I may be the only female reviewer of this movie, but just like one doesn’t have to be Chinese or a martial arts student to appreciate and review Bruce Lee’s last and best made movie, Enter The Dragon, one doesn’t have to be a testosterone-driven, salivating-for-action-and-sex male to realize that this movie is a gem captured and sparkling for its lucky viewers.

About a year ago I was absorbed in learning about Taoism and so was fascinated to read a review here about how Lee used Taoist principles to create his way of honestly expressing himself, jeet kune do. Soon I was reading his book, The Tao of Jeet Kune Do, and reviewing it, then watching one of his early Chinese flicks, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I decided to watch his last film that he saw in its final form before being released in theaters in August of 1973. Tragically he suffered a mysterious reaction to an herb or something and died on July 20th.

The Story

Before the movie began, I was treated briefly to Bruce’s philosophy in his own words. It doesn’t exactly explain the title of the movie to this non-Chinese reviewer, but I’m assuming that dragons are evil because that island that Interpol asks him to enter, because of a martial arts tournament held there, is undeniably evil. The owner of the island, Han, is a twisted Chinese man trained by the same teacher as Lee’s character.

This teacher compares the two as if they’re Satan and the archangel Michael, something the movie is quick to illustrate. Lee and his costars, the white movie star John Saxon and African-American karate champion Jim Kelley, gradually discover how Han makes his millions so he can live like a king. He deals heroin, makes addicts of his prostitutes before killing them and conducts a school for hundreds of Chinese wannabe martial artists. In fact his goons years earlier had trapped Lee’s martial artist sister to rape and force into prostitution, so she stabbed and killed herself. Now Bruce has his chance for avenging her death. Poor Jim Kelley, though, quickly feels the dragon’s flames, but his 70s afro and SWAT-type music will be fondly remembered.

He wasn’t the first artist in the movie to die, I should point out. Han’s champions do plenty of damage in that department before Lee outshines them all and even kills Han’s champion with his hands and feet. He takes on faceless guard after guard with the spiritual fluidity and grace of a master martial artist doing what comes naturally, with the meaning of ‘emotional content,’ no technique or style, opponent or an I. He’s magnificent and unscathed in the battle until he goes after the desperate Han with the steel claws for one of his hands. Despite the illusions a roomful of mirrors creates, he defeats evil by breaking through it and finding the cowering and bloodied Han.

It’s too bad justice couldn’t bring back his sister.

Final Thoughts

Here was a hero who didn’t need special effects or props to make him look good in front of the camera. What you saw was raw, vintage Lee with his only weapons of artistry, his deadly hands and feet. He also used nunchucks and some sticks...and a rattlesnake, but it was all done by him and no stunt double or camera enhancement. I think he was actually too fast for the camera, which had to show him in slow motion!

Besides the brilliance of the fighting choreography throughout the movie, the tightly-edited and well-dubbed story was engaging as well with only a couple of easily-forgotten story flaws. The actual killing, also, was left to our imagination as we watched (and squirmed in my case!)as the contorted faces of the killers closed or jumped in for the kill.

I liked Jim Kelly and John Saxon with their friendly faces and great enjoyment in the women offered them, although not the strange food in Kelley’s case! They pulled off their roles with aplomb and some humor. Lee, though, was lit from within and exuded absolute confidence and control, just like the way he handled the rattlesnake or predicted that the smaller praying mantis would overcome the bigger one in a contest he watched.

Human fly climbing buildings, small and deadly insect or avenging angel, Bruce Lee is everything today’s martial artists are not. He’s the real thing. Fortunately you don’t need to take a lowly female’s word for it, but can go buy the video and DVD today. You can see...and hear...him if you don’t believe me!

Eeyah!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older