Enter the Dragon

50th anniversary screening from the film’s first release and the death of Bruce Lee. In digitally restored print. 

Director: Robert Clouse
Starring: Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly, John Saxon, Shih Kien
Runtime: 102'
Year of Production: 1973
Language: English
Subtitles: Greek

In the ‘70s, a young man with the animalistic look of an angry beast became the object of mass adoration around the world: Bruce Lee sparked a popular passion unprecedented for an actor who had few completed films in his career and passed away very early, at the age of 32. His legend began with his imposing physical appearance, it was enhanced by his astonishing perfection in the philosophy and practice of martial arts and it exploded with his mystifying presence on screen. Wherever he performed, whether on television or in film, he automatically became part of a rapidly growing cult mythology.

With “Enter the Dragon”, however, surrounded by an international cast, superior means of production, a successful combination of kung fu and spy intrigue and the blessings of the Warner Brothers, the myth was transfigured into religious ecstasy. Director Robert Clouse shows an extraordinary professionalism towards the particular movie genre he is representing: the film has rhythm, a multitude of characters, an exquisite soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin (which was subsequently used countless times as a sample) and a few anthology scenes, such as the ultimate duel in a room full of mirrors.

What it excels at, however, are the barrage of fights, captured in all their ritualistic glamor and realism. Supreme master Bruce Lee executed each shot, however dangerous, all alone and without a stuntman to replace him. With the fury of a perfectionist choreographer trying to explore his physical limits on screen, this actor with a catlike mobility always brought the spectacle of violence within arm's reach of his audience, while assuring them that all of the stunning stunts he performed were not exaggerations, but were actually happening. The exaltation of Bruce Lee's art, and of his transcendent figure, is celebrated better than ever in this classic and highly successful box office film. Loukas Katsikas