Enter the Dragon features some of the best martial arts fights in cinematic history, but one particular Bruce Lee scene beats them all. Released shortly after Lee’s pᴀssing in 1973, Enter the Dragon combined elements of martial arts with crime, spy dramas, and blaxploitation to create a synthesis never before seen in the genre. Not only did it cast Bruce Lee as its primary protagonist, but Lee worked behind the scenes to craft the fight scenes to his exacting specifications. This helped lend an air of authenticity to the action sequences that further elevated the movie.

Though there were plenty of films in the genre released during that period, Enter the Dragon has taken its place among the best martial arts movies, due in large part to Lee’s contributions. He was already a bona fide movie star by that point, and he pulled out all the stops to create the myriad of fight scenes dotted throughout the movie. Since the film centers on a fighting tournament, it only made sense that the movie would be jam-packed with brawls. However, Lee himself stars in the fight scene that completely steals the show.

Bruce Lee’s Best Fight In Enter The Dragon Is The Finale’s Mirror Scene

A Visually Stunning Fight With Deeper Symbolic Meaning

As would be expected, the climax of Enter the Dragon is the pay-off for the entire story, with Lee finally confronting the villainous Han (Shih Kien). The fight eventually spills out into Han’s personal museum, where the hero soon finds himself in a bizarre hall of mirrors. This gives Han a temporary advantage, but Lee soon shatters the illusion by smashing the mirrors. While the fight may lack the finesse of some of the earlier scenes in the movie, its cinematic approach and symbolic meaning help to elevate it over other, more complicated brawls.

It’s an impressive piece of filmmaking as well, and shooting around that many mirrors is never easy. From a story perspective, it symbolizes Lee’s shattering of Han’s illusions and the crafted image that the evil mogul had created for himself. Han’s death is also symbolic, with the heel being impaled upon his own spiked prosthetic. While it may not be the most layered piece of cinema in history, Enter the Dragon‘s final fight scene is one of the most visually splendid examples of the genre.

Enter The Dragon Has Some Of The Martial Arts Genre’s Best Movie Fights

The Mirror Fight Is Far From The Only Great Scene In The Film

Though the final fight in the mirror room might be the best fight scene in Enter the Dragon, there are still a plethora of other amazing moments. In total, there are 13 different fights in the film, and Bruce Lee isn’t the only actor to turn in a strong martial arts performance. Though it only makes up a small fraction of the movie, the fight between Williams and Parsons was a prime example of Jim Kelly’s fighting prowess. Even a less proficient actor like John Saxon is able to put on a show, thanks to Bruce Lee’s deft action direction.

Why Enter The Dragon’s Fight Scenes Still Hold Up Today

Realism Is The Key To The Movie’s Longevity

While it’s difficult to say that Enter the Dragon is necessarily a realistic movie, the strength of the fight scenes is that they are often grounded in reality. Bruce Lee’s work as action director brought with it years of real martial arts experience, and that translated to the screen. Especially in the one-on-one fights, there is a sense of importance to each blow and the moves are thus felt by the heroes in kind.

Enter the Dragon‘s final fight between Han and Lee is a perfect illustration, with the scratches having a profound impact on Lee both symbolically and literally as he is slowly poked and prodded by his enemy. Even in the less realistic fights, such as when Lee takes on the guards, the use of the environment is how he gains his edge. The same can be said for the Su-Lin flashback scene, and her tactics to evade her enemies and strike strategically make her less of a superhero and more of a cunning fighter.