Enter The Dragon 4K UHD Review
“Enter The Dragon” is a Bruce Lee classic.
Directed by Robert Clouse, “Enter The Dragon” revolves around Lee, a skilled Shaolin martial artist and instructor. Lee is contacted by a British agent that has been investigating a disgraced Shaolin Monk named Han who now runs a criminal enterprise. The British Government is in need of evidence to lock Han away and require the help of Lee. The agent wants Lee to enter a martial arts tournament that Han is running. Moreover, Lee learns that Han’s bodyguard O’Hara is responsible for his sister’s death. As Lee travels to the tournament, he makes a few allies that include a gambler (Roper), a war vet (Williams) and a female operative already on the job (Mei Ling).
Every once in a while a movie comes along that changes the entire film industry. 1973’s “Enter The Dragon” is one of those films. Not only did it cause the martial arts film genre to become a global phenomenon, but it created a bonafide movie legend with Bruce Lee who tragically passed away before the film’s release. Of course, it’s easy to see the film’s influence on pop culture as a whole as the film clearly inspired franchises like “Mortal Kombat” as well.
Writer Michael Allin deserves a lot of credit here for the script. Not only is it a fun and stylish blend of James Bond, Blaxploitation and martial arts, but it’s also one of the very best fighting tournament movies.
It goes without saying that “Enter The Dragon” is loaded with incredible fight scenes which Bruce Lee staged himself. Highlights include Lee v O’Hara, Lee v the massive amount of guards (where he displays his nunchuck skills), and the visually stunning Lee v Han in the room of mirrors.
Although it is up for debate as to which Bruce Lee film is the best, perhaps his best performance is in ‘Dragon.’ There’s a level of intensity to his performance and the action scenes that simply aren’t replicated. Lee isn’t the only martial arts star here though. Sammo Hung briefly appears in the opening, Bolo Yeung steals a few key scenes, Jim Kelly makes his grand debut here, Bob Wall is the ultimate right-hand man villain as O’Hara, and Shih Kien is a downright ruthless villain as Han. While not a martial arts star, John Saxon livens up the film as Roper too.
Note: This disc contains both the theatrical and special edition cuts of the film.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.39:1 2160p. How does it look? Fans can expect a stunning 4K transfer with super bright colors. The mirror sequence looks especially noteworthy here.
Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? From the opening score bars you can tell this track is going to pack a Bruce Lee level punch and it does. The bass hits especially hard here.
Extras:
* Intro by Bruce Lee’s wife Linda Lee Cadwell
* Commentary by producer Paul Heller and writer Michael Allin.
* Digital copy
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