Classic
Summary
Enter the Dragon is undoubtedly a classic with Bruce Lee proving to be an absolute legend; there are regular fight scenes and an excellent supporting cast which is why it still holds up after all these years. There aren’t many special features on the 4K but the picture and sound quality are demo worthy making this worthy adding to the collection if you don’t already have it.
Plot: Bruce Lee explodes onto the screen in the film that rocketed him to international superstardom, Enter The Dragon. Recruited by an intelligence agency, martial arts student Lee (Lee–Fists of Fury, The Chinese Connection) participates in a brutal tournament at a remote island fortress in an attempt to gather enough evidence to convict the international drug-trafficker responsible for the murder of Lee’s sister. In the now-classic fight-to-the-death finish, two men enter a mirrored maze, but only one will exit…
Review: I recently picked up the 4K of Enter the Dragon at Walmart at the very reasonable price of 15 dollars; I already have the film on Blu-ray, but I saw that this version contains the full unedited cut of the film. Aside from that there aren’t many other special features other than an audio commentary, so if you already have the Blu-ray then I wouldn’t say you need to upgrade.
The extended edition is seen as the definitive version according to Bruce’s widow Linda who gives an introduction to the film on the 4K. There are two extra scenes – one at the beginning has Lee talking about the philosophy of martial arts with one of the monks and the other is during the final showdown In the hall of mirrors with Han. In this extended version we hear the voice of Lee’s master give him advice in a “use the Force” moment.
I’d never noticed some of the influences this movie had on Star Wars before, especially during the scene where Lee is trapped as the doors shut all around him. He sits down and crosses his legs the same way Qui-Gon does during the lightsaber battle at the end of The Phantom Menace.
Special Features:
- 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
- HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
- NEW Dolby Atmos audio track
- TWO VERSIONS: Original theatrical version and special edition version
- Introduction by Linda Lee Cadwell
- Audio commentary by Paul Heller and Michael Allin
The picture and sound quality of the 4K are excellent with bright, vibrant colours so this is worth picking up for that alone.
Enter The Dragon remains arguably the most iconic martial arts film of all time really bringing the genre into the mainstream internationally and it was the film that made Bruce Lee a legend; it’s so tragic that we lost him and Brandon so young as I would have loved to have seen what they would have accomplished if they got to live full lives.
Bruce Lee was immediately charismatic and had genuine screen presence; he plays a martial artist called Mr. Lee who is asked by an agency to infiltrate Han’s island during a fighting tournament as one of their agents went missing months before. Along the way he meets up with Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly) who also take part in the tournament. Both are appealing characters with Roper being the likeable rogue who is addicted to gambling with Williams on the run after assaulting two racist cops.
The pacing for this movie is perfect giving us enough time to get to know the characters while also giving us fight scenes every few minutes to keep things moving. Lee was incredible to watch on screen and remains one of the all time great on-screen fighters. There’s a reason he is still so revered after all these years.
I love Lalo Schifrin’s score which is pure 70’s cool and the opening theme really sets the tone for the movie. It all feels like a James Bond movie except with martial arts. The excellent Shih Kien as Han is very much is a Bond villain with his own island lair and it has that somewhat trippy atmosphere that was still prevalent in movies in the early 70s.
There are early roles for Bolo Yeung, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan in this movie which is another reason it is such a classic. Admittedly, some of it is noticeably dubbed at times but for me that’s part of the enjoyment factor.
Overall, Enter the Dragon remains one of the most iconic martial arts movies of all time with Bruce Lee proving he is one of the greatest action stars and the film is a constant reminder how tragic it was that we lost him so soon. It may feel like a product of the time period, but that’s not a bad thing as I love movies from the 70’s as they have that natural grittiness to them. I find this a very easy film to watch and the 4K transfer makes it look and sound as good as new. I wish there were more special features, so I’ll keep my Blu-ray as well, but the film alone makes this worth picking up.
