Most critics find Enter the Dragon effective, entertaining martial-arts cinema, with praise concentrated on Bruce Lee rather than the story around him. His precision, balletic movement and screen presence recur across the positive reviews, as does the energy he brings to the fights. Several critics also credit the direction and pacing for keeping the action fluid and brisk. The broad agreement is that Lee makes the film compelling even when its other elements are ordinary.
Reservations centre on an unremarkable spy plot, uneven supporting material and a loss of energy when Lee is offscreen. Slant Magazine finds both the espionage story and Roper unnecessary, despite praising the film’s efficiency. The spread is wide, though the strongest dissent stands apart from the generally favourable response: Time Out dismisses the film as inferior Lee and objects to what it sees as an American attempt to colonise the kung-fu market.