Classic Kung-Fu Action Flick (Enter The Dragon (DVD))

Member Name: huggy2009

Product:	Enter The Dragon (DVD)
Date:	08/06/09 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Action, the great Bruce Lee

Disadvantages: Dodgy Dialogue, cheesy story

This is the only film Bruce Lee created as a big budget Hollywood film, it is ground breaking as a martial arts film and is still one of the greatest fighting films ever made.

The Film - This was the last film Bruce Lee made before his death, just as he broke Hollywood, the film is directed by Robert Clouse and is hollywoods first ever Kung Fu film, the film follows Bruce Lee, fellow Martial Artist Jim Kelly and John Saxon. Lee is a mysterious Shao-Lin martial artist who is invited to a martial arts tournament held by the evil Han, Han is an international drug dealer and villain who invites the worlds greatest fighters to his island each year to fight. He agrees to go on the request of Braithwaite a secret agent investigating Han's activities. On the boat heading to the island he meets fellow competitors Roper (Saxon) and Williams (Kelly). The boat trip is a bonding experience with a famous Prating Mantis fight being a scene stealer.

On the island, Han allows each fighter to choose a prostitute, Lee chooses Mei Ling (A woman he is aware works with Braithwaite as a secret agent). The tournament begins and Lee fights and searches premises in the evenings. The film develops, Lee kills a man during his first fight when illegally attacked with Broken bottles and Williams is killed by Han when he is mistaken as the man who is searching the island for evidence. The film continues with Lee's resolve strengthened to win the tournament and get rid of the evil Han, will he defeat the other fighters and bodyguards as well as Han or will it all be too much for one man?

Bruce Lee - Bruce is Bruce, his dialogue in this film is laughable, he is in the film for one thing and one thing only, his magnificent martial arts skills. His acting is great, he is fast efficient and really is a big screen hero, its just the words he is asked to say are claptrap and let the film down, but also make it a classic. Lee in action is mesmerising, he is absolutely brilliant and still the greatest action hero i've ever seen. He is fast, powerful and utterly believable in his fight scenes you do believe he is unbeatable and afraid of nothing, the film has added poignancy due to his subsequent mysterious death.

What I thought:

The film is a genre film, it is formulaic and you kind of know how its going to end from the first moment you see Bruce Lee, this is clearly a vehicle for its star and he takes the opportunity with relish, he is amazingly agile and powerful in the lead role, the story is fairly good the dialogue is the one thing that lets it down, its cliché driven and corny. But with action this good, who cares. One of the best action films of the 1970's this is well worth a look for any marital art connoisseurs out there.

The DVD is available for £3.98 on Amazon.co.uk.

Summary: Classic Kung-Fu Action Flick