Is Enter the Dragon the most influential martial arts film?

[HHJ]

Now that is a highlight reel KO

 

[Lawrence]

Yes, but I prefer The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Bloodsport, One Armed Boxer, Master of the Flying Guillotine, 5 Deadly Venoms, Once Upon a Time in China, Drunken Master and Police Story over it.

Master of the flying guillotine ! Rented that one many times in the early 80’.

Also Steve Chase: Kill or be killed and Kill and Kill again….. Terrible and great at the same time.

 

[BlankaPresident]

Enter the Dragon >>>>>> Bloodsport >> everything else, when it comes to how influential they were.

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

Was enter the dragon the one with Kareem ?

 

[Preston broadus]

It is a masterpiece. Bruce lee was an artist in every sense of the word.

 

[MDoza]

Bloodsport

 

[Tito Tapped]

Easily The Karate Kid. Like, it's not even close. That movie is the whole reason martial arts in America moved out of dungeons and basements and into brightly lit strip malls.

 

[IndyCovaHart]

Never Back Down
The Eliminator
Haywire

 

[Elvis.]

Probably

But when I was a kid Bloodsport was the shit

And this guy was the man

 

[snugglecakes]

 

[Clark Rogers]

Really running low on poll topics, eh?

 

[method115]

I don't think so. I'd put Bloodsport over Enter the Dragon. I remember watching Enter the Dragon as a kid and it was just kind of boring. It felt like a movie for adults honestly because my dad loved it. Bloodsport though? I wanted to become a fighter after watching that movie

 

[CerebralKnievel]

"Ah nah nah weh, Capoiera!"

 

[The Big Babou]

Kung Fu Hustle ftw

 

[mkess101]

Lotta votes for Bloodsport (including mine). As kids watching it, we bought the whole thing as being a true story and not what at BEST is an incredibly embellished version of things by Dux. At worst just a complete fabrication.

The movie is cool regardless (in that 80's action way) but it was so impactful to a generation of kids getting them into martial arts because we thought it was ALL TRUE. The end of the movie showing Dux's "stats" from the Kumites? Shit...that made it 100% real to us.

 

[MLarson]

In regards to inspiring people to become martial artists.

What else film had that kind of impact to future martial artists?

Bloodsport, Karate Kid perhaps?

I say yes. And I also think greatest movies ever made.

 

[Spam On Rye]

"Ah nah nah weh, Capoiera!"

10 year old me loved that fucking song.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

I don't think so. I'd put Bloodsport over Enter the Dragon. I remember watching Enter the Dragon as a kid and it was just kind of boring. It felt like a movie for adults honestly because my dad loved it. Bloodsport though? I wanted to become a fighter after watching that movie

Really amusing that you can't separate personal opinion from the original question. Enter the Dragon was far more pivotal, culturally. Bloodsport was a niche action film.

 

[kingofthecans]

I would say for a lot of older guys it would be, or even his other ones. There's no denying the impact he had, but every generation will have it's big push from certain things. It just so happens for us old fuckers Bruce Lee and Blood Sport were big ones.

There's been other classics mentioned, shout out to you Master Of The flying Guillotine mother fuckers, and those should also be considered, but I think a lot is owed to Bruce Lee. Whatever you may agree or disagree about him. He was the one who probably had the most impact and his impact is even felt today still.

Also NEU! 16 and NEU! Super 16 are the two main songs from Master of the Flying Guillotine.

 

[mkess101]

Really amusing that you can't separate personal opinion from the original question. Enter the Dragon was far more pivotal, culturally. Bloodsport was a niche action film.

Bloodsport was a niche action film when it was made. It grew into a cultural mini phenomenon. Absolutely within only a target demo but for young males it became a massive influence. Again, it was sold as a true story with "stats" at the end about Dux and not knowing any better (because we were...teenage boys) we were like "Holy shit this happened! They do a secret full contact tournament and people die and...holy shit!"

The influence carried on to where one of the most iconic video game franchises ever (Mortal Kombat) maybe never gets made without it. Johnny Cage is given the splits-into-nut-punch move that Van Damme does in the movie to pay homage to it.

Does all this mean it was more influential than Enter the Dragon? Not necessarily but calling it a "niche action film" isn't accurate either. It grew into a lot more than that.