The Prince Charles Cinema’s review published on Letterboxd:
"Destroy The Image And You Will Break The Enemy!"
In celebration of 50 Years of Bruce Lee's final complete film, ENTER THE DRAGON returns to our screens in 4K for the first time, courtesy of Park Circus Films & Warner Bros! See it on 11th, 12th, 15th, 21st & 26th August. Get Ticket HERE!
In 1973, Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest teamed up to present the first ever US-Hong Kong co-production, ENTER THE DRAGON. The mission of the film was to transform Bruce Lee – who was the top Hong Kong movie star, but still mostly known to American audiences for his stints on Television; most notably as Kato in The Green Hornet – into an international sensation.
Directed by Robert Clouse, Enter The Dragon sees Lee play a Hong Kong martial artist and instructor who is approached by a British intelligence agent with a mission to investigate a suspected crime lord named Han, whose martial arts academy covers up opium smuggling and a prostitution ring. After learning that Han's bodyguard is also responsible for the death of his sister, Lee is persuaded to enter Han's high-profile martial arts tournament on his private island, where he must do battle, alongside allies Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly), against Han's men to make it into the crime lord's headquarters.
Their mission was a success, as after the film was released, Bruce Lee became a household name. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to soak it in, as sadly, Lee ed away at the age of 32, just weeks before the film's release.
Today, after 50 years since its release, Enter the Dragon remains one of the greatest martial arts films of all-time. It cemented the iconic status of Bruce Lee; opening up the doors for people worldwide to study his handful of earlier films, his hybrid martial arts philosophy Jeet Kune Do - which is credited for paving the way for mixed martial arts (MMA), and created a boom in kung fu and martial arts films from the Bruceplotation movies in Hong Kong starring numerous Bruce Lee look-alikes to the emerging blaxplotation genre in America. The film would also have a massive impact on Japanese manga and anime franchises like Dragon Ball, and video games like Mortal Kombat, Double Dragon and Street Fighter.
Bruce Lee's posthumous stardom and the success of Enter The Dragon would also open the door to future martial arts action stars like Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan (who both appeared as baddies in Lee's films), as well as Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagall, Donnie Yen, Tony Jaa and Jet Li.
Now, for the 50th Anniversary of ENTER THE DRAGON, the film has been completely restored by Warner Bros. for the first time from the 35mm Original Camera Negative (OCN), which was scanned in 4K 16bit digital resolution providing the highest level of image clarity and colour detail ever to be digitally captured for this 1973 film.
Come witness one of the greatest Martial Arts films of all-time, starring the legendary Bruce Lee in his final complete film, the way it was meant to be seen – Uncut on the big screen and in 4K! ENTER THE DRAGON screens from Friday 11th August. Tickets are now on sale to everyone HERE!