So, this post almost felt like it wasn't going to happen. I got a nasty stomach bug on Saturday that knocked me down for days on end, to the point that I'm still not better yet, even on Tuesday. I didn't get to watch the movie until Monday night because I couldn't even stand to watch anything or even hear anything on Saturday or Sunday because I felt so ill. I've been trying to write this out in small bits to get it complete, but it always seemed I needed another nap since I haven't' been able to eat much and I'm feeling very weak. But I wasn't going to miss a movie, even if the deadline got missed by a day. So, here it is, for you to read. I feel like this is almost more of a synopsis than a review, but at the same time, I needed the context to be understood for the moments I felt stood out the most to be discussed. So, follow along with me, if you please, and you'll see what I thought of Enter the Dragon.
When I looked up things to celebrate in the month of May, I saw it was Asian Pacific Heritage Month. Some of the most iconic Asian films one would think of to watch, I've already seen. Things like Crazy Rich Asians, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Joy Luck Club, Memoirs of a Geisha, etc. I tried to start thinking of who might have been a strong influence in film in general and it brought me to Bruce Lee. In a time when an Asian actor was mainly used as a comedic caricature, Bruce Lee came along and showed that not only can Asian actors be seen as serious actors, but that they could play the lead character and still have the film be incredibly successful. He also was an incredible fight choreographer, creating elaborate fight sequences that are still revered today.
Then, when May came around, everyone was talking about Asian Pacific Islanders Heritage Month and I had to reevaluate whether I should stick with this movie or switch to another movie depicting Asian Pacific Islander life instead of Asian Pacific films in general. Though, in all my searching, I can't find another movie on the level of iconic as Enter the Dragon, so I decided to stick with it. The only iconic API film I can think of is Moana and I've already seen that. It's a shame that there are so few Asian Pacific films made and actors and directors employed in the film industry. It's a long standing prejudice that the film industry has perpetrated and it really needs to stop. There have been some utterly fantastic films made by this community (as listed above) and it leaves me wanting more. I can only hope that the movie industry breaks away from this trend and starts to show off the voices and ideas of the Asian community. Dwayne Johnson seems to be the main person Hollywood favors when it comes to Asian Pacific Islanders and, as amazing as he is, there really should be more representation of those cultures in film. So, time to honor one of the greats that broke the mold that Hollywood tried to fit films into and watch this movie!
This was definitely an impressive film. The speed with which Lee moves is insane. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with. I kept thinking that he moved as quick as a sparrow, but as fierce as a jaguar. It's truly a sight to see. This film has a smooth flowing storyline that has Lee entering a tournament for three different reasons. The first reason is to restore honor to the Shaolin Temple he is a part of. The man holding the tournament is a former student of the temple and he has forsaken the teachings and his disgrace must be amended. For this alone, I felt that Lee would take up this mission. There was a secondary mission from a man named Braithwaite who is trying to finalize the evidence needed for the British intelligence to take Han's whole organization down, since he is trafficking both drugs and women. Lee seems to not be so impressed with this idea, though. They can't offer him much in the way of weapons or support, unless he can get to a control room with a communication device to send out a message requesting help once he's found some evidence. I loved the look on his face as he comes to that realization and he's like, "So, what I'll have is myself..."
The third motivation he has for going to this tournament is vengeance for the loss of his sister. Han's men decided to chase her down one day, expecting to "have a bit of fun" with her, and she fought bravely to thwart their attacks. She was definitely no wilting flower under their attentions. She was chased through an area of the town and eventually was cornered. Instead of dealing with their anger alongside their original idea of "fun," she chose instead to take her own life. Han's lead man was scarred along the left side of his face, so Lee is able to identify him clearly when he sees him on the island. Lee even pays a visit to the graves of his mother and sister to ask their forgiveness for what he is going to do, knowing that it goes against the temple's teachings, but feeling the need to repay the men responsible for the loss of his sister. So, he sets out on his journey in a boat to head to the private island of the elusive Han to find retribution for his family and to restore the honor of his temple.
Alongside Lee, there are a few other fighters going to the island to fight each other for whatever glory and prizes they assume there will be after winning the tournament. You get a little background of two of the men, Roper and Williams. Roper is a bit of a gambler and in dire need of getting out of town. Williams loves the challenge and expects to win. They meet up on the boat and you realize they're old friends. They start betting against fights immediately, even though the first fight is with praying mantis' on the boat. I actually thought it was pretty cool to see considering how important the mantis is to certain fighting styles in martial arts. I know people love betting on all kinds of fights, but a mantis fight was a first for me. Once they're settled onto the island, a decadent feast is prepared for them with all sorts of entertainment planned. During the festivities, Han makes an appearance with a handful of women surrounding him. He throws an apple in the air and each woman pierces the apple with some item on their person that they throw at the apple while it's flying through the air. To me, that showed that even the women he surrounds himself with are deadly accurate. Everyone else looked like they were swayed by their pretty faces, but I wasn't. These women meant business. Once all the apples land with different champions, Han takes his leave and the festivities continue. The fact that even the Sumo wrestlers stopped dead in their tracks when Han enters and resumes once he leaves is a major show of Han's control over everything on the island and that nothing that happens has not been planned.
After the feast, each of the men are led to their rooms and a selection of women is brought to each of them. These are one of the things that fire me up because women have been treated that way through the centuries, like they're a commodity to be used, not an individual who has their own mind and may not want to be handed out in such a way. It's not like it's even far fetched considering there is still human trafficking going on today and is a major problem, even in my home state of Maryland. The first champion, Williams, chooses four women out of his selection. The second champion, Roper, chooses the woman who is in charge of it all, and she seems pleased by his selection, but he'd had eyes for her since they first arrived. When it comes to Lee, he informs the woman that there was a woman at the feast, the one whose dart struck the apple that landed with him, and he'd like her brought to his room. Once she gets there, you realize that this woman is the contact that the British Intelligence had sent into the island to collect information. I was so grateful that his morals were in tact. He gets what information he can from her and then goes out scouting for more evidence for the British intelligence to use in their case. He finds an underground lair where they're making opium, which they're using to subdue the women on the island. Queue another flare of anger from me thinking of how they have to keep the women drugged to keep them there and docile. There's a special place in Hell for those who use others like this and think they have the right to make these decisions for them. I sure they'll all find it. Once he's gotten all the intel he can for that night, he heads back to his room to get ready for the next day's fights. There's a few good fights, but the epic ones are yet to come.
Han begins the next day with a show of force. Han knows someone was out in his compound the night previously, though he thinks it was Williams, and decides to publicly punish his guards for failing in their duties. The guy that takes all them down is Bolo, an incredibly muscled martial artist who looks huge compared to Lee's lithe build. Each of them men don't stand a chance and all die at his hands. Next up is Lee, who gets a bit of his payback against the lead henchman of Han's who brought about the reason for his sister's death. Lee is placed in a battle against O'Hara and beats him down. I didn't feel like Lee really got enough retribution, though and felt that he would have to fight him again later. My thoughts were almost immediately answered, though, since O'Hara didn't seem satisfied by the result, so he breaks some bottles and decides he's going to fight with those. This gives Lee the chance to go the extra mile to really beat the man and finally kill him. The level of emotion shown on Lee's face during the second half of this fight truly shows how this is about retribution and loss and grief. Wonderful acting on the part of Lee, here. Once the fight is truly over, he pulls a calm face back on to face down Han. Despite killing his top man, Han does not seek any retribution from Lee, since it was O'Hara that disgraced the fight in the first place. This shows me that the man has some sort of morals, at least when it comes to competition and martial arts. The movie begins moving very quickly at this point with an intense fight between Han and Williams, resulting in Williams death, and Han introducing Roper to his facility of opium manufacturing and human trafficking expecting him to take him up on the opportunity. But Roper really liked Williams and his need for personal gain has it's limits. Lee winds up getting into the facility again, sending out the signal for assistance, and winds up in some epic fight scenes against more opponents than one would expect someone to get out of, but none of the scenes feel contrived or forced. They feel like Lee would genuinely get out of these situations with his skill, speed and fierceness.
But, he eventually is captured and taken to the courtyard to fight. Roper refuses to fight Lee, so Bolo is is sent in instead. This was an excellent scene between two very skilled fighters. I'm still unsure whether Bolo winds up unconscious or actually dead by the end of the fight, though. Once Bolo is taken out, Han orders everyone to start attacking and this falls into a massive, all out brawl. The reinforcements that Lee sends for finally arrives and helps to fight off the horde of Han's men leaving Lee to take out Han. They have a brutal fight where Lee is marked up by different claws that Han equips and they travel throughout different areas of the estate. I know that Han isn't directly responsible for the loss of Lee's sister, but in a way, he seemed to give the men the feeling that they could get away with whatever they wanted, so indirectly he did. I'm still not sure if he was going after Han at that point more for his sister, or the other women being held captive. Maybe a bit of both. But he gives it his all and fights with such determination and focus that he's finally able to overcome Han and kill the man that was causing harm to so many.
I noticed in many of Lee's fights that he didn't focus specifically on his opponent. He tended to look almost unfocused because he was truly taking in the greater picture to make sure he missed nothing as it came by him. This man truly was a master at his craft. I also noticed such a difference between Lee and Bolo when it came to sheer size of muscle. Bolo couldn't be as swift as Lee with his extra bulk, although you could tell the man had incredible strength. But Lee's lithe physique allowed him the speed and agility needed to overcome so many. There are also calm moments in this film that truly show the mentality needed for this type of training. Like when he works with a student and explains that he needs emotion, but not necessarily anger to get his hits through. That could be said for much of life. Anger is not the only means with which you can complete a goal. He shows patience and thoughtfulness, proving he's not fighting for the hell of it. There must be purpose to it, and avoided if possible. This movie is described as the epitome of his work, like all other movies he did before this were just leading up to it. I can definitely see how this would be a masterpiece in itself and it makes me want to watch some of it's predecessors so I can see more of his extreme skill. The man is a legend and for good reason. It is an excellent film that still holds up to films of today in quality and content. If you haven't seen it yet, I found it streaming on Netflix. Check it out.
Next week's film will kick off Pride month and I'll be watching movies all month long that touch on the lives of the LGBTQ+ community. First up, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert! I can't find it streaming for free anywhere, but it is available to rent on Prime. Catch you next week!
For more movie love, check out my other blog, "You're Watching That Again?!"
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