Enter the Dragon

Directed by Robert Clouse and Bruce Lee and written by Lee and Michael Allin, Enter the Dragon is the story of a martial arts expert who travels to attend an invitational tournament as he goes undercover to uncover some crimes as well as find the man who killed his sister. The film isn’t just a suspense-mystery where a man tries to uncover a dark plot from a crime boss but also a film that is filled with lots of action led by its star Bruce Lee. Also starring John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Jim Kelly, Bolo Yeung, Robert Wall, and Shih Kein. Enter the Dragon is an enthralling and gripping film from Robert Clouse and Bruce Lee.

Invited to take part in a secret tournament along with many martial arts master, the film revolves around a master who is asked to go undercover to attend the tournament where he would uncover many secret things by its organizer as well as find the man who killed his sister. While it is a story that is quite simple, it plays into a man who isn’t seeking vengeance but also restore honor into the Shaolin temple he was trained at and stop this man from unleashing evil into the world. The film’s script doesn’t just play into the motivation of Lee (Bruce Lee) who knows not whom he has to go after in this crime lord named Han (Shih Kein) but also what Han had done that has brought disgrace to the temple Lee trains at. Joining Lee are two Americans who both enter the tournament to hide from their own problems back home as they hope to find some redemption yet become suspicious of what Han is doing. Even as the script reveals what must be done prompting Lee to stop Han once and for all.

The film’s direction by Robert Clouse not only captures the energy of the action as well as knowing how to create intrigue and drama that occurs on the film. Especially in how he establishes the motivations of the characters in the film and why they’re in the tournament like Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly) though Lee’s motivation is broadened more not just through flashbacks but also in the film’s opening sequence as the latter is directed by Bruce Lee. Clouse’s usage of wide shots for the scenes in Hong Kong would add to the tone of the film as it’s very exotic but also entrancing despite some of the darker moments that goes on inside Han’s house. Even in some of the intimate moments that play into the suspense and drama while there are a few moments that are light-hearted.

For the fight scenes which were choreographed by Lee, Clouse knows where to place the camera for the scenes where he uses a few close-ups but also some medium and wide shots to establish the setting and locations. Clouse also knows when to build the tension for the suspense such as the film’s climax that includes a showdown between Lee and Han inside a mirrored room. It’s definitely one of the most gripping sequences captured on film where it’s a room full of mirrors as it’s about where the enemy is and who will strike. More importantly, it ponders where the camera is shot and how the hell the camera or the cameraman was able to not be seen in the mirror which only makes the sequence even more astonishing. Overall, Clouse and Lee create an exciting and engaging film about a man who goes to a tournament to kick ass and save the world from corruption and evil.

Cinematographer Gilbert Hubbs does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the usage of lights for some of the interior scenes at the prison to the lights for the scenes set at night. Editors Yao Chung Chang, Kurt Hirschler, and George Watters do amazing work with the editing as it features some unique rhythms for the fights and knowing when to cut for a certain moment of action as well as the usage of stylish transition for the flashback sequences. Art director Shen Chien does brilliant work with the set design from the home of Han and his many rooms including the room of mirrors as well as the prison and factory where he does his secret work.

Costume designer Sheng-Hsi Chu does nice work with the costumes from the look of the men in what they wear to the clothes the women wear where they please the men. The sound work of Ping Wong is superb as much of it is post-production work that features some sound effects in the kicks and hits as well as in some of the moments that occur in Han‘s underground prison/factory. The film’s music by Lalo Schifrin is fantastic with its mixture of jazz, orchestral music, and funk as it plays into the energy of the film as well as some of its suspense as it’s definitely a major highlight of the film.

The film’s incredible cast features appearances from such future martial arts icons as Sammo Hung as the man Lee fights in the opening sequence, Pat E. Johnson as a mob hood trying to kill Roper, and Jackie Chan as a prison thug who tries to attack Lee. Other notable small roles include Peter Archer as a New Zealand fighter named Archer, Angelo Mao as Lee’s sister, Betty Chung as a spy named Mei Ling who works undercover as one of Han’s women, Geoffrey Weeks as a British government agent named Braithwaite, Roy Chiao as Lee’s Shaolin master, and Bolo Yeung as one of Han’s top fighters in Bolo. Robert Wall is terrific as Han’s bodyguard O’Hara who is the man that likes to intimidate people as he is also the man who killed Lee’s sister. Ahna Capri is wonderful as Han’s assistant Tania who falls for Roper while being the one to lead the women into sleeping with the men.

Jim Kelly is fantastic as Williams as this African-American activist who is on the run after beating some racist policeman as he’s a man that is cool and knows how to kick some ass. Shih Kien is superb as Han as this crime lord that doesn’t seem intimidating until he proves to be a formidable fighter with a special handicap that allows him to beat his opponents as his voice is dubbed by Keye Luke. John Saxon is excellent as Roper as this gambling playboy who flees to Hong Kong over debt payments as he is a man that likes a good time until he learns more about what Han does. Finally, there’s Bruce Lee in a magnificent performance as Lee as this man who is a true master in martial arts as he strives to do what is right in the world while avenging his sister and bring honor back to his temple. Even as Lee proves to be a complete and total badass without the need to do much as he just lets his skills do the talking as it is an iconic performance from the legend.

Enter the Dragon is a phenomenal film from Robert Clouse and Bruce Lee that features an outstanding performance from Lee in one of his final film roles. The film isn’t just one of the finest films of the martial arts genre but also an adventurous film that has a lot of action, suspense, humor, and drama rolled into one. Even as it takes a story that is very simple and make it bigger to get audiences excited to see guys kick some ass. In the end, Enter the Dragon is a spectacular film from Robert Clouse and Bruce Lee.

Related: The Big Boss - Fist of Fury - The Way of the Dragon - Game of Death

© thevoid99 2015

Fast Company

Directed by David Cronenberg and screenplay by Cronenberg, Phil Savath, and Courtney Smith from a story by Alan Treen, Fast Company is about a drag racer who deals with his crooked manager who tries to undermine his racing career as well as the racer’s protégé. The film has Cronenberg straying away from the horror film genre in order to make a simple B-movie based on drag racing and fast cars. Starring William Smith, John Saxon, Claudia Jennings, and Nicholas Campbell. Fast Company is a fun and enjoyable film from David Cronenberg.

The film is a simple tale about a drag-race car legend who is going through tough times while helping his young protégé pay his dues as he’s driving the funny car. Yet, when his manager decides to undermine things for his driver and his protégé where it causes tension. The driver then learns about what his manager is really doing as he also have to deal with a racing rival and his goons prompting the driver, his protégé, and their team to do something. It’s a film that essentially has a premise where there’s not a lot that goes on in its screenplay where it doesn’t take itself seriously except when it comes to business and racing politics. Even as the driver known as Lonnie “Lucky Man” Johnson (William Smith) is aware that his career is winding down but finds himself having to do things at the behest of his manager Phil Adamson (John Saxon) that he doesn’t like. While it is partially a racing drama of sorts, it’s mostly presented in a comedic B-movie fashion where there’s women involved and all sorts of crazy things.

David Cronenberg’s direction is quite straightforward in the way he presents the drag racing world where it is fast and furious on the race track as it’s about winning and losing. Yet, he also takes his time to explore what goes on behind the scenes where Adamson’s character decides to wreck things and go after Johnson’s rival Gary “The Blacksmith” Black (Cedric Smith) who has some respect for Johnson while waiting to see what kind of potential Johnson’s protégé Billy “The Kid” Brocker (Nicholas Campbell) has. Much of the direction features some simple yet engaging shots including some beautiful scenery of the locations in the American Northwest/Canadian Southwest. While there are a few moments involving fire and such that is part of Cronenberg’s visual trademark. It’s mostly restrained in favor of humor as well as some campy nudity that occurs. Overall, Cronenberg crafts a fine although typical kind of drag-race B-movie that does have some substance.

Cinematographer Mark Irwin does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography to not just capture the landscape of the locations but also some scenes at night to play out the tense atmosphere of the film. Editor Ronald Sanders does nice work with the editing to create some rhythmic cuts for the races as well as for some of the film‘s humorous moments. Art director Carol Spier does terrific work with the look of Johnson‘s trailer as well as the race tracks that take place in the film.

Costume designer Delphine White does some good work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual to play with the look of the late 1970s. Sound recorder Bryan Day does superb work with the sound to play out the sounds of the engines and tires in the drag races. The film’s music by Fred Mollin is quite decent as it is mostly a mixture of late 70s mainstream rock and country to play out the energy of the film’s racing and comedy scenes

The casting by Gail Carr is brilliant as it features some notable appearances from Cheri Hilsabeck and Sonya Ratke as a couple of hitchhikers Billy picks up, Chuck Chandler as the Edmonton track announcer, David Graham as Black’s more friendlier mechanic Stoner, George Buza as Black’s more ruthless mechanic Meatball, and Robert Haley as Johnson’s funny mechanic PJ. Judy Foster is pretty good as Johnson’s girlfriend Candy who deals with his road trip as well as the frustrations he’s feeling over Adamson. Don Francks is terrific as Johnson’s chief mechanic Elder who is the conscience of the film as he helps guide Johnson and Billy while knowing that Adamson isn’t doing something good. Cedric Smith is excellent as Johnson’s rival Gary “The Blacksmith” Black who has a lot of respect for Lonnie but becomes frustrated by the fact that he’s being challenged while swayed into doing business by Adamson.

Nicholas Campbell is superb as Billy “The Kid” Brocker as Johnson’s protégé who is eager to make a name for himself as he deals with Adamson’s politics while trying to help Johnson take back some control. Claudia Jennings is wonderful as Sammy as a woman who works for Adamson as she becomes suspicious of his dealings where she helps Johnson and Brocker to deal with Adamson. John Saxon is amazing as the very slimy Phil Adamson as a man who is more concerned with profit than winning as he wants forces Johnson to do things to help money with no concern for anyone’s well-being. Finally, there’s William Smith in a fantastic performance as Lonnie “Lucky Man” Johnson as a revered racer who deals with politics and his manager’s crooked ways as he tries to do what is right for his team and for the world of drag racing.

Fast Company is a terrific and entertaining film from David Cronenberg. While it is definitely a very weird film in terms of what is expected from Cronenberg as it doesn’t feature a lot of horror or any heavy drama. It is still some fine B-movie fare that doesn’t take itself seriously while giving its audience a lot of fun drag races and some nudity. In the end, Fast Company is a pretty good film from David Cronenberg.

David Cronenberg Films: Stereo - Crime of the Future - Shivers - Rabid - The Brood - Scanners - Videodrome - The Dead Zone - The Fly (1986 film) - Dead Ringers - Naked Lunch - M Butterfly - Crash - eXistenZ - Spider - A History of Violence - Eastern Promises - A Dangerous Method - Cosmopolis - Maps to the Stars - Crimes of the Future (2022 film)

The Auteurs #26: David Cronenberg: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2013

From Dusk till Dawn

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and screenplay by Quentin Tarantino based on an original story by Robert Kurtzman, From Dusk till Dawn is the story of two bank robbing brothers who take a family hostage as they travel to Mexico where they all enter a bar that is very mysterious as they later have to battle vampires. The film is a horror-comedy that involves Rodriguez’s stylish approach to violence as well as Tarantino’s snappy and witty dialogue. Starring George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Ernest Liu, Salma Hayek, and Cheech Marin with appearances from John Saxon, John Hawkes, Michael Parks, Kelly Preston, Danny Trejo, Tom Savini, and Fred Williamson. From Dusk till Dawn is a fun and in-your-face film from Robert Rodriguez.

After robbing a bank and then dealing with a bloody gun battle with Texas Ranger Earl McGraw (Michael Parks) and a liquor store clerk (John Hawkes), Seth Gecko (George Clooney) and his younger brother Richard (Quentin Tarantino) are on the run as they hope to reach Mexico to meet with a crime boss named Carlos (Cheech Marin) to split the money. The brothers have a hostage (Brenda Hillhouse) whom Richard is interested in as they stop at a motel where things go wrong until a faith-challenged pastor named Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) checks in. Jacob is with his young adult daughter Kate (Juliette Lewis) and her adopted Chinese brother Scott (Ernest Liu) as they’re going to Mexico where they’re confronted by Seth. Seth asks Jacob to drive his RV to Mexico as Richard, Kate, and Scott all go in for the ride.

After a tense moment involving a border guard (Cheech Marin) at the border, the five are able to make it to Mexico where they stop at the rendezvous point at a bar called the Titty Twister. Things seemed fine where Seth, Jacob, Richard, Kate, and Scott all have drinks as they’re later entertained by the exotic stripper Satanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek). Yet, a scuffle with a guy named Chet Pussy (Cheech Marin) and the bartender Razor Charlie (Danny Trejo) leads to trouble where it is revealed that the bar is filled with vampires. With help from the whip-wielding Sex Machine (Tom Savini) and the quick-witted Frost (Fred Williamson), the Gecko brothers and the Fullers go on an all-out war the vampires.

The film is essentially a story about two bank robbing-brothers who kidnap a family to Mexico where they later fight off vampires in a strange bar. In the writing style of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s soaring approach to action. It’s a film that does a whole lot more than its B-movie premise suggests while still being a silly, stylish, and over-the-top kind of film that both Tarantino and Rodriguez love. The script that Tarantino creates does have a lot of fast-paced and stylish dialogue that is a trademark of his work as the film starts off as a Tarantino film for its opening scene. While the script is among one of the more straightforward works in terms of narrative structure and dialogue. Tarantino does succeed in creating a story that does help build an element of suspense as well as making characters who are more than what they seem to be.

The direction of Robert Rodriguez is truly a joy to watch from the opening scene between Earl McGraw and the liquor store clerk that is very straightforward and charming to the dark intensity that follows where the Gecko brothers are properly introduced. While Rodriguez maintains a keen sense of style in the film’s violent moments filled with a few slow-motion shootouts and some frenetic fights that goes in the bar scenes. Rodriguez knows how to create tension without going overboard by taking his time and wait for the payoff. Also serving as the editor, Rodriguez is able to create a wide array of style to the cutting in order to create a film that plays up to Tarantino’s fast-paced dialogue while also being able to slow things down. Overall, Rodriguez creates a very solid and exciting film that does a whole lot more than its vampire-action genre suggests.

Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro does a brilliant job with the film‘s stylish photography from the very sunny look of the desert exteriors of Texas to the more exotic array of lights and dark settings created at the Titty Twister bar scenes. Production designer Cecilia Montiel, along with set decorator Felipe Fernandez del Paso and art director Mayne Berke, does an excellent job with the design of the Titty Twister bar interiors as well as the hall that everyone is at for the fight and Satanico Pandemonium‘s dance. Costume designer Graciela Mazon does a nice job with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual except for the leather clothing that Sex Machine and Razor Charlie wear.

Visual effects supervisors Diana Dru Botsford and Daniel Fort do fantastic work with some of the film‘s special visual effects such as the human transformation into vampires as well as some of fire that occurs once the vampires are killed. Sound editor Dean Beville does some great work in the sound from the way the vampires growl sound to the layers of gunshots and all sorts of sound effects made during the fights. The film’s score by Graeme Revell is very good for its mix of suspenseful orchestral pieces to a mixture of Texas blues music that is rampant in the film’s soundtrack. Notably as it features contributions from ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmie Vaughn, the Blasters, and Tito & Tarantula that appears as the Titty Twister’s house band.

The casting by Elaine J. Huzzar and Johanna Ray is superb for the ensemble that is created ranging from famous character actors to actors famous for being in certain genre films. Making small appearances include John Saxon as a FBI agent, Kelly Preston as a TV news reporter, John Hawkes as the liquor store clerk, Michael Parks as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw, Brenda Hillhouse as the Gecko brothers’ hostage, Danny Trejo as the badass bartender Razor Charlie, horror film guru Tom Savini as the whip-wielding Sex Machine, and blaxploitation icon Fred Williamson as the war veteran Frost. Notable supporting roles include Cheech Marin playing three roles such as a border patrol guard, the gangster Carlos, and in a hilarious performance as the pussy-talking Chet Pussy.

Salma Hayek is excellent as the sexy and devilishly charming Satanico Pandemonium while Ernest Liu is alright as the more naïve and reluctant Scott Fuller. Juliette Lewis is terrific as Kate who starts off as a reluctant friend of the Gecko brothers to becoming a full-fledge badass. Quentin Tarantino is very good as Richard Gecko who often has these strange fantasies about what women says to him while dealing with a wounded hand. Harvey Keitel is great as the conflicted Jacob Fuller who tries to deal with his own issues while helping out the Gecko brothers fight off the vampires. Finally, there’s George Clooney in a brilliant performance as the cool Seth Gecko who leads the way against the vampires while trying not to be a total criminal as he actually shows some compassion.

From Dusk till Dawn is an incredible and ass-kicking film from Robert Rodriguez and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino. Featuring a wonderful cast, great music, and lots of gory yet top-notch violence. It’s a film that doesn’t hold back in what it wants to be while making it a whole lot of fun to watch. Notably as it’s all about killing vampires with all sorts of things with catchy dialogue and amazing scenery. In the end, From Dusk till Dawn is an entertaining and thrilling film from Robert Rodriguez.

Robert Rodriguez Films: (El Mariachi) - (Roadracers) - (Desperado) - Four Rooms-The Misbehavers - (The Faculty) - (Spy Kids) - (Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams) - (Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over) - (Once Upon a Time in Mexico) - Sin City - (The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D) - Grindhouse-Planet Terror - (Shorts) - (Machete) - (Spy Kids: All the Time in the World)

© thevoid99 2012