Enter the Dragon (1973)

[龍爭虎鬥]

Director: Robert Clouse
Starring: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri

Synopsis:
A Shaolin martial artist is recruited to participate in a tournament held by a reclusive crime lord.

Impressions:
Bruce Lee's big Hollywood debut is easily his best film. We get a good steady flow of action scenes to keep the casual viewer engaged while still spinning a decent yarn with some good character dynamics. A lot of things we take for granted a cliches of martial arts films actually were codified here. The duo of Roper and Williams (John Saxon and Jim Kelly) provide good support for Lee's character and Bolo Yeung makes a strong impression as the big bad's main enforcer. Han is a pretty good villain and I have to give Shih Kien credit for being spry enough at his age to present a plausible physical threat. Bit parts for Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan also deserve note (though you'll have to pay close attention for the latter). The movie itself is cross-genre, combining elements of martial arts action, spy thriller, and blaxploitation, and the score by Lalo Schifrin plays well to these elements. If you're in any way a fan of martial arts films, this is definitely a must-see and I can easily recommend it for your collection.

Rating:
Own It