Clouse, Robert

Enter the Dragon

Lee penetrates the fortress of a warlord of crime and enters a brutal martial arts tournament in order to avenge the death of his sister.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-JUN-2005
Media Type: DVD

The last film completed by Bruce Lee before his untimely death, Enter the Dragon was his entrée into Hollywood. The American-Hong Kong coproduction, shot in Asia by American director Robert Clouse, stars Lee as a British agent sent to infiltrate the criminal empire of bloodthirsty Asian crime lord Han (Shih Kien) through his annual international martial arts tournament. Lee spends his days taking on tournament combatants and nights breaking into the heavily guarded underground fortress, kicking the living tar out of anyone who stands in his way. The mix of kung fu fighting (choreographed by Lee himself) and James Bond intrigue (the plot has more than a passing resemblance to Dr. No) is pulpy by any standard, but the generous budget and talented cast of world-class martial artists puts this film in a category well above Lee's primitive Hong Kong productions. Unfortunately he's off the screen for large chunks of time as American maverick competitors (and champion martial artists) John Saxon and Jim Kelly take center stage, but once the fighting starts Lee takes over. The tournament setting provides an ample display of martial arts mastery of many styles and climaxes with a huge free-for-all, but the highlight is Lee's brutal one-on-one with the claw-fisted Han in the dynamic hall-of-mirrors battle. Lee narrows his eyes and tenses into a wiry force of sinew, speed, and ruthless determination. --Sean Axmaker

Gymkata

Johnathan Cabot (Kurt Thomas) is a champion gymnast. In the tiny yet savage country of Parmistan there is a perfect spot for a "star wars" site. For the US to get this site they must compete in the brutal "Game". The government calls on Cabot the son of a former operative to win the game. Cabot combines his skill at western gymnastics with his fighting secrets of the east and forms Gymkata.Running Time: 90 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 012569795242 Manufacturer No: 79524

A camp classic and one-time staple of late-night cable, Gymkata stars former Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas as a master of Gymkata, a fighting style that blends elements of martial arts and--what else?--gymnastics. Sent to a fictional Middle Eastern country on the Caspian Sea called "Karabal, on the Caspian Sea," Jonathan Cabot (Thomas) must survive a high-stakes competition called the Game that had previously claimed the life of his father. But winning could mean shifting the balance of power in the cold war. (The movie was made in 1985, and Thomas missed out on the 1980 Olympics because of the U.S. boycott.) Fortunately, being a master of Gymkata means that as you run through the village streets with bad guys in hot pursuit, in between the buildings you'll find a conveniently placed high bar from which you can swing and unleash powerful villain-crunching kicks. Moments like that earn Gymkata a 9.5 on the unintentional-comedy scale. With Tetchie Agbayani as the love-interest princess, and Buck Kartalian as a fearsome villain who looks like Mel Brooks. --David Horiuchi

Game of Death

Bruce Lee died after shooting only a few scenes of his ambitious Game of Death, but that didn't stop greedy producers from finishing and releasing "Lee's last film," even if he's doubled for most of it. Lee planned an ambitious expression of his fighting philosophy, and his story culminates in the rigorous challenge of the "Game of Death," in which combatants take on successively greater and greater masters as they fight their way to the top of a tower. Only a few fight scenes were completed, and the released film is about a martial arts movie star who takes on a syndicate of drug dealers. Lee faces down the towering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in an impressive battle, one of the only surviving scenes from Lee's original shoot, while outtakes from his battle with Chuck Norris in Return of the Dragon are used along with real-life footage from Lee's funeral. The rest of the film is a mishmash of car chases and clumsily edited fights, complete with awkward inserts of Lee's face. His double remains hidden behind a pair of dark glasses or a motorcycle helmet throughout, and he abruptly changes into a yellow jumpsuit for no reason other than to match Lee's costume in the final scene. --Sean Axmaker

Battle Creek Brawl

Setting in Chicago in the 1930's, Jerry Kwan (Jackie Chan)'s serene life is turned upside down when an un merciful head of a mobster syndicate takes his brother's fiance_e as hostage and forces Jerry to enter a no-holds barred combat tournament - The Battle Creek Brawl in Texas. with so much at stake, Jerry enlists the help of his kung fu master to train him for the ultimate fight, only to go head-to-head with a rivalmobster boss hell-bent on snatching the Brawls champion trophy.

The Master

Acting legend Lee Van Cleef, well known for his bad-guy roles in dozens of Westerns, joins the good guys for a delightful change in this hour-long action series.

China O'Brien

Action diva Cynthia Rothrock stars as a former big-city cop determined to both avenge her father's murder and succeed him as county sheriff in this entertaining action vehicle. The good-natured cross between Billy Jack and The Candidate doesn't exactly break new cinematic ground, but the martial-arts prowess of five-time world kickboxing champion Rothrock, frequent Jackie Chan collaborator Richard Norton, and hunky newcomer Keith Cooke (who would later star as the malevolent Sub-Zero in the Mortal Kombat films) more than compensates for the threadbare production values and some voluminous plot holes. For extra fun, try to count the number of times a certain thudding sound effect is recycled (hint: It's in the high double digits). Director Robert Clouse is no stranger to the martial-arts genre, having directed both Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan in their American debuts (Enter the Dragon and The Big Brawl, respectively). Every election campaign should have this much full-contact mayhem. This full-frame DVD includes the original trailer, production notes, and cast and crew bios. --Andrew Wright

Game Of Death

This film kicks off as a docudrama exploring the final years of Bruce Lee life, featuring all-new revealing interviews with those who worked with him. The second half is the unseen Game of Death footage in its explosive entirety. Overview: Bruce Lee In G.O.D. kicks off as a docudrama which explores the final years of Bruce Lee life, featuring all-new revealing interviews with those who worked with him. The second half of the film is the real treat: Bruce Lee unseen Game of Death footage in its explosive entirety. Raw, uncut and masterfully edited... just the way Bruce intended it!

Enter The Dragon

Playing a secret agent hired by the British to break up an opium ring, Bruce must go undercover as a contestant in a sadistic martial arts tournament. Hosted by the targeted crime lord on his island hideaway, this tournament pits the baddest kung fu cats in the world against each other--but not one of them can match Bruce's dazzling and deadly skills.

Enter the Dragon - Limited Edition Collector's Set

The last film completed by Bruce Lee before his untimely death, Enter the Dragon was his entrée into Hollywood. The American-Hong Kong coproduction, shot in Asia by American director Robert Clouse, stars Lee as a British agent sent to infiltrate the criminal empire of bloodthirsty Asian crime lord Han (Shih Kien) through his annual international martial arts tournament. Lee spends his days taking on tournament combatants and nights breaking into the heavily guarded underground fortress, kicking the living tar out of anyone who stands in his way. The mix of kung fu fighting (choreographed by Lee himself) and James Bond intrigue (the plot has more than a passing resemblance to Dr. No) is pulpy by any standard, but the generous budget and talented cast of world-class martial artists puts this film in a category well above Lee's primitive Hong Kong productions. Unfortunately he's off the screen for large chunks of time as American maverick competitors (and champion martial artists) John Saxon and Jim Kelly take center stage, but once the fighting starts Lee takes over. The tournament setting provides an ample display of martial arts mastery of many styles and climaxes with a huge free-for-all, but the highlight is Lee's brutal one-on-one with the claw-fisted Han in the dynamic hall-of-mirrors battle. Lee narrows his eyes and tenses into a wiry force of sinew, speed, and ruthless determination. --Sean Axmaker

The Big Brawl [Region 2]