Enter the Dragon (1973)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

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

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:

The part of Williams was originally intended to be played by Rockne Tarkington.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the one guard attacks Lee underground with the nunchucks (and subsequently stares in disbelief), you can see the shadow of a studio light on the crates in the background.

Quotes:

Shaolin Abbot: The enemy has only images and illusions behind which he hides his true motives. Destroy the image and you will break the enemy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Le jouet (1976)

They called him Bruce...

The film that should have put Bruce Lee over the top has him battling an evil ring of drug dealers while out to avenge his sister's death ("You have offended my family and you have offended the Shaman temple."). It's a shame that Bruce died so young (and that his son Brandon died even younger), given that he was as close to superhuman as possible. We can only imagine what his follow up vehicles would have been like.

One thing I do know from watching an old black and white interview with Bruce was that he said he had kind of made it his goal in life to show people around the world that there was more to martial arts than just breaking boards and little men kicking big men in the crotch.

The plot itself is meaningless in light of Bruce's martial arts antics and the antics of John Saxon and Williams. Particularly memorable is the scene in the room full of mirrors. Give this a look ASAP.