Celebrity Measurements

Enter the Dragon, the seminal Bruce Lee martial arts film, turns 50.

For many of us, 1973’s Enter the Dragon ranks as one of the greatest action films of all time. Bruce Lee’s sole big-screen English language outing, it’s the film that made him a global icon. It also started the kung fu craze in the mid-1970s. Lee died tragically before the film was released, but his legacy continues to this day. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the film, we explore the film and its legacy. We look at how Lee’s philosophy gave it a richer intellectual depth than it is given credit for, while paying homage to the badass support cast. We also look at how future action stars Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and others got their start in the film. You can see them in a flash, but you’ll probably miss the part of a henchman whose throat is broken by Lee. The soundtrack by Lalo Shiprin is still considered the definitive martial arts film score. Finally, we dig into how the film influenced scores of video games (

Mortal Kombat

), movies (Bloodsport) and more.This episode of Reel Action is written and narrated by Travis Hopson. E.J Tangonan produces, while Chris Bumbray edits. Watch previous episodes below and let us know how you think Enter the Dragon holds up fifty years later in the comments.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZBgiyW9PAY