Chasing the Dragon (Enter The Dragon (DVD))

Member Name: MykReeve

Product:	Enter The Dragon (DVD)
Date:	22/11/00 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliantly directed fight scenes, well directed, good music

Disadvantages: Bad dubbing, "Ooooohaaaaaah!" ;, slight plot

If you compare the covers of the US and UK video or DVD releases of 'Enter The Dragon', you'll immediately notice one difference. The weapon that Bruce Lee is carrying is very different – in the US edition, he wields a nunchaku (two sticks joined by a chain), whereas in the UK edition, he holds a rather plain looking staff. This is something that the British Board of Film Classification have long held an over-protective stance on – there's obviously no way that the British audience could see someone yielding a nunchaku, without wanting to try it ourselves, apparently. Well, the BBFC have recently seen the light, and under the new progressive policy of Andreas Whittam-Smith, they have finally passed the film uncut in the UK. However, I imagine it'll be a few months before Warner get round to re-releasing the film in the UK (presumably with obvious "NOW UNCUT!" labels), so in the mean time buying a UK release of the film will mean that Lee's nunchaku usage will be conspicuously absent.

This is a pity, because the strongest part of the film is unquestionably the martial arts showcased here. 'Enter The Dragon' was the first American produced martial arts movie, and was almost certainly the first film to open up Hong Kong cinema to a wider, worldwide market. The American influence is incredibly obvious from the start, as the film is almost entirely in English. This means that the audience has to struggle with quite a few dubious accents, especially from Kien Shih (who plays Han) and Bruce Lee himself. The speech has quite evidently been dubbed on afterwards, but this isn't done as badly as you might expect, nor is it particularly distracting. Some Hong Kong movies have had their original Cantonese dialogue dubbed on afterwards less accurately than the English has been dubbed on here!

So, what's the story? Well, needless to say, most don't watch 'Enter The Dragon' for the story lin
e, it is the martial arts showcased here that are the main attraction, so the story is actually quite weak. Lee (Bruce Lee) is the best student at the Shaolin School of Martial Arts, and is invited by Han to attend a martial arts tournament at his island fortress. Lee is also asked by government authorities to investigate Han's alleged drug smuggling activities. He also has a third agenda, to revenge Han's bodyguard, Oharra (Robert Wall), who he believes was responsible for his sister's death. Lee travels to Han's island with Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly), two American karate experts, who were also invited to take part in the tournament.

There is an undeniable 70s feel to the movie, but it really doesn't matter too much. The music is pretty good, and Robert Clouse's direction throughout is excellent - presenting the fights crisply and sharply.

The martial arts action throughout the film is truly exceptional. Bruce Lee is just stunning, and the fight sequences in 'Enter The Dragon' are unparalleled even in today's martial arts movies. The fights are very realistic, and fighters use traditional weaponry, including escrima sticks, and of course the infamous nunchaku. Bruce Lee demonstrates his incredible skills and training in his own martial arts school – Jeet Kune Do ("Way of the Intercepting Fist") – throughout the film, and his awesome mastery is truly stunning to watch. Probably my only problem with the action scenes, however, is Bruce's trademark high-pitched whooping (which is dubbed on afterwards anyway), which I personally find quite irritating.

It is interesting to see that future Hong Kong movie stars Samo Hung ("Eastern Condors", "Island of Fire", and lately television's "Martial Law") and Jackie Chan ("Shanghai Noon", "Drunken Master", "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow", "Police Story&quo
t;, and on, and on…) both appear in the film. Samo appears in the first scene, fighting Bruce Lee at the Shaolin Temple. Jackie worked as a stuntman throughout the film.

I would be remiss as a reviewer not to mention Bruce's tragic death shortly after the filming of 'Enter The Dragon'. This isn't Lee's last film, that dubious honour goes to 'Game of Death', which Bruce finished filming shortly after completing 'Enter The Dragon', but before 'Enter The Dragon' had opened at cinemas. Certainly, his death was a great loss to the Hong Kong film industry, coming at a time when the industry was just beginning to gain ground in an international arena. Bruce Lee leaves an impressive filmography, and this is almost certainly the most tightly produced, and deservedly the best known, of his films.

I have the US Region 1 25th Anniversary DVD release of the movie, which comes on a double-sided disc. The first side contains a restored copy of the film presented in stereo, with three minutes not included in the original 1973 theatrical release. These three minutes are quite interesting, including a brief conversation at the beginning of the film, written by Lee, which expands on the philosophy of his martial arts beliefs. The second side of the disc contains special features including a documentary "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words" containing video clips from the Lee family archive, and an interview with Lee's widow Linda Lee Cadwell. There are also copious production notes, as well as a brief history of Hong Kong cinema on the second side of the disc, but there is little information there that a fan of the genre wouldn't already know. This is an excellent disc, and hopefully, Warner will see fit to provide the UK audience with a similar release, with nunchaku fight intact, soon!

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