Few martial arts movies were as iconic as Bruce Lee’s extraordinary swansong Enter the Dragon, a kung fu classic that will leave plenty of viewers craving more of the same. Filled with incredibly choreographed fight sequences, infused with elements of the spy and exploitation genre, and mixing Eastern and Western sensibilities in a way that appealed to a global audience, this release was essential in ensuring Lee’s legacy as perhaps the greatest martial arts movie star who ever lived.

Enter the Dragon has earned its spot among the best kung fu films of the 1970s, although there are plenty more to choose from when audiences are seeking out something similar. Whether that’s more movies starring Lee, of which there are tragically few, considering his untimely death at just 32, or more modern films that pay tribute to its legacy, Enter the Dragon has had an undeniable influence on martial arts cinema. Although more than 50 years have pᴀssed since the release of Enter the Dragon, interest in this classic movie has not waned one bit.

10

Heroes Of The East (1978)

Directed by Lau Kar Leung

Without Enter the Dragon, there would be no Heroes of the East, a Shaw Brothers production that borrowed heavily from the story and action elements of that classic kung fu film. Heroes of the East starts with Ho Tao (Gordon Liu) arriving in Japan for an arranged marriage he’d rather not pursue and getting involved in a misunderstanding that sees him take part in a martial arts compeтιтion to fight the best fighters in the country. With plenty of martial arts shenanigans, it’s hard not to notice that much of Ho Tao’s story is reminiscent of the best aspects of Enter the Dragon.

One special aspect of Heroes of the East was how its tournament narrative allowed for many different kinds of fight styles and techniques to be showcased. Like in Enter the Dragon, Ho Tao faces off against a litany of fighters, and just as Bruce Lee emerged victorious, this kung fu master wipes out his compeтιтion in a series of extraordinarily choreographed fight sequences. As one of the best kung fu movies of the 1970s, Heroes of the East would make an excellent double feature alongside Enter the Dragon.

9

Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003)

Directed by Prachya Pinkaew

Bruce Lee helped revolutionize martial arts cinema and introduced kung fu movies to Western audiences who wouldn’t have otherwise seen them. While the earliest crossover success mostly came from Hong Kong, the 21st century saw martial arts lovers discover the rich cinematic history of fighting films across cultures. This was certainly the case for Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, perhaps the greatest martial arts movie to come out of Thailand.

Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior starred kung fu star Tony Jaa, channeling the superstar appeal of Lee in this iconic movie. As the story of a young warrior attempting to retrieve the stolen head of a sacred statue taken from his village, Ong-Bak was Jaa’s breakout performance that led to several sequels and other acclaimed Thai martial arts movies like The Protector. As the dawning of a brand new martial arts icon, Ong-Bak was as essential to Thai martial arts movies as Enter the Dragon was to the genre as a whole.

8

Game Of Death (1978)

Directed by Bruce Lee

One of the heartbreaking things about Bruce Lee’s tragically young death at just age 32 was that he only starred in four fully completed movies. This meant that works in progress like Game of Death, which was written, directed, and produced by Lee himself, were never fully finished. However, those martial arts fans who can’t get enough of the style and feel of Enter the Dragon can go back and watch the released version.

Game of Death was released in several versions, including the first premiered edition released in 1978, the anniversary edition Game of Death Redux from 2019, and The Final Game of Death in 2023, which also included a documentary about its production. As the story of a martial arts star faking his own death to bring down a criminal syndicate exploiting him and other celebrities for money, while the haphazard way the movie was put together may not have been Lee’s original vision, it was still an insightful look at what was due to be his next film.

7

The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin (1978)

Directed by Lau Kar-leung

Those who can’t get enough of Enter the Dragon should take the time to check out other iconic kung fu releases from the 1970s, like The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. As the greatest film ever dealing with Shaolin monks, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin acted as the inception point for an incredible trilogy led by Gordon Liu. This film turned Liu into a major star and one of the few martial legends whose legacy could stand up to that of Bruce Lee.

Telling the story of a legendary Shaolin monk named San Te, who trained to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government during the early 18th century, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin was followed by two sequels, Return to the 36th Chamber and Disciples of the 36th Chamber. As the other movie alongside Enter the Dragon that inspired the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan’s debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), any self-respecting kung fu fan needs to watch this film.

6

Kill Bill (2003/2004)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Although movies like Enter the Dragon helped bring martial arts cinema to Western viewers, there were still plenty of audience members who never truly encountered a kung fu movie until they saw Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to the genre, Kill Bill. This two-part revenge story featured plenty of nods to classic kung fu cinema, and the legacy of Bruce Lee was a major influence on Tarantino’s stylistic presentation of the film.

Starring Uma Thurman as the Bride, a woman who swears revenge on a group of ᴀssᴀssins and their leader, Bill, who tried to have her and their daughter killed, Kill Bill would never have existed if not for kung fu classics of the 1970s like Enter the Dragon. With appearances from icons like Gordon Liu, one can only imagine that had Lee lived into the 21st century, he would have been at the very top of Tarantino’s call sheet to be in this movie.

5

Five ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Venoms (1978)

Directed by Chang Cheh

Five ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Venoms was a kung fu cult classic that represented one of the best movies from the Shaw Brothers Studio during the 1970s. With a powerful blend of martial arts and mystery, the core concept of Five ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Venoms is related to a pupil carrying out his dying master’s wish and eliminating his five previous students who had been overtaken by evil. As this noble student encounters the wayward fighters, who were based on the Five Poisonous Creatures of Chinese folklore, plenty of intense fight sequences take place.

With impressive stylistic flair and interesting characters that linked to Chinese mythology, Five ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Venoms, like Enter the Dragon before it, was one of the most popular kung fu films of its era. Five ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Venoms also had a notable influence on director Quentin Tarantino, who included allusions to the film through the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Viper ᴀssᴀssination Squad in Kill Bill.

4

Ip Man (2008)

Directed by Wilson Yip

Those with a fascination for Bruce Lee and Enter the Dragon will be well aware of the legacy of Ip Man, the Wing Chun master whom Lee trained under. While the grandmaster story told in Ip Man did not yet feature Lee, a fictionalized portrayal of his character does show up in subsequent entries of this martial arts franchise, like Ip Man 3 and Ip Man 4: The Finale. As an intense and well-choreographed biopic that explored Ip’s troubles in the city of Foshan during the Sino-Japanese War, Ip Man gave great insight into the man who taught Lee.

With Donnie Yen in the тιтle role, Ip Man was truly one of the greatest martial arts movies of the 21st century, whose historical connection to Lee’s legacy made it a must-watch. While Ip Man blurred the lines between fact and fiction, the core message of perseverance and commitment to martial arts remained true to the real man.

3

The Big Boss (1971)

Directed by Lo Wei & Wu Chia-hsiang

While Enter the Dragon will always remain Bruce Lee’s defining movie, it’s important to look back on his earlier releases and appreciate the power of every film he starred in. The Big Boss was Lee’s first major leading role and represented his breakthrough from Hong Kong martial arts performer to one of the most important kung fu performers who ever lived. The Big Boss was initially a hit at the box office in Asia before Lee’s success spread across the entire globe.

In The Big Boss, Lee starred as Cheng Chao-an, a martial artist living with his cousins in Thailand who works at an ice factory and soon finds his promise to his mother not to fight tested when he encounters a local gang. Predictably, Cheng Chao-an broke his oath, and kung fu viewers were introduced to the intense martial arts skill of Lee for the first time. While The Big Boss may not have been as compelling as Lee’s later releases, it laid the groundwork for him becoming one of the best kung fu stars there ever was.

2

Fist Of Fury (1972)

Directed by Lo Wei

Bruce Lee quickly followed up his breakout success on The Big Boss with yet another all-time classic in Fist of Fury. As a film built around themes of Chinese nationalism, Lee played Chen Zhen, a student of Huo Yuanjia, who defends the honor of the Chinese in the face of aggressive forces. With battling factions taking one another on, Chen’s motivations become even stronger after his master is murdered, and he swears vengeance for Huo’s death.

Much like Enter the Dragon, Fist of Fury is an essential aspect of Lee’s legacy and even had several sequels and remakes. While follow-up films such as The New Fist of Fury with Jackie Chan or the Donnie Yen television series were a lot of fun, none of them could hold a candle to the original. As an action-packed tale of revenge where the student defends the honor of their late master, Fist of Fury may not have had the most original premise, but it was among the most memorable of this genre of martial arts movie.

1

The Way Of The Dragon (1972)

Directed by Bruce Lee

As the first movie directed by Bruce Lee himself, The Way of the Dragon showcased this kung fu star as not just a talented fighter but as a creative powerhouse capable of doing it all. As a movie written, directed, produced, and starring Lee, this kung fu classic told the story of Tang Lung, a man who travels to Rome to help his relatives deal with a vicious gang. With a mix of action and humor, The Way of the Dragon blended genres in a way that appealed to Eastern and Western movie lovers alike.

As an exhilarating showcase of martial arts prowess from start to finish, The Way of the Dragon culminated with an epic showdown between Lee and a karate expert named Colt, played by Chuck Norris. While Enter the Dragon may have been Lee’s most successful film, The Way of the Dragon is a real contender for his magnum opus. This was the movie where everything fully came together for Lee as he started to take complete control of his own films, a fact that made his untimely death the following year all the more tragic.