From one perspective, this is simply a B movie with a second rate cast, from a third rate Hollywood director (Robert Clouse). But to westerners for whom Bruce Lee has attained the Jesus/Elvis cult status level, it's considered a watershed film. It brings together so many well known HK film people as well as western martial artists. By HK standards it certainly was a big budget flick. For those inclined to regard a film's merits solely on quality of action, this is an fairly impressive achievement given the year in which it was made.

It's really a movie with a bit of an identity problem, however. It's certainly not a true HK movie. And it's not a Chinese movie. It's mostly an American movie. It's a Hollywood movie filmed in HK, with HK actors, stuntmen and extras, with an American script and production crew. It's largely a showcase for Bruce's impressive martial arts skills. Ironically, it's John Saxon's "acting" performance that stands out here as much as Bruce's fighting--largely owing to the fact that this is a movie with an English script, and other than Bruce himself, Saxon is pretty much the only true actor (who is also native English speaking) in the film. It's unfortunate, too, as Bruce was as much an actor as a martial artist and really can act...quite well...but here he plays a very one-dimensional character.

From another perspective, this film was the culmination of Bruce's efforts in bringing "realistic" martial arts to the screen--especially the HK screen. Or rather, he used HK film industry as a vehicle for this agenda. In that regard, it, and Bruce's efforts in general were a small success in that he possibly nudged the industry a bit into recognising the value of pure martial arts movies. Looking at the span of the HK film industry, his movies made a ripple and not a wave. HK action films were evolving in their own way, and Bruce did play a role in changing that. But key action actors like Wang Yu, Ti Lung, Lo Lieh, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan, and directors like King Hu, Chang Che, Chor Yuen, Lau Kar-Leung, Sammo, Jackie, and even Tsui Hark were much more the shapers in the evolution of HK action film. It was, unfortunately, the death of Bruce that exaggerated his importance. And while it's unknown what his effect would have been on the film industry if he had survived, it was clear that his path would have been quite different than that taken by, for instance, Lau Kar-Leung, in his various depictions of true Chinese gongfu.

And while Bruce may have nudged HK film towards martial arts (gong fu), he definitely brought HK film, and therefore Chinese culture, a bit closer to the West. In this regard, the movie is quite symbolic of Bruce Lee himself--a bi-cultural man who in many ways was just as much or more "American" as he was "Chinese." He, and this film played a role in creating a cultural bridge between East and West, and now Bruce is probably more revered in the West than in the East. And that is very important in a larger sociological and multiculturaral sense of bringing together our respective cultures. In every interview I have heard, this cross-culturalism was very important to Bruce and this film I see as a manifestation of his feelings.

Films like this serve as gateways to introducing westerners to HK film. A more recent (as well as better) example of this type of movie would be Crouching Tiger.

Nonetheless, Enter the Dragon is still a film that should not be missed.