The Big Picture
- Bruce Lee's performance in Enter the Dragon showcases his charisma and poise, making him a captivating screen presence.
- The film's well-paced storytelling gradually builds suspense, leading up to an incredible final fight sequence.
- Enter the Dragon remains a classic due to its combination of espionage, martial arts, and conspiracy thriller elements. Lee's performance and the film's kinetic action make it unforgettable.
The upcoming 50th anniversary provided the opportunity to check out the Bruce Leeclassic Enter the Dragon, a film I had shamelessly never seen despite my love of martial arts cinema. While I have been a lifelong Jackie Chan fan and consider Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonto be an all-time favorite, I had initially been hesitant because I was already exposed to countless references, homages, and recreations of Enter the Dragon over the years that I wasn’t sure if my experience would be the same. Certain films just permeate the pop culture landscape so that even those who have never seen them can still recognize the most iconic moments. However, I was happy to see that there was a different side of Enter the Dragon that I wasn’t expecting, which was the espionage and noir angle.
Enter the Dragon was an international co-production between the United States and Hong Kong, which premiered only a month after Lee’s shocking death at the age of 32. He stars as the aptly named superspy “Lee,” who is dispatched to attend a martial arts tournament on the private island of the notorious crime boss Han (Shih Kien). While Lee is paired alongside the American agent Roper (John Saxon), there’s no confusion about who is the star. Lee’s performance is the sort of “movie star” breakout role that launches a career. Sadly, it had to function as his swan song instead.
Bruce Lee Is an All-Time Great Screen Presence
While Lee is a martial arts master, he is also just such a charismatic presence on screen. I don’t necessarily need an action star like Vin Dieselor Donnie Yento give a genuinely nuanced performance, but Lee’s poise packs a punch. He’s more than just a hulking weapon who can beat the pulp out of his enemies. There’s a suave confidence to him that reminded me a lot of Sean Connery’s 007 because he is always the coolest guy in the room. Even when he faces overwhelming opposition, Lee retains a sense of self-control that prevents him from breaking his composure.
However, Lee also reveals that the calm and collected persona that he has created for himself is just a facade. In reality, he is mourning the death of his sister, and the opportunity to go to the tournament would allow him to take vengeance upon the man responsible for her death, O’Hara (Bob Wall). Part of his seemingly uncaring nature is because he’s still in the grieving process, and has used this demeanor of charisma to avoid breaking down in public. As a result of his vulnerability, he signs up for a mission from the British intelligence agency that he isn’t equipped for. It feels like the descendant of Alfred Hitchcock’s “ordinary guy caught in extraordinary circumstances,” even if Lee’s natural prowess is nothing short of unbelievable.
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Show Creator Jonathan Tropper & EP Shannon Lee also talk about how Mai Ling is their Michael Corleone, and their hope for more seasons.While it’s a film that audiences are naturally going to see because of the promise of Lee’s fighting ability, Enter the Dragon is well-paced and doesn’t overwhelm the viewer with action from the beginning. Modern action franchises like The Fast and the Furiousseries grow tiresome when they’re just nonstop set pieces, as there’s little to no emotional investment required. Director Robert Clouse does an excellent job at gradually building the suspense ahead of what will surely be an incredible set piece at the end.
The Fight Scenes Are Well Built
What makes the pacing so successful is that Clouse simply understands how to structure a film. For Lee to be in a vulnerable position by the time the story wraps up, he needs to go through an emotional battle first. His standoff with O’Hara early on is simply an intimate brawl and not an epic drawn-out sequence. It exposes Lee’s real investment in vengeance to the other characters, as he unleashes his full potential in a furious series of attacks. It’s evident that Lee isn’t just there to beat O’Hara, but to humiliate him in front of a crowd and disgrace his honor. Since martial arts is his craft, he is using the thing he knows best to process his grief in the wake of his sister’s death. It’s more rewarding that Lee gets to best O’Hara and hear from Han that O’Hara’s betrayal is an embarrassment because he risked everything on his one shot.
It’s a genuinely moving performance, and Lee created an iconic archetype that has been endlessly replicated over the years. Considering that the film was released during an ample period within the growth of the spy and blaxploitation genres, it’s easy to look back at the most iconic action films of the 1970s and see what they’re inspired by. Enter the Dragon still feels like an impressive unification of these seemingly contradictory tones. There’s an aura of suspense and paranoia that builds up as Lee uncovers the real conspiracy at play that works as a conspiracy thriller. Some of the best scenes are purely observational moments of Lee simply walking around and exploring the beautiful venue while awesome music plays in the background courtesy of the iconic Argentinian musician Lalo Schifrin.
'Enter the Dragon' Remains a Classic for a Reason
Of course, Lee and Saxons’ final battle against Han and his forces is the type of propulsive action sequence that will never be topped. Even though I had been anticipating the iconic “mirror smashing” moment since the beginning, it’s no less impactful. Since the film is so well-paced, this sudden extended sequence feels like a kinetic force of energy that perfectly closes out the story. Lee becomes a fighting machine with such incredible stamina and precision that left me breathless. You almost have to laugh at the absurdity that a human being is capable of such incredible work, yet it’s all real.
Watching Enter the Dragon reminded me of my experience watching the final films of James Dean, as it’s hard to not feel melancholy when you consider all that Lee would have been capable of. He was clearly at the peak of his abilities and could’ve delivered countless other action classics throughout his career. Perhaps none of them will live up to Enter the Dragon. However, in the same way that even a mediocre Jackie Chan movie is pretty entertaining, I’m confident that Lee would have been able to elevate many subpar films into something special. Nonetheless, Enter the Dragon allowed him to reach his full potential, and I’m glad that he got to end his career on such a high note.
Rating: A-
