Enter the Dragon (1973) Movie Review

Director: Robert Clouse

Writer: Michael Allin

Starring: Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly, Kien Shih

This is the first time that I have ever watched a Bruce Lee movie. I have always heard that they were great. Enter The Dragon may not be a technical masterpiece but it is brilliantly enjoyable.

 Bruce Lee captains an ethnically diverse team of inexplicable martial arts masters. Along with [Bruce Lee] (playing the suspiciously named Lee) a funky fighter from the hood and a gambling addict join the investigation of the shadiest fighting tournament in existence.

One of the great things that ‘Enter the Dragon’ is that it really makes you feel for the characters. At the end of the movie, I really wanted the antagonist to be pummelled by Bruce Lee’s flying fist of fighting fury. I really loved Williams [Jim Kelly] as well. Every time he was on screen, I felt like laughing. This may have been because of the ambiguously racist way that he was written. In one of Williams’ first scenes, he gets unnecessarily stopped by the police and then steals their car using his fighting skills he learnt at the all-black dojo. On the other hand, Roper [John Saxon] was boring by comparison. His character starts and ends at, ‘bets on anything that can be bet on’. Some of the scenes that he is in seem like they were trying to start a romantic sub-plot between Roper and one of the women on the island but Bruce Lee had to come into it somewhere and scooped up all of Roper’s screen time.

Bruce Lee’s existence in the movie is definitely not a bad thing. In fact, I feel that it is probably one of the best things that could have happened to the movie. While Williams is great and will always hold a place in my heart, the movie would be nothing without Bruce Lee acting as an unstoppable martial arts god who can instantly murder people by stamping on their baby-makers. He is basically the embodiment of every great dream that I have, being uncompromisingly powerful. There is a moment when I thought, ‘ is Bruce Lee really going to have the sexual intercourse routine with this woman’. No! Bruce Lee has no need for sexual healing, he just wants to get to the root of the problem and that is stopping the obvious villain.

Where the movie trips up over itself is in its writing. I mentioned earlier Williams’ stereotypically driven traits and Roper’s one-dimensional actions. The rest really isn’t much better. It feels like some guys at Warner Bros. sat down and said, “We want another Bruce Lee movie… fighting tournament! Done.” Nothing too unpredictable happens and many people get hit in the face.

However, the hitting in the face in question is extremely satisfying to watch. There is the scene that almost everybody knows about in which Lee batters endless waves of henchmen (including Jackie Chan) whilst getting better weapons from his fallen enemies. I personally prefer the earlier scene in which Lee fights a man with a scarred face [Robert Wall]. He displays why roundhouse kicks are so incredible for about three minutes and the character he is fighting is written in such a hilarious way. His gimmick is that he can break boards really well… even when they are on fire! He even brings a board into the fighting circle just to break it next to Lee’s face. It’s a brilliantly fun to watch and it really stands out in my mind (especially the fatal testicle-crushing stomp… just the fact that he dies from it is funny to me).

For my first Bruce Lee movie, Enter the Dragon did not disappoint. It delivered the campy hilarity that I expected from seeing the DVD cover and it supplied a Bruce Lee dose of power that should last me at least 6 months. The writing was a little one-dimensional but if you don’t take the movie too seriously, that only adds to the effect. So remember my friends, “boards don’t hit back”.

Enter the Dragon receives a:  8/10

Please feel free to leave a comment on either the movie or the review. Say if you liked or disliked the movie. I'm interested to find out what you think!

The Prestige (2006) Movie Review

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, David Bowie

Magic is considered by most able-minded people to be mere illusion but as we all know, when David Bowie is brought into the equation, anything is possible.

I thought this film was really enjoyable. It’s strongest asset was it’s ability to create questions in my mind. Upon first viewing a lot of the earlier scenes in the movie make very little sense and I was thoroughly intrigued by it. It was very satisfying for all the pieces of the puzzle being put together in your mind. The captivation is truly exceptional. Byotiful.

This, like any other Christopher Nolan movie falls into the inevitable trap of… containing Michael Caine. Also it is extremely unforgiving to those who don’t pay attention. I felt like the movie was trying so hard to build up the twist ending that it just didn’t fit. It would be like a really normal guy has a Scooby doo style reveal and turns out to be Gok Wan.

Besides this, Christian Bale is really good in the movie although I haven’t really thought through the logistics of the twist. Hugh Jackman is also greatly enjoyable to watch. The twist is certainly the main allure of the movie though. If the thought of an overly grey Victorian British magician rivalry doesn’t peak your interest, then surely the mere notion of a compelling twist will.

The Prestige is a trademark confusion frenzy from Christopher Nolan with an overly flamboyant twist. The characters are great though and the rivalry works very well. I recommend this movie if for no other reason than to witness the twist but make sure you’re talking notes because otherwise you’ll hopelessly lost in this tale of beards hats and… MAGIC!

Please feel free to leave a comment on either the movie or the review. Say if you liked or disliked the movie. I'm interested to find out what you think!

The Double (2014) Movie Review

So... I have kind of repealed the title of April to now just be April. I have changed Superhero Month to Superhero Marathon. I try to review every film I watch and it is difficult to watch only superhero movies with no discrepancies. So now I will just eventually and as fast as I can get to the point where I have reviewed every superhero movie I have on DVD. So yeah.

It is a very weird place, in a very weird time and Simon James is right in the middle of it. He is likely the least assertive or charismatic person to have ever seen the light of day and just can’t get what he wants. One day, a man who looks just like Simon James, James Simon, begins working at the very same place as Simon James. The similarities between the two men start and end at appearance. James Simon is the utter polar opposite of Simon James. James is funny, likeable and charismatic and Simon is… not. It turns out that James is kind of trying to steal Simon’s life.

The first thing that strikes you about this movie is Jesse Eisenberg. Not only does he play two people (kind of) but also he is fantastic at it. In the movie he is supposedly playing two sides of the same person while the more extroverted is becoming increasingly prevalent. Sometimes you just sit and think, “this must have been really awkward to film because there are a lot of scenes where Jesse Eisenberg talks to Jesse Eisenberg.” I was thinking this too during most of the movie. This aspect doesn’t impede the movie however; it merely makes it more impressive. The fact that a movie can convince me that there are two separate characters, played by the same person, in the same clothes is incredible. The potentially awkward scenes with two Eisenbergs are executed with such immaculate fluidity and it is just beautiful to watch.

The major thing in the movie that wasn’t so fantastic was that there were a lot of things that went unexplained throughout the entire movie. For instance, why was the girl drawing things and ripping them up? Why was Jesse Eisenberg getting these from a vent? There were just loads of things that went unexplained.

‘The Double’ is an odd method of showing on the way Simon James tries to turn himself into a better person. The acting and stylised nature of the movie was incredible despite the fact that some of the themes in the movie were difficult to explain. If you enjoy movies that really make you think and are… different, then this movie is most certainly for you. It is enthralling and entertaining from start to finish.

Of Mice and Men (1992) Movie Review

I just recently finished watching the most recent ‘Of Mice and Men’ movie in my English lessons and all I can say is ‘meh’.

Most of the movie was pretty boring except perhaps for Lennie’s death scene. (This scene was actually pretty intense.) The movie goes completely the wrong way with the characters. The audience should like Lennie, however, John Malkovich decide to make Lennie an annoying mix between a two-year-old and a fifty-year-old. I honestly wished that George had shot Lennie in the first scene. When George did eventually kill Lennie, he seemed rather sad. This contradicts not only what George says but also what he shows. The only time he is happy in the movie is when he is away from Lennie. Gary Sinise even seemed to make George the biggest annoyance America had ever seen I’m surprised Lennie didn’t just murder him with his bare hands. One good part of the characterisation was Candy who felt cynical yet desperate to get off the ranch.

Adding to the odd characterisation was the tension and pacing. Most of the scenes in the movie felt predicatble and sometimes completely unnecessary. (Crooks’ scene is completely pointless). Slim, one of the most important characters in the book was in perhaps 3-4 scenes. In fact, in the book, he is described as ‘god-like’ whereas in the movie he feels like a pushover.

In my opinion the most important part of any movie based off of pre-existing source material, is that it stays true to this source material. Some of the scenes in the movie are nowhere to be found in the book, because these scenes don’t actually exist outside of Gary Sinise’s random inventions.

This movie may have some confusing scenes, plot holes and characterisation, however, it still is partially enjoyable to watch when all the awkward scenes have passed. I give ‘Of Mice and Men’ (1992) a 4.5/10 – Sub-Par