Enter the Dragon (1973)

Director:

Robert Clouse

Writer:

Michael Allin (written by)

Release Date:

19 August 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The first American produced martial arts spectacular!

Plot:

A martial artist agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord using his invitation to a tournament there as cover.

Plot Keywords:

Tournament | Martial Arts | Shaolin | Island | Temple

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bruce Lee	...	Lee
John Saxon	...	Roper
Kien Shih	...	Han (as Shih Kien)
Ahna Capri	...	Tania
Angela Mao	...	Su Lin (as Angela Mao Ying)
Jim Kelly	...	Williams
Robert Wall	...	Oharra (as Bob Wall)
Bolo Yeung	...	Bolo (as Yang Sze)
Betty Chung	...	Mei Ling
Geoffrey Weeks	...	Braithwaite
Peter Archer	...	Parsons
Li Jen Ho	...	Old Man
Marlene Clark	...	Roper's Secretary
Allan Kent	...	Golfer
William Keller	...	Los Angeles Cop #1

Also Known As:

Long zheng hu dou (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Operation Dragon (Europe: English title)
The Deadly Three (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for martial arts violence and brief nudity.

Runtime:

98 min | USA:110 min (25th Anniversary Edition) | USA:99 min (theatrical version)

Country:

Hong Kong | USA

Language:

English | Chinese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (re-release) | Dolby Digital (re-release) | Mono (original release) | SDDS (re-release)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1973) | Finland:K-18 (1999) | Iceland:16 | UK:18 (uncut) | Sweden:15 (edited for re-rating) | Sweden:(Banned) (original rating) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | UK:18 (director's cut) (1998) (uncut) | UK:18 (video rating) (1988) (cut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Norway:18 (video) (cut) | Norway:(Banned) (1973-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Aberdeen Harbour, Aberdeen, Hong Kong, China

Company:

Concord Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Bruce Lee had a few injuries on the set. One was when shooting O'Hara's death scene, Bob Wall mistimed his thrust of the broken bottle towards Lee and severely cut Lee's hand (fake glass was not available). Another was when handling the poisonous snake that guards the secret entrance to Han's drug lab, Bruce was in fact bitten. Thankfully the snake's venom gland had been removed.

Goofs:

Continuity: Han's prison holds, "Old men who don't care where they sleep", as Han describes it. We see sad emaciated old men, presumably not being fed or treated well, dozens cramped into a cell. After they are released, they turn into dozens of healthy young men, physically fit and ready for a fight!

Quotes:

Parsons: The art of fighting without fighting? Show me some of it.
Lee: Later.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

Don't think! Feeeeeeelll!

When it comes to kung fu, Bruce Lee is a legend. When it comes to kung fu cinema, Enter the Dragon is the most highly regarded. In other words, you owe it to yourself to see this flick! The story is relatively simple but quite sufficient and sprinkled with humor. The locations and setting are wonderful as well. The characters are one of the main attractions here though, with the gambling but honorable Roper (John Saxon), the feisty and unorthodox (but effective!) Williams (Jim Kelly), Chinese Hercules Bolo, and the great baddie Han, the hand man. Bruce Lee's presence, of course, steals the show. While some of the fight scenes from Lee's Chinese Connection (I think that's the one) may rival the ones here, ETD is a far more well-rounded film. The variety of exciting fights are skillfully choreographed and there's not too much downtime from the action either; even in the flash back we have some excellent female butt-kicking. And you gotta love that 70's soundtrack! This is a classic action film that will never be forgotten. The two-disc DVD was loaded with goodies; you really couldn't ask for more, except for maybe a better commentary. Producer Paul Heller was dull, dry, and had little to offer.