Enter the Dragon is the first American-produced martial arts film and Bruce Lee's most widely seen film. It also marks a watershed in global awareness of Chinese cinema culture and cinematic forms, a moment when Chinese cinema belonged to film lovers everywhere. Yet the spirit of the film also projects a profound Chinese cultural nationalism. As a cinematic form, the kinetic choreography of the martial arts film has its roots in the stage acrobatics of Beijing opera. Lee stars as a martial artist who agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord during a tournament where he demonstrates the superiority of his syncretic Chinese martial arts form. While the victory of the colonized inspired chauvinistic pride among Chinese viewers, in the U.S. kung fu films were most popular with another oppressed audience, African Americans. Their influence shines through today in rap culture, where groups like Wu Tang Clan even have Chinese-inspired names.-Chris Berry