John Wick vs. Enter the Dragon
- Enter the Dragon (89%, 16 Votes)
- John Wick (11%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 18
Loading ...Voting will close on 5/20/19 at 6 pm EDT.
John Wick vs. Enter the Dragon
In this review, we’ll look at two very different martial arts films: John Wick and Enter the Dragon. But there is one interesting plot similarity between the two…
First, we have the modern take on a martial arts/action film, John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves as the title character. Reeves plays a (former?) assassin who seeks revenge for the death of his wife. And Wick is not shy about using violence to get that revenge! Then we have one of the most well-known martial arts films, Enter the Dragon. Lee is recruited by an American intelligence agency to participate in a martial arts tournament run by a crime lord. Ready for that plot similarity? In Enter the Dragon, Lee is also seeking revenge for the death of his sister! we have two very different films but with a well-used subplot of seeking revenge.
The Movie
This is not really a fair comparison – John Wick, being an American blockbuster film produced in 2014 obviously has a much higher production value than Enter the Dragon and its cinematic aesthetics from 1973. Watching these two films, the viewer gets to see just how far movie-making has progressed over 41 years. And make no mistake, audio quality, aesthetic quality, resolution/definition makes a major impact on the experience of any given film. So with that said, I’m asking the readers to try to put all of that aside in making a fair judgment between these two films. Both films have an easily identifiable and well-used plot line. The antagonists in the film reflect those of the time when the film was produced but other than some minor variations, the stories strike a similar tone.
Personally, I feel that Keanu Reeves and Bruce Lee are about the same caliber of actor – a bit of over-acting combined with signature facial expressions and body movements.
Don’t get me wrong, these are two fun movies that I’ve enjoyed watching more than once. Both are excellent choices on those nights when you want to stay in and sit in front of a screen with a bowl of popcorn and your favorite beverage. I think it’s a tough call to choose a preference here if the choice is solely on the movie factor.
The Fighting
Here’s where we see a big difference between the films. Enter the Dragon has a real-life martial artist who turned to acting whereas John Wick has a professional actor who has started learning martial arts (for realz – he’s studying BJJ). And that shows, I think, in the film. In the original review of John Wick, I mentioned that, as much as I enjoyed the fight scenes, I wouldn’t label it as a “martial arts” film. Others disagreed (which I think is great). For lovers of traditional martial arts, Enter the Dragon is a visual feast of classic fighting techniques, executed in the near-flawless form by Bruce Lee. And is there anything as graceful as seeing Bruce Lee at the top of his game? The fight scenes in Enter the Dragon are plentiful, enjoyable, and not without some lighthearted humor on occasion.
Beyond Lee’s performance, the fighting skills of the other main actors also shine – Jim Kelly, Robert Wall, and Bolo Yeung to name just a few.
The fighting in John Wick is equally as impressive. However, be prepared for more action scenes (explosions, gunfights, car chases, etc.) than martial arts scenes. In John Wick, martial arts are incorporated into the fight scenes. In Enter the Dragon, they are the fight scenes.
With that, dear reader, you have a tough choice to make. Will you vote for the more traditional martial arts film, Enter the Dragon? Or is the modern approach found in John Wick more to your liking? Please vote for your favorite and let’s see which one advances.
- John Wick #9 vs Enter the Dragon #1 – Votes Needed! - May 18, 2019
- Martial Arts Movie Madness: #11 Ip Man 2 vs. #6 Ong Bak - April 17, 2019
- John Wick – Movie Review - April 5, 2019
Leave a Reply