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I hadn’t seen this movie in a while and it struck me how much fun it is. It amazes me how despite decades of imitation and parody, the story remains pretty engaging. Lee was a natural action hero and a serviceable actor, and his incredible athletic ability all but eliminated the need for special effects. If Lee was an Asian Bond there was no need for ejector seats or exploding ball point pens - the man was a walking Swiss Army knife, no trick photography necessary.

John Saxon is a little hard to buy as a martial arts expert - his total lack of flexibility plus some rather obvious editing make it clear he needed help being a badass. But Roper is a likable Lothario who wears his heart on his sleeve, and Saxon’s modest acting chops are sufficient to highlight the character’s unexpected warmth. Jim Kelly is no actor (or a quarterback) and while his character is entertaining enough, he isn’t given enough screen time to dispel Chris Rock’s theory that African Americans don’t last very long in action movies. But at the time, it was significant enough for a black man to be cast in a significant starring role that did not require him to be the object of parody. There’s just enough depth to make you feel a little attached to the three of them, and in a movie like this, that’s enough. This brings me to the most complicated part of Bruce Lee’s legacy, and one of the most controversial aspects of Enter the Dragon.

Bruce Lee sought to introduce what he saw as the beauty and philosophical depth of Chinese culture to the world through the self empowerment of physical discipline. This included his films, his books, and his approach toward martial arts. One of the reasons for Lee’s enduring popularity is that his intellectual leanings and personal habits infused every aspect of his life and his work, and for many this was an inspiring thing.

How well this all comes across in Lee’s most famous film is debatable - the extended version of Enter the Dragon contains a smattering of metaphysical meandering, but it is quickly lost in the blur of flying fists and broken bones. And yet had he lived, Lee might have found that success makes it easier to dictate the content of your work and how it is presented to others.

His dream of creating films that spoke to the mind as well as the body may not have turned out to be so far fetched, after all. It is tempting to think that the slow transition of modern martial arts films from imitation and camp to serious meditation might have taken less time had Lee been around to help. But for every visionary there are legions of artistic, energetic individuals who possess the same creative instincts but lack the resources or force of will to create opportunities for themselves. Pioneers often have the most impact through those who follow them, and Bruce Lee is no exception to this. Sometimes opening the door enough for others to walk through is enough, even if you aren’t there to take the next step yourself. .

Enter the Dragon is no more perfect a film than any other, and the story might have been a tad derivative even at the time - there’s more than a little Bond here, a little Eastwood there. But it remains a taut, well executed thriller that’s no less a blast to watch for the tenth time as it was for the first. Besides, taking existing ideas into new territory is what creativity is all about! Kurosawa cribbed Shakespeare, Sergio Leone borrowed from Kurosawa, Jackie Chan borrowed from Bruce Lee, and there aren’t many Asian actors today who don’t owe something to Jackie Chan.

So, here we are today with more entertainment choices - good and bad - than any of these men would ever have thought possible. Maybe the greatest legacy of Bruce Lee, and of Enter the Dragon is that both paved new ways, both inspired others to achieve and dream, and both have yet to be equaled or surpassed. Certainly, creating something so enduring that it inspires others to follow you is the greatest legacy any artist can have. So despite what might have been, the lasting impression that Bruce Lee left on the world in his brief time here was worth the short visit, and his crowning achievement in film continues to be the bar by which all competitors are measured.

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