Enter the Dragon (Chinese: 龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse, written by Michael Allin, and starring Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. It was Lee’s final completed film appearance before his death on 20 July 1973 at the age of 32. An American and Hong Kong co-production, it premiered in Los Angeles on 19 August 1973, one month after Lee’s death. The film is estimated to have grossed over US$400 million worldwide (estimated to be the equivalent of over $2 billion adjusted for inflation as of 2022), against a budget of $850,000. Having earned more than 400 times its budget, it is one of the most profitable films of all time as well as the most successful martial arts film. Enter the Dragon is widely regarded as one of the greatest martial arts films of all time
In 2004, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. Among the first films to combine martial arts action with spy film elements and the emerging blaxploitation genre, its success led to a series of similar productions combining the martial arts and blaxploitation genres. Its themes generated scholarly debate about the changes taking place within post-colonial Asian societies following the end of World War II. Enter the Dragon is also considered one of the most influential action films of all time, with its success contributing to mainstream worldwide interest in the martial arts as well as inspiring numerous fictional works.
Cast:
- Bruce Lee as Lee
- John Saxon as Roper
- Jim Kelly as Williams
- Ahna Capri as Tania
- Shih Kien as Han
- Bob Wall as O’Hara
- Angela Mao Ying as Su Lin
- Betty Chung as Mei Ling
- Geoffrey Weeks as Braithwaite
- Yang Sze as Bolo, Han’s enforcer.
- Peter Archer as Parsons
- Jackie Chan as a minor