Enter the Dragon
When I fell in love with “The Crow,” I began to seek out the rest of Brandon Lee’s films. He was such a charismatic presence in that film, I wanted to see what he was like in his other films; quality wise, it’s a mixed bag, to say the least, but he’s always engaging. Two years ago, Criterion Collection assured I would not have to go searching too much with their boxed set of Brandon’s father Bruce’s “Greatest Hits.” It was finally time to break that open, and watch his 1973 film, “Enter the Dragon.”
As I’ve started to get more familiar with Lalo Schifrin’s scores beyond the “Mission: Impossible” theme and “Rush Hour” movies, I find myself all the more baffled that he was William Freidkin’s top choice to score “The Exorcist” before he realized it wasn’t going to work, and opted for “Tubular Bells.” Certainly, he would not have written a score along the lines of “Bullitt” or “Enter the Dragon,” but everything I’ve heard of his is very much of a piece- syncopated rhythms, percussion-heavy, quick motifs, jazzy instrumentation- and it simply wouldn’t have worked.
Had he lived, I think films like “Enter the Dragon” would have been absolutely the sort of martial arts movie we would have gotten from Bruce Lee moving forward. He helped develop the project, and choreographed the fight scenes, and you can tell. His character, Lee, comes from a philosophy of “fight without fighting,” which is not terribly far removed from the Jedi philosophy of defense before attack. He’s a martial arts instructor who is recruited by British intelligence to infiltrate the island lair of Han (Kien Shih), the leader of a team of mercenaries who also is involved in drugs and human trafficking. The British can’t prove anything, though, which is why they need Lee on-site, participating in a martial arts tournament Han hosts every three years. He agrees, in part because Han’s second in command, Oharra (Bob Wall), is responsible for Lee’s sister’s death. Two other fighters make their way to the tournament, as well- Roper (John Saxon), who is a gambling addict, and Williams (Jim Kelly), who’s on the run from the law.
The story in “Enter the Dragon” is very straightforward, but I do love how the screenplay by Michael Allin uses flashbacks to fill us in on information about Oharra, Roper and Williams to bring us up-to-date about their situations, as well. Director Robert Clouse doesn’t have much of a sense of style he brings to the film, and it’s almost as though he is a caretaker for Lee’s vision of the film. The fight scenes are fought well, and the cinematography by Gil Hubbs shows off color very well, but it’s hard to see much in the film from a storytelling standpoint that distinguishes Clouse from any number of action filmmakers. This is Lee’s show, and it is a great showcase for not just the actor, but his way of living life. When Lee has to turn on that lever that lever towards being a badass, he’s conveys it beautifully, and he’s a force of nature. The film comes alive because of him. Without him, you wouldn’t even remember it.
