'Enter The Dragon' Ranked Among 'Best Action Movies of All Time'
It's hard to pin the action genre down to any one specific style, with different eras bringing entirely different kinds of action cinema. The '80s pioneered classic adventure movies, the 90s popularized big-budget shoot-outs and slow-motion explosions, and now we seem to be in a period of John Wick-esque "gun fu" and tightly choreographed fight scenes.
In the '70s, however, martial arts movies were dominating the scene. Bruce Lee was one of the leading names in this exciting new subgenre, with movies like "Fist of Fury" and "The Big Boss" bringing a whole new wave of popularity to this style.
Enter The Dragon was Lee's final feature film before his untimely death in 1973, and it was a triumphant exit for one of cinema's bravest and most charismatic action stars. The film wasn't released until days after Lee's passing, and it became a shining example of his untouchable legacy.
The film tells the story of a martial artist named Lee who goes undercover with the British government to carry out a sting operation on a notorious crime lord with dangerous contacts. But like many martial arts movies from this period, the story is mostly secondary; what really stands out are the dazzling fight scenes and ambitious stunt performances.
Enter the Dragon was an immediate success, both critically and commercially. The film is estimated to have earned a staggering $400 million worldwide, which would equate to roughly $2 billion today. Its budget was just $850,000, making it one of Warner Bros. most profitable films of all time.
Much of this commercial success can be attributed to Lee's recent passing, and Enter the Dragon was framed as a "final hurrah" that brought audiences to theaters to celebrate an iconic legacy.
But it wasn't just a meaningful tribute-Enter the Dragon is an exceptional film in its own right. The movie currently sits at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics' consensus reading: "Badass to the max, Enter the Dragon is the ultimate kung-fu movie and a fitting (if untimely) Bruce Lee swan song."
Enter The Dragon is frequently cited as one of the greatest action movies ever made, and it landed at No. 5 on Rolling Stone's 2021 ranking. They wrote: "Enter the Dragon would cement Lee's legacy as something close to a real-life superhero, and to see the man plow through dozens of men in a flurry of fists, feet, staffs, and nunchucks is to understand how he was singlehandedly able to turn martial arts into a global phenomenon."
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 8:42 AM.