Mattcha_97

Enter the Dragon

I don’t think anyone will ever understand how much this film really means to me. It’s my dad’s favorite of all time, so naturally it was the first martial arts film he showed me. I’ll never forget the story he told me about him and his friends (who were 14 at the time) sneaking into the cinema in 1973 to watch it, multiple times even. They had seen it so many times they could all quote every single line from memory, and I believe I could do the same at this point considering how many times I’ve rewatched it. My dad and his friends trained in martial arts, so of course this was groundbreaking for them; Bruce Lee was the ultimate role model for any aspiring martial artist. I even trained myself for about 12 years, reaching 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do (my dad reached 5th degree) and I owe that all to this film. Bruce Lee was more than just an incredible performer and martial artist; he was a true visionary who pioneered the martial arts film industry in Hollywood. His philosophy on life is one I strive to follow every day, and has helped guide me through my journey of self-improvement and spiritual growth. Watching his films gives me a nostalgic warmth, reminding me of simpler times living at home with my parents and watching it with my dad whenever we got a chance. There is so much to love about this movie; the score, fight choreography, blending of martial arts with espionage and blaxploitation, creative cinematography (which looks gorgeous in Blu-ray btw), chemistry between the actors, quotable dialogue, and who doesn’t love watching Bruce Lee handle a live cobra? I could literally go on for hours but I’ll cut my review here. Anyway, this one’s made for me, and I’ll never stop rewatching it. OH also Jackie Chan is one of the guards, and gets manhandled by Bruce Lee, great little fun fact.

BelugaJames

Enter the Dragon

Good fights, some unintentional humor, rad score. Love the claw hand and hall of mirrors fight.

jorderrrn

Enter the Dragon

Bruce Lee is unbelievably cool in this. The fights are great, the music is really good and I loved Williams because not only is he sauce personified but he’s also a very clear inspiration for the Boondocks’ Bushido Brown character, who’s also a really cool guy. I have my issues, the era this film was made in is apparent in some not so great ways like some of the racial stereotypes and the way the female characters are written but it’s still great despite those flaws Han is also a really fun villain. He, as pointed out by Williams, is straight out of a comic book. He’s goofy, he’s cartoonish and hilariously fucking stupid and that’s what makes him great. I love how he’s just a James Bond villain, hell, this whole thing is a James Bond movie and it’s just great. He even has a cat! A CAT!! I love him

reeceksmith

Enter the Dragon

The action is obviously really cool and the set pieces and choreography was fantastic, but the story itself kinda lacking and a little all underdeveloped. But it was still a really fun film to watch