There was a time when martial arts films were non-existent to American audiences. The closest any film here came to martial arts was the use of ninjas in the James Bond movie YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE. All others were nothing more than fodder for grindhouses across the country, poorly shot and poorly dubbed movies that ran in with scratched copies pieced together from one location to the next. At the same time Asian Americans were not getting their due in films or TV either. To this day people talk about the terrible stereotyped images, especially that of Mickey Rooney in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANYS. Then along came Bruce Lee.
Even as his career began Asian Americans were still being depicted poorly. After appearing in films in China and a troubled youth, Lee was sent to America with the hopes of turning his life around. He began learning martial arts and eventually created his own style called Jeet Kune Do. Lured to the possibility of a role in TV he auditioned for and got the part of Kato in THE GREEN HORNET, a spin-off of the popular BATMAN series. Playing the part of the Hornet’s sidekick he took center stage with his charisma and skills.
After creating a series for TV called KUNG FU, the part he had written for himself was given to David Carradine, another slap in the face of this young man. He moved back to Hong Kong to try making a name for himself in film there. His fortunes turned around and a legend was born with his first film, THE BIG BOSS. When released the film became the top grossing film in Asia. He was a star. Dead at age 32 in 1973 his legend still lives on. Few have met let alone surpassed the skills he displayed.
Now Criterion is releasing the ultimate collection of memorable films starring the late Bruce Lee. They’ve not only collected the last five major releases they’ve remastered them in 2 and 4k versions for this collection. The films include THE BIG BOSS, FISTS OF FURY, THE WAY OF THE DRAGON, ENTER THE DRAGON and GAME OF DEATH. Also featured is the American theatrical edition of ENTER THE DRAGON not seen since it was released here in 1973.
Each film is a stepping stone in the career of Lee showing his rise from a lead role in his first film with a lower budget to work with to his final release produced in association with Warner Brothers and a decent budget. THE WAY OF THE DRAGON features a new face to movies who went on to fame as well, another actual martial arts champion by the name of Chuck Norris. The film features the pair facing off in an ancient gladiator arena in Rome. But the best film of them all is ENTER THE DRAGON. They lee died just as the film was released makes it all the more sad when you watch the film and know that had he lived his star would have risen even further.
I’ve seen ENTER THE DRAGON at least 20 times. Every viewing for me is another trip into the world of one of the best action films ever made. Lee is a Chinese monk brought in by a top secret intelligence group to help take down an evil drug lord and human trafficker named Han. The fact that his right hand man Oharra was responsible for the death of Lee’s sister is just an added incentive. Han plans a battle of champions on his remote island, the survivors of which he offers to join his army. With newfound friends Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly) as well as previous losers the film ends with a battle of martial arts armies and Lee facing off one on one with Han.
No martial arts movie before or since captures the fight sequences that were staged for this film better. Choreographed by Lee they are amazing to watch. The combination of speed and with a physique honed by years of body building make Lee the most formidable hand to hand combatant ever seen. His swagger, his natural knack for capturing the lens are on display in every scene he is in.
The Criterion collection doesn’t just offer these movie it has tons of extras on hand as well. Introductions to each film, featurettes on the making of, interviews past and present with those who knew Lee and worked with him, documentaries about Lee, audio commentary tracks, a documentary on “Bruceploitation” films that came out following his death, a booklet about Lee and more make the extras almost as long if not longer than the actual films themselves.
Some will find the price tag on this collection a little steep but for fans of martial arts films, action films and of Bruce Lee it is little to pay when you think about everything that is included here as well as the fact that these films have never looked this clean and sharp before. I was stunned at how improved THE BIG BOSS looked here. If you are a fan this is an absolute must have collection. If you’ve never been exposed to Lee this will win you over. For my money there is no better collection than this one and it should be on the shelf of every movie fan.
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From the manufacturer
Five action-packed kung-fu landmarks from international martial-arts legend Bruce Lee
Now together on Blu-ray
In the early 1970s, a kung-fu dynamo named Bruce Lee side-kicked his way onto the screen and straight into pop-culture immortality. With his magnetic screen presence, tightly coiled intensity, and superhuman martial-arts prowess, Lee was an icon who conquered both Hong Kong and Hollywood cinema, and transformed the art of the action film in the process.
This collection brings together the five films that define the Lee legend: furiously exciting fist-fliers propelled by his innovative choreography, unique martial-arts philosophy, and whirlwind fighting style.
Though he completed only a handful of films while at the peak of his stardom before his untimely death at age thirty-two, Lee left behind a monumental legacy as both a consummate entertainer and a supremely disciplined artist who made Hong Kong action cinema a sensation the world over.
Seven-Blu-ray Special Edition Features
- New 2K digital restoration of the rarely-seen 1973 theatrical version of Enter the Dragon
- New 2K digital restoration of the “special-edition” version of Enter the Dragon
- Alternate audio soundtracks, including original English-dubbed tracks, and audio commentaries
- Game of Death II, the 1981 sequel to Game of Death
- New interview with producer Andre Morgan about Golden Harvest
- And more
An unforgettable performance in every film.
Bruce Lee is a very masculine, cool and calculated character in these movies. He finds himself in situations out of his control and he takes control of each situation to change it for the better. For instance, in the Big Boss he has no intention of fighting anyone and wears an amulet from his mother to remind him not to fight. A lot of turmoil is building up all-around his character and Bruce stays out of it to respect his mother's wishes not to fight. So naturally some bad guys hop out of a van and attack him, breaking his amulet in the process, and forcing him to fight to defend himself.My favorite movies from this set were the Big Boss, Fists of Fury, and Enter the Dragon. The Way of the Dragon is also great, but the beginning feels tacked on, slowing the pace of the whole film. Sadly Bruce Lee passed away after taking a prescription pain medication and was unable to finish the last movie in this boxset called Game of Death. An actor that kind of looks like Bruce Lee was used to film the remaining 80% of the movie and he fails miserably to capture Bruce's style.The picture transfer from Criterion is fantastic and the sound is adequate. You can tell this is not a cheap DVD transfer but a real 4k and 2k scan from original source material. For many older movies it's common to see scratches, dust, hair and other elements after years of sitting in a warehouse somewhere. Criterion cleaned all of that up and these movies have never looked this great in home theaters. Unfortunately not as much can be done with the original soundtrack besides cleaning up all the pops and crackles. I would say it still sounds fine, it just sounds a bit hollow sometimes as you might expect from older movies.I have included a few images to give you an idea of the picture quality.
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Anoniem
Blu-rays niet afspeelbaar in Europa omwille van regiocode
Reviewed in the Netherlands on December 31, 2020
