Enter the Dragon (1973)

Enter the Dragon (1973) is a lean, high-energy martial arts thriller that blends espionage, revenge and tournament spectacle. Bruce Lee plays Lee, a disciplined Shaolin-trained fighter recruited by a covert law agency to infiltrate a secluded island where reclusive crime lord Han hosts a tri-annual martial arts tournament. Han’s glamorous contest is cover for a ruthless criminal enterprise—narcotics and human trafficking—and Lee has the added personal motive of avenging the death of his sister, who was victimized by Han’s men. Joining Lee in the competition are two Americans with their own demons: the indebted, hard-living gambler Roper and the principled but haunted Vietnam vet Williams. As they navigate alliances, betrayals and increasingly brutal matches, the trio uncover Han’s true operation and must fight to survive and expose him. The tournament provides a framework for tightly choreographed, inventive fight sequences, while the investigation and personal vendettas raise the stakes beyond sport. Seeing Enter the Dragon is an intense, visceral experience: expect fast, iconic martial-arts choreography, crisp one-on-one showdowns, mounting suspense, and a blend of gritty crime drama with philosophical undercurrents about honor and discipline. Bruce Lee’s magnetic presence, lightning-fast technique and memorable lines make the film both a pulse-pounding action piece and a landmark of martial arts cinema—raw, stylish and difficult to forget.

Actors: Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly

Director: Robert Clouse

Runtime: 102 min

Genres: Action, Crime, Drama

7.0 /10 83 /100 7.6 /10 7.6 /10