''Enter the Fat Dragon'' () is a 1978

Hong Kong martial arts film Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese culture, Chinese and Culture of Hong Kong, Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling an ...

starring and directed by

Sammo Hung Sammo Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreog ...

. The film is mostly a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

of the

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

film ''

Way of the Dragon ''The Way of the Dragon'' (, originally released in the United States as ''Return of the Dragon'') is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Bruce Lee, who also stars in the lead role. This is Lee ...

'' (1972), and a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

of the

Bruceploitation Bruceploitation (a portmanteau of "Bruce Lee" and "exploitation") is an exploitation film subgenre that emerged after the death of martial arts film star Bruce Lee in 1973, where filmmakers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea cast Bruce Lee l ...

phenomenon of the 1970s. The title is a reference to another Bruce Lee film, ''

Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. It was Lee's final completed film appearance before his death o ...

'' (1973). The film had a belated video release in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, eventually coming out in 1999 after director and actor Sammo Hung became an unexpected success with his American TV series ''

Martial Law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

''. In November 2017, it was announced that

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan (; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. Yen is one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by cho ...

would star in a remake of the film, directed by Kenji Tanigaki and

Aman Chang Aman Chang (張敏) is a Hong Kong film director. Filmography *'' Raped by an Angel 2: The Uniform Fan'' (1998) *'' Raped by an Angel 3: Sexual Fantasy of the Chief Executive'' (1998) *''Sex and Zen III'' (1998) *''Fist Power ''Fist Power'' i ...

. The remake was released in 2020.

Plot

Ah Lung is a pig farmer and a devoted Bruce Lee fan who is anxious to follow in Lee's footsteps, but only ridiculed for his attempts because of his weight. He is sent to the city to earn a living working at his uncle's restaurant, but when he arrives, he finds a gang of thugs causing trouble in the restaurant. He takes the chance to prove himself and attacks the thugs, defeating them and saving the restaurant. Soon, he becomes a waiter, and discovers a plot by the same thugs to kidnap a woman he works with. Eventually, he defeats the thugs once again and saves the day.

Cast

Home video releases

In 1999, Crash Cinema released Enter the Fat Dragon on DVD in the US in a non-anamorphic widescreen transfer from a battered 35mm release print with burned-in English subtitles. The print Crash Cinema used was missing around three minutes of footage from the final fight scenes. In 2019, Thunderfist Productions released a newly-restored version of it on Blu-ray and DVD in Germany under the title “Der kleine Dicke mit dem Superschlag” (The Little Fat One with the Super Punch). Four different “mediabook” Blu-ray/DVD combo designs and a standard Blu-ray were issued. Three different cuts of the film are included: the restored international export theatrical version, the reconstructed full-length Hong Kong theatrical version, and the German theatrical version. The restored export version is the main presentation and contains the fight footage missing from the Crash Cinema DVD, but is missing the comedic bus horse race radio broadcast scene near the beginning and a couple of other comedy bits from later on in the film. This version runs 91 minutes and features the original Cantonese mono soundtrack as well as the original English and German dubs, plus English subtitles. The reconstructed full-length Hong Kong version takes the missing comedy bits and the original Chinese opening credits sequence from the Crash Cinema DVD and drops them into the restored export cut. This version runs 96 minutes and features the original Cantonese mono soundtrack with removable English subtitles for the bulk of the film and burned-in subtitles for the bits that had to be sourced from the Crash DVD. The German theatrical version is cut down from the restored export version to match the original German theatrical release, runs 82 minutes, and features the German dub only. Extras include the original Hong Kong trailer in Cantonese with English subtitles, the original international trailer dubbed in German, a photo gallery of German posters and lobby cards, and a commentary track for the main export version by the Podcast On Fire crew (Stewart Sutherland, Mike Leeder, and Kenneth Brorsson). Mediabook editions include a booklet with photos and German text.

References

External links

* * *
''Enter the Fat Dragon'' at Kungfucinema.com ''Enter the Fat Dragon'' Audio Commentary at PodcastOnFire.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enter The Fat Dragon 1978 films 1978 martial arts films 1970s martial arts comedy films 1970s parody films 1970s Cantonese-language films Bruceploitation films Films directed by Sammo Hung Films set in Hong Kong Hong Kong martial arts comedy films Hong Kong slapstick comedy films Kung fu films 1980s Hong Kong films 1970s Hong Kong films

Plot

Cast

Home video releases

See also

References

External links