This movie served as my introduction to mysticism and eastern thought during a most auspicious time in my life--adolescence. Even as horrible as the production values were and with all the sub-par acting, I can think of no other film that has has a greater impact on the course of my life. Bruce Lee had an understanding of life and nature that few have ever glimpsed. If it didn't sound so irreverent I would call him the poster child for Richard Bach's book, Johnathan Livingston Seagull. But on to the movie..
Based on an idea Bruce Lee had before his death, Circle of Iron aimed at expressing his Zen philosophy through a an extremely raw martial arts forum. The central character, Cord, is a seeker on a quest for the book of all knowledge. He experiences the trials and tribulations spelled out in other reviews and eventually finds what he's looking for--only it's nothing that he ever imagined it would be. This is not a movie for those who are easily distracted or require an inundation of action and effects to keep them absorbed. But if one is patient, it gives the viewer a chance to identify with a part of themselves that perhaps started on such a journey at one time, before being sidetracked by daily routine and less intrinsic pursuits.
There is an arresting contrast between the brutality of the fight scenes and the sensitivity of the philosophical dialog. David Carradine plays multiple roles in the film, of which the primary one was to be played by Lee before he died--a blind man with a long wooden flute which serves doubly as a weapon of defense.
If you're feeling like you're lost in the desert of worldly things, it may be of benefit to track this one down..
Based on an idea Bruce Lee had before his death, Circle of Iron aimed at expressing his Zen philosophy through a an extremely raw martial arts forum. The central character, Cord, is a seeker on a quest for the book of all knowledge. He experiences the trials and tribulations spelled out in other reviews and eventually finds what he's looking for--only it's nothing that he ever imagined it would be. This is not a movie for those who are easily distracted or require an inundation of action and effects to keep them absorbed. But if one is patient, it gives the viewer a chance to identify with a part of themselves that perhaps started on such a journey at one time, before being sidetracked by daily routine and less intrinsic pursuits.
There is an arresting contrast between the brutality of the fight scenes and the sensitivity of the philosophical dialog. David Carradine plays multiple roles in the film, of which the primary one was to be played by Lee before he died--a blind man with a long wooden flute which serves doubly as a weapon of defense.
If you're feeling like you're lost in the desert of worldly things, it may be of benefit to track this one down..