Enter the Dragon (1973)

Director:

Robert Clouse

Writer:

Michael Allin (written by)

Release Date:

19 August 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The first American produced martial arts spectacular!

Plot:

A martial artist agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord using his invitation to a tournament there as cover.

Plot Keywords:

Tournament | Martial Arts | Shaolin | Island | Temple

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bruce Lee	...	Lee
John Saxon	...	Roper
Kien Shih	...	Han (as Shih Kien)
Ahna Capri	...	Tania
Angela Mao	...	Su Lin (as Angela Mao Ying)
Jim Kelly	...	Williams
Robert Wall	...	Oharra (as Bob Wall)
Bolo Yeung	...	Bolo (as Yang Sze)
Betty Chung	...	Mei Ling
Geoffrey Weeks	...	Braithwaite
Peter Archer	...	Parsons
Li Jen Ho	...	Old Man
Marlene Clark	...	Roper's Secretary
Allan Kent	...	Golfer
William Keller	...	Los Angeles Cop #1

Also Known As:

Long zheng hu dou (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)
Operation Dragon (Europe: English title)
The Deadly Three (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for martial arts violence and brief nudity.

Runtime:

98 min | USA:110 min (25th Anniversary Edition) | USA:99 min (theatrical version)

Country:

Hong Kong | USA

Language:

English | Chinese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS (re-release) | Dolby Digital (re-release) | Mono (original release) | SDDS (re-release)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1973) | Finland:K-18 (1999) | Iceland:16 | UK:18 (uncut) | Sweden:15 (edited for re-rating) | Sweden:(Banned) (original rating) | Australia:MA (DVD rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | UK:18 (director's cut) (1998) (uncut) | UK:18 (video rating) (1988) (cut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Norway:18 (video) (cut) | Norway:(Banned) (1973-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Aberdeen Harbour, Aberdeen, Hong Kong, China

Company:

Concord Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Bruce Lee had a few injuries on the set. One was when shooting O'Hara's death scene, Bob Wall mistimed his thrust of the broken bottle towards Lee and severely cut Lee's hand (fake glass was not available). Another was when handling the poisonous snake that guards the secret entrance to Han's drug lab, Bruce was in fact bitten. Thankfully the snake's venom gland had been removed.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the one guard attacks Lee underground with the nunchucks (and subsequently stares in disbelief), you can see the shadow of a studio light on the crates in the background.

Quotes:

Han: We are all ready to win, just as we are born knowing only life. It is defeat that you must learn to prepare for.
Williams: Don't waste my time with it. When it comes, I won't even notice.
Han: Oh? How so?
Williams: I'll be too busy looking gooood.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "100 höjdare: Världens roligaste ögonblick 50-41 (#2.6)" (2005)

The best martial arts film I have ever seen

Thirty years later I would like to say that I remember this film as one of the greatest films I have ever seen in my life. I do not know exactly why, but it is, maybe, because the music we listen on it has been always with me in the last 25 years or so. Bruce Lee was an icon, I also remember the Green Hornet TV show, and the extraordinary combination of sound and images in this film allow us to dream about to be a hero or something like that. I have seen the film many times and each one was almost different than the other one, this is one of those films in which you can notice different things every time you see it again, even if you are not an expert in martial arts as if it is the case about me. Thanks Bruce, where ever you are, for your incredible style.