Jim Kelly's self-control and physical swagger make him welcome company in a martial arts film. Enter the Dragon makes good use of that appeal, even when its screenplay gives him too little to do.
Fi1m perspective
Jim Kelly delivers a one-liner with the self-control he brings to a fight. As Williams in Enter the Dragon (1973), he is good company in a story that does not always know what to do with him. We warmed to Williams because Kelly's ease made the stretches between fights companionable, even when the espionage plot was trying our patience. Bruce Lee is the reason to watch, but it would be unfair to blame Kelly for the wait between Lee's appearances.
The leading roles that followed tended to ask for more of the same. Enter the Dragon brought a three-film Warner Bros. deal, with Black Belt Jones (1974) his first major starring vehicle. Three the Hard Way (1974) paired him with Jim Brown and Fred Williamson, while Black Samurai (1977) kept him in the martial arts cycle. He became one of the first prominent Black martial arts stars, though the recurring assignment was the cool, streetwise fighter. By the mid-1980s he had largely stepped back from acting.
Enter the Dragon remains the useful starting point because it lets us see both his appeal and the limits of what a supporting actor can repair. Robert Clouse keeps the fights clear and lively, which suits a performer with Kelly's karate background. Michael Allin's screenplay is less capable when nobody is fighting, particularly when the attention turns to Roper. John Saxon gives that character a welcome ease, but neither he nor Kelly can make these interruptions feel necessary.
Black Belt Jones supplies the caution, with repetitive fights and performances that can feel stilted. Kelly's deliberate manner is appealing, but it needs lively writing around it; a larger part does not solve that problem. We would not recommend every starring vehicle on the strength of his presence. Start with Enter the Dragon, where Williams makes the wait for Lee considerably more agreeable.
Biography
Jim Kelly, also credited as James Milton Kelly, was an American actor and martial artist. He played the character Williams in the 1973 film Enter the Dragon.
Kelly won multiple karate titles in 1971, including the middleweight division at the Long Beach International Karate Championships, and opened a dojo in Los Angeles. His performance in Enter the Dragon led to lead roles in several 1970s martial arts and blaxploitation films, including Black Belt Jones (1974) as the title character and Three the Hard Way (1974) as Mister Keyes. He also appeared in Take a Hard Ride (1975) and Black Samurai (1976).
Kelly was additionally a professional tennis player. He died on 29 June 2013.
