Enter the Dragon

The paper-thin plot of director Robert Clouse's 1973 kung fu classic Enter the Dragon revolves around an undercover sortie against a drug lord/white slavery ringmaster named Han (Kien Shih) who a) sponsors rough and tumble martial arts tournaments at a remote island fortress, and b) has a convenient aversion to guns (allowing the fists of fury to fly unchecked once the opium hits the fan and star Bruce Lee faces Han's guards). Joining Lee, who also choreographed the justly famed fighting sequences (and, in one famous scene, employs the aid of a live cobra), are John Saxon (who had a black belt), Jim Kelly, Bob Wall, and an uncredited Sammo Hung (who would go on to act in and direct numerous chop socky flicks and work as the action director on Hollywood films such as The Medallion). Enter the Dragon opened in the U.S. on August 19, 1973, one month after Lee's tragic death at the age of 32 from a bizarre case of brain edema. Warner's double-disc special edition features a handsome, digitally remastered and restored (about four minutes of cut footage have been reinserted) version of the film presented with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (nicely capturing the sound effects that were integral to the kung fu film experience), as well as plentiful extras that include an informative commentary track by producer Paul Heller (with literally phoned-in comments from screenwriter Michael Allin), the 30th anniversary retrospective half-hour documentary “Blood and Steel: Making of Enter the Dragon, two feature-length profiles of Lee (1993's Curse of the Dragon and 2000's Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey), and a 16-minute interview segment with Lee's widow, Linda Lee Cadwell. Considered by many to be the best and most influential martial arts movie ever made, Enter the Dragon receives the royal red carpet treatment here in a lavish, value-added set that is definitely recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—June 18, 2013—Warner, 102 min., R, $49.99—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 1973's Enter the Dragon sports a great transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by producer Paul Heller and writer Michael Allin, “The Curse of the Dragon” documentary on star Bruce Lee narrated by George Takai (87 min.), a “Blood and Steel” making-of featurette (30 min.), a “No Way As Way” retrospective featurette (26 min.), “Wing Chun: The Art That Introduced Kung Fu to Bruce Lee” (20 min.), an “In His Own Words” montage with clips of Lee (19 min.), interviews with Lee's widow Linda Lee Cadwell (16 min.), the location featurettes “Return to Han's Island” (10 min.) and “Location: Hong Kong” (8 min.), a “Backyard Workout with Bruce” segment (3 min.), never-before-released production art, and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent set of extras for this beautiful anniversary Blu-ray edition of Lee's best-loved martial arts film.]