 95% approval rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes,
with 43 reviews counted and an average rating of 7.8/10.
In 2004, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for
preservation in the National Film Registry.
The film also ranks No. 474 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All
Time.
Legacy
The film has been parodied and referenced in places such as the 1976 film The Pink Panther
Strikes Again, the satirical publication The Onion, the Japanese game-show Takeshi's Castle,
and the 1977 John Landis comedy anthology film Kentucky Fried Movie and also in the
film Balls of Fury.
It was also parodied on television in That '70s Show during the episode "Jackie Moves
On" with regular character Fez taking on the Bruce Lee role.
Several clips from the film are comically used during the theatre scene in The Last
Dragon.
In August 2007, the now defunct Warner Independent Pictures announced that television producer
Kurt Sutter would be remaking the film as a noir-style thriller entitled Awaken the
Dragon.
The film was considered for two of the American Film Institute's 100 series lists.
Lee's character was considered a possible candidate for AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes
and Villains list.
The film itself was also a candidate for AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills, a list of America's
most heart-pounding movies.
The popular video game Mortal Kombat borrows multiple plot elements from Enter The Dragon.
The popular 1980s martial arts video game Double Dragon features two enemies named Roper
and Williams, a reference to the two characters Roper and Williams from Enter The Dragon.
American Film Institute recognition AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – Nominated
AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains: Lee – Nominated Hero
Home video releases DVD
Universe Aspect ratio: Widescreen letterboxed
Sound: Cantonese, Mandarin Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese,
English, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese
Supplements: Trailer, trailers for Way of the Dragon, The Big Boss, Game of Death, Legacy
of Rage, star files All regions, NTSC
Fortune Star – Bruce Lee Ultimate DVD Collection Aspect ratio: Widescreen anamorphic
Sound: Cantonese, Cantonese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Mandarin
Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese, English
Supplements: Original trailer, new trailer, still photos, slideshow of photos, celebrity
interviews, unseen footage, Game of Death outtakes, Enter the Dragon alternate opening,
32-page booklet Region 3, NTSC
Zoke Culture Aspect ratio: Widescreen anamorphic
Sound: English, English, Cantonese, Mandarin Subtitles: Traditional, Simplified Chinese,
English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, French
Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin,
"Blood and Steel: Making of Enter the Dragon", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", Linda Lee Cadwell
interview gallery, "original" 1973 making-of featurette, "Backyard Workout with Bruce Lee"
All regions, NTSC Warner – 30th Anniversary Special Edition
Aspect ratio: Widescreen anamorphic Sound: English, English
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French Supplements: Disc 1: Audio commentary by producer
Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin, "Blood and Steel: Making of Enter the Dragon",
"Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", Linda Lee Cadwell interview gallery, "Location: Hong Kong with
Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout With Bruce Lee" Disc 2:
"Curse of the Dragon" feature-length documentary, "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" feature-length
documentary, theatrical trailers, TV spots Region 1, NTSC
Warner – 25th Anniversary Special Edition Aspect ratio: Widescreen anamorphic
Sound: English Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin,
Isolated music score, an all-new introduction and interview with Linda Lee Cadwell, "Location:
Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout with Bruce",
"Bruce Lee In His Own Words", theatrical trailers, TV spots, cast and crew biographies, "Significance
of Belts in Martial Arts" notes, "Heir to the Throne" – Jackie Chan notes, retrospective
of Hong Kong martial arts films notes and stills, behind-the-scenes notes, reel recommendations
– 16 movies Region 1, NTSC
Warner – Limited Edition Aspect ratio: Widescreen anamorphic
Sound: English Subtitles: English
Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin,
isolated music score, an all-new introduction and interview with Linda Lee Cadwell, "Location:
Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout with Bruce",
"Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", theatrical trailers, TV spots, cast and crew biographies,
10 exclusive Enter the Dragon postcards, 8 reproductions of original lobby cards, reproduction
of the original press brochure Region 2, PAL
Blu-ray Kam & Ronson
Aspect ratio: Widescreen Sound: Cantonese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai
Subtitles: Traditional Chinese, English, Thai Supplements: "Alternate opening credits",
trailer, photo gallery Region A
Warner Aspect ratio: Widescreen
Sound: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin,
"Blood and Steel: Making of Enter the Dragon", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", Linda Lee Cadwell
interview gallery, "Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary,
"Backyard Workout with Bruce Lee", "Curse of the Dragon" feature-length documentary,
"Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" feature-length documentary, theatrical trailers, TV spots
All regions Warner
Aspect ratio: Widescreen Sound: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese,
Japanese, Spanish, Spanish, Polish, Russian Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese,
Japanese, German, Italian, Greek, Korean, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Turkish
Supplements: Audio commentary by producer Paul M. Heller and screenwriter Michael Allin,
"No Way As Way", "Wing Chun", "Return to Han's Island", "Blood and Steel: Making of Enter
the Dragon", "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words", Linda Lee Cadwell interview gallery, "Location:
Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon" original 1973 documentary, "Backyard Workout with Bruce
Lee", "Curse of the Dragon" feature-length documentary, theatrical trailers, TV spots
All regions References
External links
Enter the Dragon at the Internet Movie Database Enter the Dragon at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase
Enter the Dragon at AllMovie Enter the Dragon at Box Office Mojo
Enter the Dragon at Rotten Tomatoes