The man with the death claw

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Movie
German title The man with the death claw
Original title Enter the Dragon
Country of production USA , Hong Kong
original language English
Publishing year 1973
length 98 minutes
Age rating FSK 18
Rod
Director Robert Clouse
script Michael Allin
production Bruce Lee ,
Fred Weintraub ,
Paul Heller,
Raymond Chow
music Lalo Schifrin
camera Gilbert Hubbs
cut Kurt Hirschler ,
George Watters
occupation
synchronization

The man with the death claw (original title: Enter the Dragon ) from 1973 was the first martial arts film produced in America . It is the best known, but also the last (complete) film by the main actor Bruce Lee . Lee died three weeks before the film hit theaters.

action

Lee is a member of a Shaolin temple and a master in the martial arts. At the request of British lawyer Braithwaite, he accepted an invitation to a tournament held by the millionaire Han, who was also a former member of Lee's temple community but who had turned his back on him. Braithwaite suspects the tournament is being used as a cover for illegal drug trafficking and prostitution, and Lee is supposed to look for evidence; at the same time he is said to retaliate against Han on behalf of the monastery. The agent Mei Ling was sent to the island some time ago on behalf of Braithwaite, but all contact with her has been severed.

After some hesitation, Lee accepts the assignment when he learns that his sister has been driven to suicide by Han's bodyguards. Some American martial arts experts also take part in the tournament, including the bon vivant Roper, who wants to use the prize money to pay his debts and also make new business contacts, as well as his friend from army days, Williams, who soon become important helpers in the fight against Han.

On the island, the fighters are received by Hans's assistant Tania, who Roper casts an eye on. The tournament begins with a feast that focuses on a sumptuous meal and women. Han only shows up briefly to greet his guests, with Lee recognizing one of the girls, Hans, as the missing agent. In the evening, young women are introduced to the fighters who are to spend the night with them. Roper promptly decides for Tania, who accepts the offer and falls in love with Roper. Lee pretends to choose the agent he has found again and learns that although she has not changed sides, she is constantly monitored and therefore cannot do anything. All Lee learns from her is that young women keep disappearing.

The next day the competitions begin, in which Roper and Williams prove to be excellent fighters. Lee himself doesn't fight. In the evening Lee searches the premises, although it is forbidden to leave the rooms. He finds a trap door, but is seen by Hans Wachen while trying to get down and has to render it harmless. He breaks off his expedition for the evening and is seen on his return to his room by Williams, who is exercising in the fresh air, but is not recognized by him.

Han is angry about the secret excursion of one of his guests, but sees the guilt with the guards, who he believes have not done their job. He then lets Bolo, one of his bodyguards, kill them in battle. This morning Lee also has his first fight; his opponent is Hans' bodyguard Oharra, who drove his sister to suicide. After he has resorted to unfair means in combat, he is killed by Lee. Han approves of this and is disappointed by Oharra whether his wrongdoing.

Shortly afterwards, Williams is called to Han, who accuses him of going alone at night and of attacking his guards, as he was seen outside by one of Hans' girls. Williams asserts that he saw someone outside himself and wants to leave, angry at the accusation. However, Han does not want to leave, but rather let his guards arrest him. After Williams kills the guards, he is attacked by Han himself. It turns out that Han wears a prosthetic hand made of iron with which he defeats Williams and ultimately kills him.

Han later meets with Roper and offers him to become his representative for the United States. To this end, he reveals his machinations to Roper: Opium is processed on the island, at the same time young women are kidnapped and made dependent on the drug in order to then sell them. Government officials are also bribed to protect his drug and human trafficking ring. Roper is initially undecided, until Han shows him William's body, which he has hung by chains over an acid pool. Han drops the corpse in the basin to make it clear to Roper that he would face the same fate if he told someone about this conversation.

During the night, Lee continues his investigation and discovers the drug laboratory and the kidnapped girls. He can send a telegram to Braithwaite, but an alarm is triggered. Lee can defeat all guards despite their superior numbers and armament, but is ultimately locked in by a portcullis and captured by Han.

The next morning, Han wants to let Roper fight Lee, but Roper refuses. Han then sends his best fighter, Bolo, to destroy Roper. Although it looks bad for Roper at first, he can defeat and kill Bolo in the end. Han is furious and sends all available warriors to fight Lee and Roper. In the meantime, Mei Ling has stolen Hans key and releases all the prisoners, who in turn rush into the fight on Lee and Roper's side.

Han is appalled by the developments and goes into battle himself, replacing his prosthetic hand with a nail-studded animal claw. Lee is able to cut off his claw, whereupon Han flees. Lee follows him into his chambers, where Han has already put on a new prosthesis: this time it is a hand replacement with four knife blades that seems even more threatening than the animal's claw. Since Lee is still superior, Han flees into a confusing mirror labyrinth . But here too Lee wins the upper hand and can finally kill Han.

Outside you can see that Han's people have been defeated, the prisoners keep them in check. However, there were also many deaths on their side. Roper is unharmed, albeit scarred by the fight and saddened that Tania was killed during the fighting. The last scene shows the arrival of the helicopters sent by Braithwaite.

criticism

“The fight scenes play a less important role, especially in the first half, because of the James Bond-like crime story and various side stories than one would expect in a Kung Fu film. But when the fists and legs fly - and this is not so rarely the case - aesthetic enjoyment is guaranteed: The presence of the martial arts legend Bruce Lee, sophisticated camera angles, a carefully measured use of slow motion and the sophisticated choreography force the viewer's gaze onto the screen - even if it is not Bruce Lee but one of his colleagues who is fighting. So it is also (but not exclusively) the perfected staging of the fights that makes Bruce Lee's last completely wacky film a classic - “The Man with the Death Claw” clearly stands out from the vast mass of Kung Fu films of his time. "

- Christian Horn, Filmstarts.de

Trivia

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.
  • The film was the first Sino-American co-production. It is one of only two films in which Lee can be heard in the English version with his own voice.
  • In the opening sequence, Bruce Lee fights against the then unknown Sammo Hung .
  • Bruce Lee's student in the garden scene is played by the then unknown Stephen Tung Wei .
  • Jackie Chan makes several brief appearances towards the end of the film.
  • In the scene where Bruce Lee fights Oharra, he was doubled for the back flip by Yuen Wah .
  • Bruce Lee accidentally injured Jackie Chan while filming. He promised him to use it for his next films. But since this was Lee's last film, nothing came of it.
  • John Saxon benefited from the fact that he has a black belt in karate during the filming.
  • The original film music on LP by Lalo Schifrin is one of the most sought-after copies on the collector's market.
  • A segment of Kentucky Fried Movie is a parody of that film.
  • The film was published by Warner Home Video in an uncut version on DVD ( Special Edition ), HD DVD , Blu-ray Disc and UMD . The scenes that were missing in other German-language versions ( VHS video, first edition of the DVD) were dubbed with different voices.
  • The final scene, in which Lee fights Han, quotes a famous scene from the film The Lady of Shanghai by and with Orson Welles . There is also a showdown in a mirror labyrinth , in which the numerous mirror images confuse the protagonists.
  • Bruce Lee's health deteriorated during filming after he had the sweat glands under his armpits removed: his skin turned reddish brown and he lost weight. In addition, according to his widow Linda, he hardly had any appetite.
  • In 2004, The Man with the Death Claw was inducted into the National Film Registry .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Review on Filmstarts.de