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Enter the Dragon

Enter the Dragon

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: too awesome for words
Review: I have seen this movie too many times to count, and am stillmezmerized by it every time I watch it. My favorite scenes are theopening fight scene at the temple, and the total humiliation of O'Hara. Lee glows in this movie, not really in a physical sense, but a spiritual one. The film also has some James Bond type of action, which blends in well with the script. Kelley, Saxon, and other supporting actors handle their roles well. The island added quite a bit of mystique to the movie, and personally, if it were filmed at another location, I don't think the film would have been as complete. There will never be another Bruce Lee, or another martial arts film of this caliber. Yes, there have been great films made since then, but never an equal to this one. This is a movie that every martial arts and action fan should have-I even bought extra copies to pass down to my children-sounds ridiculous to some, but I can show them what real martial arts films were about.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A glimpse of what could have come
Review: The thing that has always struck me about Bruce Lee is his acting ability. From sheer intensity to charasmatic cool, Lee was able to convey more emotions in a simple glance than most actors could with a series of lines. Like his martial arts, Lee excelled in everything he did. Even in the cheesy Hong Kong karate films of his past, Lee showed glimmers of his great acting ability which, if he had lived, would have taken him to even greater super stardom. Enter The Dragon is a mixture of Fists Of Fury and Dr. No, as Lee plays a secret agent for the British, sent to a hidden island of a madman to participate in a martial arts tournament and discover what he's hiding there. John Saxon and Jim Kelley are also awesome as Americans on the island as part of the tournament. (You can also see Kelley in Black Belt Jones, but not much else) While the plot isn't as thick as, say, The Usual Suspects, it still has enough story and depth to make it more than just a simple action movie. And, of course, Lee's great fighting and acting ability, plus some great characters, make for a great movie going experience. I wish current action movies could be this much fun.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: ENTER THE DRAGON is considered the greatest kung fu film ever made. It is. BUT, I think it's better than that. This is the BEST movie ever. BRUCE LEE is without doubt the greatest martial artist of all time. He can completely dominate anyone. The only reason he's dead is because he worked so hard in his life to atain the highest level of performance ever seen by a fighter and he achieved that goal. Bruce died on July 20th 1973, three weeks before ENTER THE DRAGON was released. The movie sees Lee take revenge for the murder of his sister by entering a martial arts tournament organized by drug lord HAN (Shih Kien). Lee takes on Han in the final battle which will leave you mesmorized forever.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Yippee Ki Ai!
Review: If you're a martial arts movie fan and you haven't seen Enter the Dragon, there's no excuse for you. This is the Hollywood granddaddy of 'em all, and not just because of Bruce Lee. Admittedly, Bruce Lee supplies the best fight scenes in the film (the one featuring ex-model John Saxon is very disappointing. Brutish Bolo is touted as the big boss fighter throughout the movie, and when he doesn't actually fight Lee, it's a definite let-down.). The film also has cameo performances from some very big name performers before they became internationally-known: Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, and Sammo Hung are the three I noticed. Unfortunately, they are not listed in the credits.

Bruce Lee is great to watch, not just as a supreme martial artist but also for the anatomy lesson he provides. Lee is all bone, sinew, and muscle, and his skin almost seems to be an afterthought. There's not a shred of fat on his frame, and it is easy to see which muscles come into play for various movements.

The film is filled with vintage 70s cheese, from the over-the-top cool cat performance of Jim Kelly and his afro, to the funky wakka-wakka guitar music. Every punch and every kick, even if it doesn't actually hit anything, is accompanied by a swooshing or smacking sound effect. It's as though every strike breaks the sound barrier. And when contact is actually made, enormous thwacking sounds accompany it. I may only be a yellow belt in karate, but something tells me if my arm really made that smacking sound every time I punched, there must be something horribly wrong with my joints.

I found the panoramic scenes of karateka training to be very interesting. It looks like a complete hodgepodge of styles. I also noticed an awful lot of white belts, considering the setting is an elite invitational tournament. I thought the white belts would be there as practice targets for the masters, but the movie just didn't shape up that way. Instead, it was the hapless guards who got to be the punching bags. Something tells me all the students from all the martial arts schools in the Hong Kong area were herded onto the set as extras. I saw a lot of sloppy strikes during the punching drills, and many of the white belts didn't appear able to tie their belts properly. I saw more than one belt tied like a big floppy shoe lace, and a couple with one end poking straight up toward the wearers' chests.

The version of the film I saw includes a behind-the-scenes short and an interview with Bruce Lee, featuring some home video footage and some of Lee's philosophies on martial arts. I enjoyed watching Lee teach his infant son how to do kicks, but could have done without the syrupy aggrandizing of Lee's wife.

As with most martial arts films, don't watch this expecting much in the way of plot. Watch it for Lee. He really is awe-inspiring.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Bruce Lee at His Incomparable Best
Review: Considered by some critics to be the definitive martial-arts film, Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon" (1973) is comic-book escapism on a grand scale. Robert Clouse received credit as director, but there's no doubt that Lee handled the terrific action sequences. The fights are almost nonstop as Lee performs impossible feats with lightning-fast, effortless precision. Though unoriginal in terms of scripting, "Enter the Dragon" represents Lee's finest 90 minutes on screen while featuring some of the best martial-arts choreography captured on film. It remains a spectacular swan song to his brief career. (For the Warner Home Video "special edition," two scenes were restored that provide insight into Lee's character and his motivation for tracking down the villainous Han. Despite good intentions, the additional scenes are ruined by horrendous dubbing. Hopefully, Warner will reissue "Enter the Dragon" in its original version.)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A good treat
Review: This new release is quite a good treat, especially for Bruce Lee newly fans as it contains "Enter the Dragon" movie (1973), "A Warrior's Journey" documentay (2001) & "Curse of the Dragon" documentary (1993) all in one 2-discs special edition.

Additionally, it also contains the "Bruce Lee - In his own words" documentary (1998), Linda Lee interview, loads of trailers & TV spots...

For an old fan like myself, the only special thing in this 2-discs special edition is the "Blood & Steel - The making of Enter the Dragon" documentary. Pity that it was only about 30 mins. It contains new unreleased footage captured in Ahna Capri's video-cam back in 1973. Some glimpse of Bruce in the footage, one with Bruce lifting one leg & spinning around (wonder what he was doing?). Some other scenes showing Bruce smiling (Charisma on-screen & off-screen, tell me about it! Bruce is just so unique & captivating). Another showing Bruce put a coat over Ahna Capri (wonder what he was doing!! lol)

I am also glad to see "Curse of the Dragon" documentary included in this DVD boxset. In my memory, I do not remember this documentary being released in DVD by Warner.

One disappointing side though, the Game of Death lost footage in "A Warrior's Journey" documentary appears frail in DVD quality as compared to the HK Legends' release of the "Game of Death - Platinum Edition" version. I would recommed any Bruce Lee fan to also get the latter because of the high DVD quality & other special features. Furthermore, these 2 versions showcasing the lost footage fight scenes vary a little, with Bruce appearing a bit more in one version & less in the other version & vice versa.

Being a fanatic Bruce Lee fan, I have in fact already owned the 25th anniversary edition "Enter the Dragon" DVD, "A Warrior's Journey" DVD, & "Curse of the Dragon" VCD. So unless you are an average Bruce Lee fan, be prepared to part with some money.

To all Bruce Lee newly fans, I say to you what Bruce said to Karrem in the Game of Death lost footage: "What you are waiting for??!!"

All in all, I would give it a 5 stars rating for a nice collection in a 2-dics special edition.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Extra's top off an all time Great Movie
Review: Talk about martial arts and you are sure to hear Bruce Lee's name mentioned. The 20th century icon so tragically cut down before his true potential was realized (and even before this movie was released) has gained almost immortal status, over the last 30 years. This movie was the jewel in his filmaking crown, and paved the way for countless stars since. What I liked particularly however was the number of indepth and interesting extra's on the DVD set. There is some cross referring, as a lot of these documentaries and commentaries have been individually released previously but this is a great complete package. Often referred to as "one of a kind" in his area of expertise, for me at least he will always be - often imitated, never equalled. 5 Stars all the way.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Exit the Dragon
Review: So here it is... more than 30 years since the original theatrical release of Enter the Dragon, Warner Brothers releases the definitive 2 DVD special edition. It's a fine offering, long overdue, and considering the price, really offers a lot of nice extras, though most of them have been available elsewhere and have therefore been seen before (at least by rabid fans like me).

To start with, there is of course the movie Enter the Dragon (ETD) - Bruce Lee's magnum opus that unfortunately would not be released until after his death in 1973, but sealed his immortality. The plot is simple enough - Bruce is a modern day Shaolin monk who is somehow enlisted by the British (Hong Kong) government to infiltrate the island of Dr. Han (Shieh Kien), a crusty old renegade Shaolin gone bad who holds a yearly martial arts tournament to recruit talent for an international opium and prostitution racket. Roper (John Saxon), or "Loper" as Bruce says his name, is the established Hollywood caucasian star brought in because of reservations about Bruce's ability to carry the film, while Williams (Jim Kelly) is the token blaxploitation character who, this being the 70's, is kind of a Shaft/Superfly ass-kicker and, in the spirit of horror movies, is the first to die at the hand of Han - actually, at his artificial, interchangeable, iron, and often bladed hand. Even Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, as young Hong Kong stuntment before they became stars in their own right, make infamous appearances as guys who get beat up by Bruce. But the real point, or value, of this movie is that Bruce Lee shines throughout with his incredible fight scenes - he once again kicks Bob Wall's [back] with lightning fast punches and a great groin shot that still makes me wince despite hundreds of viewings; he has some fantastic weapons sequences with staff, double escrima sticks, and nunchaku; and he more than lives up to his reputation as the "man with three legs" as he demolishes armies of scrawny Asian guys whose gung fu is pitiful in comparison (you've got to check out the guy laughing in the background as Bruce connects three successive roundhouse kicks to one sap's head in the final mob fight). This was totally new and amazing in 1973 as the first ever martial arts movie made in Hollywood and despite all the subsequent copycats and modern day wire-fu flicks, no one has ever matched Bruce's intensity, charisma, and moves. There are some classic dramatic sequences as well with Bruce's own voice speaking English (unlike all of his Hong Kong movies whose English versions are horribly dubbed), such as Bruce teaching a student and rapping him on the head as he expounds some home grown Zen philosophy or Bruce asking "why doesn't someone just pull a .45 and settle it?" Incidentally, this is the uncut version of the movie with some extra bits not included in the theatrical release - basically Bruce talking (well, actually, it's someone else dubbing in Bruce's voice) quasi-philosophy with his Shaolin elder that he later recalls in the final fight sequence.

Of course, few people who buy this DVD don't know all this already, so what's new? Well, there is a commentary track by producers Paul Heller and Fred Weintraub - there's some interesting tidbits, but overall it's disappointingly uninspired. Then there's "Blood and Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon" - a newly produced documentary short that includes some rare and new footage - a clip from Bruce's Hong Kong TV appearance in which he breaks 4 dangling boards; an interview with John Saxon, Lalo Schifrin, and the kid who gets smacked on the head by Bruce in the movie (now apparently a well-known Hong Kong director); and several minutes of on location footage shot with Ahna Capri's handheld camera that has never been seen before (it's short of amazing, but it's new and therefore gold to diehard fans). On disc 1 there's also a Linda Lee (Cadwell) interview, another "making of" featurette with on location footage shot by the DP, and some old black and white movies (with sound) of Bruce kicking his buddies and hitting his heavy bag in his Los Angeles backyard - though these have all been previously available in one place or another (including the previous 25th Anniversary ETD DVD).

Disc 2 includes all of the TV and theatrical trailers for the movie (somewhat repetitive) and two previously released Warner Brothers documentaries - Warrior's Journey, which captures and knits together the lost Game of Death footage (GOD) in its available entirety, and Curse of the Dragon, a George Takei (Sulu of Star Trek fame) narrated documentary released around the time of Brandon Lee's death. These are both decent films, with Warrior's Journey a real gem with the GOD footage - the definitive way to watch Bruce duel nunchakus with Dan Inosanto and try to deconstruct Kareen Abdul Jabbar's fighting style - but they've already been released before on their own also, so they're less than revelatory.

And so, what we have here is by far the best available version of ETD that now exists and probably ever will, complete with a lot of nice extras, most of which have been available elsewhere. It's nice to have it all in one package (there's no apparent need to sell Warrior's Journey as a standalone product anymore) at a reasonable price. On the other hand, Lee worshippers will no doubt wish that there was more - why not include Bruce's Green Hornet screen test, or a Jim Kelly or Jackie Chan interview or commentary track, the James Coburn training session footage, more ETD outtakes, or maybe even "Kentucky Fried Movie," a parody of ETD released many years ago... but what can you do - Bruce died 31 years ago and this is the legacy he left behind.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good, but not much new........
Review: If you were expecting some new revelations from this latest release of Enter the Dragon you'll have to look elsewhere. Although there is a new 1/2 hour documentary on the making of ETD everything else has been released before, much of it on the 25th anniversary edition of the film. For fans of Bruce it is nice to have so many special features on one double-disc set, however, if you are a devoted Bruce Lee fan you may already own the included documentaries "Curse of the Dragon" which was broadcast on A&E, or the film "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" which contains nearly all of Bruce's footage from Game of Death interpreted as Bruce intended it.

The transfer is crisp but I could see no significant improvements over the 25th edition transfer, the commentary by Paul Heller is the same version as the 25th anniversary edition as well, and I found the Dolby 5.1 digital soundtrack rather soft and thin sounding. The new documentary "Blood and Steel: Making Enter the Dragon" does have a few things you haven't seen before including a couple of outtakes from the film and interviews with writer Michael Allin and friend and co-star Sammo Hung, as well as co-star Ahna Capri's Super 8 footage taken on location, long rumored to contain footage of Bruce in an actual fight with one of the film's extras (Bruce was routinely challenged throughout the filming by extras who were often Triad gang members). Alas, the documentary contains no such footage, finally putting to rest the hope that we would one day be able to see Bruce in a "real fight".

I may be wrong, but after 30 years I'm convinced there is no "new" Bruce Lee footage left. But then again unreleased material from Jimi Hendrix continues to pop up once in a while. Well, we can only hope....... We love you Bruce. Peace.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Finally somebody did a Bruce Lee dvd justice. I was very happy to watch the special features of this film. I own the box set of all his Chinese films. Including the horrible Game of death. (except for the last sequence) Now you can see what Bruce Lee wanted for that film. Anyone who is a fan of martial arts needs this. The intense realistic action is not seen much in hong kong cinema. Do not buy the regular version to save cash, this one is much better.


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