Week 1 Blog: Enter The Dragon

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Title: Enter The Dragon

Writer: Michael Allin

Director: Robert Clouse

Year: 1973

Actors: Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly

Story: The storyline for Enter the Dragon is about a shaolin temple monk, who goes astray, from the shaolin temple and starts his own organization on his own island named after him, Han’s island. On that island, Mr. Han manufactures his own supply of opm and heroin. He also runs a cartel of female escorts. The United States government wants to shut Mr. Han’s business down. So they send one of their own agent played by Bruce Lee, who is also a member of the shaolin temple. Bruce Lee’s job is to go on Han’s island to gather evidence and vital information to shut down Han’s operation. Every year on Han’s island, he hold a martial arts tournament. Being that Bruce Lee is a martial artist, he is sent to that island, as an undercover spy, portraying a marital art artist who will be fighting in Han’s tournament.

Plot: Three martial artists, Bruce Lee, John Saxon, and Jim Kelly accepts an invitation to fight on Han’s island at Han’s yearly martial art tournament. The incentive is to win big money by beating their opponents in the martial art tournament. Bruce Lee’s incentive is to go on Han’s island, as an undercover spy, for the United States government to gather evidence that Mr. Han is producing opm, heroin, and a female escort business. Each martial artist in this film displays their unique fighting skills. The movie ends with climatic fighting scene between Bruce Lee and Mr. Han. The film also shows unity between an African American, a Caucasian and Asian. Enter the Dragon is considered probably the best martial art motion picture in history, which also made the late Bruce Lee a legend.

Enter The Dragon was filmed non-linearly. As each main character from Enter The Dragon was featured, they highlighted each actor’s past prior to going to Mr. Han’s island and entering Han’s martial art tournament.

Non-linearly:

Bruce Lee’s portrayal as Mr. Lee in Enter The Dragon, showed the United States main stream audience that Bruce Lee is not just a martial art artist but a great actor. In the film, which came out in 1973, Bruce Lee on camera introduced his mixed martial art skills, which did not become popular till thirty years later with the birth of the UFC.   This classic film also introduced to the mainstream escrima which is a Filipino stick fighting art, which includes the nunchakus sticks. Bruce Lee paved the way back in 1973, as an Asian male leading character, and a movie star of his own film, which is a first.

I don’t think that Bruce Lee would be a legend now if the film went a different path. For example, if they deleted the opening scene, I personally don’t think the UFC would even be around in 2015. That classic scene showed a non-classic view of martial arts that incorporated boxing, Gung-Fu, Judo, and wrestling. No martial art films since Enter The Dragon has even come close to the amount of money it made and its popularity. In addition, there hasn’t been a leading Asian actor, who has the star quality look and leading man appeal since Bruce Lee.

Resources:

Callahan, T. [trishacallahan]. (2015, April 24). Enter The Dragon 1973: Action Movies Full English – Best Movie Full Hd 1080p. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl57JUJ5Ix8

Warner Bros. Enter The Dragon (1973) Lobby card with Bruce Lee & Robert Wall. Retrieved from http://www.moviestillsdb.com/movies/enter-the-dragon-i70034

Warner Bros. Enter The Dragon (1973) Publicity still of Bruce Lee. Retrieved from http://www.moviestillsdb.com/movies/enter-the-dragon-i70034/poZVsp

Warner Bros. Enter The Dragon (1973) Publicity still of Bruce Lee. Retrieved from http://www.moviestillsdb.com/movies/enter-the-dragon-i70034/aa91385e