Jim
Kelly will always be remembered for his role in the greatest martial arts
movie ever made "Enter the Dragon" (1973). Plucked from obscurity
by Bruce Lee himself, Jim excelled in the film playing "Williams", a cocky
ex vietnam soldier turned martial artist. Some of his scenes in the film
remain some of the most famous, including his memorable confrontation with
drug overlord "Han", played by Shih Kien. With classic lines such as "Man,
you come right out of a comic book" and "I'll be too busy looking good".
Kelly's performance in "Enter the Dragon" turned heads and it was no surprise
that after the tragic death of Bruce Lee, Warner Bros turned to Kelly as
an up and coming martial arts star.
Kelly
teamed up with "Enter the Dragon" director Robert Clouse to star in the
definitive Blaxploitation/Martial Arts crossover movie, "Black Belt
Jones" (1974). Although never as popular as "Enter the Dragon" before
it, the film allowed Kelly to excel in what he does best. A karate kicking
badass with attitude, style and a big fat bag of razor sharp wit. After
Black Belt Jones, Jim Kelly went to star in several other similar Martial
Arts action movies. Films such as "Three The Hard Way" (1974), "Take
a Hard Ride" (1975) and "Black Samurai" (1977) continued to
portray Kelly in a martial arts role.
More
recently, Kelly has been quiet, appearing occasionally at Martial Arts
seminars to talk about Enter the Dragon and Bruce Lee. Come back
Jim! Surely someone will see sense and cast him in an action movie
soon.
Melinda
(1972)
Enter
the Dragon (1973)
Three
The Hard Way (1974)
Black
Belt Jones (1974)
Take
a Hard Ride (1975)
Hot Potato
(1976)
Black
Samurai (1977)
The Tattoo
Connection (1978)
Death
Dimension (1978)
One Down,
Two to go (1983)
Necessary
Roughness (1991)
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