Tracing Martial Arts in US Cinema

Martial Arts is such a staple of contemporary American Cinema that it is hard to remember how it was once a sign of real exoticism in a film. Among the first, if not the first classic Hollywood produtions with martial arts were the Mr. Moto series of films starring Peter Lorre.




These films, based on the pulp works of writer John P. Marquand had the character of international operative Mr. Moto (Lorre) deploy judo as a means of self-defense and to showcase his unflappable and exotic character traits. Lorre, one of Hollywood's great character actors was hardly a conventional action hero, but his charisma is as odd and electrifing as Bruce Lee's in these films.


Another unlikely martial arts practicioner was Spencer Tracy in the film Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). In the most famous scene in a fine film, the one armed John J. McReedy (Tracy) disarms a brutish, bullying Ernest Borgnine with a very deft and well-filmed
series of judo moves. The film, often credited with introducing martial arts to US audiences, helped usher in the idea of eastern martial arts as a recognizable feature in US film.



(Footnote: This scene was referenced in 1989's Blind Fury with Rutger Hauer where Hauer played a blind swordsman)

There is a reasonable argument that Bruce Lee is the most influential performer in cimema in the last 40 years. Without Lee there is probably no Matrix, no Terminator, no Die Hard,no Rambo, no John Woo and no Tarantino. Lee's fame rests with his one undeniably great film Enter the Dragon, but his work in the underappreciated Green Hornet (1966) TV series gave US audiences a look at a truly genius martial artist who (unlike Lorre or Tracy) was more than capable of doing his own stunts.



Lee also was used to great comic effect in the film Marlowe (1969) starring James Garner as the archetypal private eye. Lee has a virtuoso scene in Marlow's office where he balletically trashes Marlowe's office as a means to intimidate the private eye.



Lee's other television appearances helped make him a familiar face to the American public. He worked steadily turning in charasmatic performances in several popular American televison series such as Ironside and Longstreet. In these roles, he often played Karate instructors, a potentially limiting role which Lee transcended with his
strong persona.



The television series Kung Fu (1972) ranks as one of the most unusual and interesting shows in the history of mainstream television and its influence is still felt in edgy, contemporary fare like Deadwood. The series was as influential on mainstream America's recognition of the martial arts as any of Lee's films. Ironically, the series was developed to a large extent with Lee's input with the idea that he would be the lead. At some point it was decided that the public was not ready for an Asian-American leading man (despite his electrifying turn as Kato on the Green Hornet a few years earlier). Interestingly enough, the lead went to David Carradine who was an even more unconventional choice for a lead in a network series. Carradine's hipster persona and charisma was strong enough to make him one of the most offbeat leads in a major television series to date. He was a natural enough athlete and apparantely a series amateur in the practice of martial arts which helped make him convincing in the fight scenes.



Enter the Dragon qualifies as the Citizen Kane of Martial Arts films as it is endlessly duplicated and infinitely influential in this genre. The film was Lee's swan song as he died just 3 weeks before the film opened.

Enter the Dragon concerns around three main characters. Lee, a man recruited by an agency to investigate a tournament hosted by Han, since they believe he has an Opium trade there. Roper and Williams are army buddies since Vietnam and they enter the tournament due to different problems that they have. Roper is on the run from the Mafia due to his gambling debts, while Williams is harassed by racist police officers and defends himself from them and uses the car for his getaway. It is a deadly tournament that they will enter on an island. Lee's job is to get the other two out of there alive.

The film itself is not a perfect work of art, but it does have a memorable score by Lalo Schifrin and one of the most impressive physical specimens put to celluloid by Lee. It also has a couple of impressive set pieces including the memorable and visually striking "Hall of Mirrors" battle at the end of the film.