Enter the Dragon's opening fight scene shows an early glimpse into the future of martial arts that Bruce Lee helped influence. After starring in a handful of Hong Kong kung fu films, Bruce Lee got his big break as a Hollywood leading man with the 1973 martial arts film Enter the Dragon. In Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee plays the Shaolin monk Lee, who is recruited to infiltrate a martial arts tournament organized by Han (Shih Kien), who secretly runs a major criminal empire.
Enter the Dragon made Bruce Lee a legend of martial arts and the opening fight scene stands as one of the most important moments of the film. The first fight scene of Enter the Dragon pit Bruce Lee against future Hong Kong star Sammo Hung. However, it also showcases Lee own philosophy of martial arts which would grow bigger than ever in the 21st century.
Enter The Dragon's Opening Fight Is A Blueprint For Modern MMA
With Lee's fight choreography, Enter the Dragon's opening fight scene perfectly encapsulates contemporary mixed martial arts (MMA). In Lee and Hung's fight scene, the two start off the fight with punching and kicking techniques. As the fight progresses, Lee uses numerous throws and takedowns against Hung, before finally putting him into an armbar and forcing him to tap out. In modern MMA matches, the interweaving of all of these techniques is commonplace.
Additionally, Bruce Lee first fight in Enter the Dragon shows him and Sammo Hung wearing gloves similar to MMA gloves, with the fighter's fingers given individual sleeves to better enable them to grab hold of their opponent. MMA has grown into one of the most popular sports in modern times, so Enter the Dragon's distinctly MMA-esque opening fight scene is clearly decades ahead of its time. Bruce Lee himself was also very influential in the popularization of such an eclectic approach to fighting.
How Bruce Lee Changed Martial Arts
Bruce Lee was an exponent of Wing Chun kung fu, but his famous fight with Wong Jack-man left him feeling dissatisfied with the outcome. Lee concluded that following a singular methodology of combat left a martial artist vulnerable and limited in their ability to counter techniques from other arts. Bruce Lee's fighting philosophy of Jeet Kune Do was the end result of his extensive research into many different martial arts forms. Lee established flexibility and adaptability in combat as the guiding principles of Jeet Kune Do, which Lee famously likened to the fluidity of water.
In the modern martial arts world, Bruce Lee's philosophy of fighting is highly revered. It is also exemplified on a global scale in MMA, in which fighters enter the cage with a diverse skill set to adapt to whatever their opponent might bring to the fight. Modern action movies have also followed suit, with stars like Donnie Yen implementing MMA-based fight choreography on-screen. Bruce Lee's impact on martial arts is undeniably immeasurable, and the opening fight scene of Enter the Dragon offers a small taste of that as it kicks off one of the greatest martial arts films of all time.