★ 6 / 10
A good movie about Bruce Lee from his siblings' perspective
aeo
I enjoyed the movie. I am a fan of Bruce Lee and had read his books and of course, saw his movies. I also read numerous articles and other biographies from his…
I enjoyed the movie. I am a fan of Bruce Lee and had read his books and of course, saw his movies. I also read numerous articles and other biographies from his wife and friends.
This movie is about Bruce when he was living in Hong Kong from his sibling's viewpoint. The biggest reason why I enjoyed this movie was that it filled in some information gaps that I had about Bruce Lee.
I knew that he was born in San Francisco because his father was a performer in the Chinese Opera and was performing here when his wife gave birth to Bruce. What I always wondered was why did the parents pick the name Bruce? It seems the mother said "push" when the American nurse asked what name they wanted for the baby. The father's English was not so good so he garbled "push" and it sounded like "Bruce" to the nurse. Unfortunately, another question has popped up that I hope the book will answer when I read it is why did the mother say "push." According to the movie, during the labor, the American nurse kept saying "push," and maybe the mother liked that word and stated this when the American nurse asked for the name. I'm wondering whether Bruce's mother even knew the meaning of the word "push" and whether the father even knew what the wife was saying? Again, I hope the book will answer these questions.
I knew his family was in entertainment area but I did not know how connected they were in the Hong Kong entertainment scene. It seems the Lee family knew most of the performers in Hong Kong.
I knew that the family lived under the same house but I did not know they had several servants and the servants' family living under the same house. This signifies that they were pretty well off.
Bruce was a natural leader and it showed when early on, he became the leader of his newly formed friends. He was also a born entertainer. He began acting at an early age when one his father's friend put Bruce in one of his movies.
Bruce did not like studying but loved hanging out with friends and getting into fights. The movie fills in on how and why he learned Wing Chun Kung Fu. The major basis of his subsequent fighting style.
He loved dancing. I knew he was a Cha Cha Cha champion in Hong Kong but I did not know he did not win that without a female partner. In fact, he won that with his younger brother Robert Lee, as his dancing partner. The movie told the story why his younger brother became his dancing partner, and that was due to a love triangle.
One of the biggest question that I had about Bruce was why did he have to leave for America so quickly? From various articles, I knew he was in trouble but there was no real elaboration. According to the movie, one of his close friends was a drug addict. Bruce went to save him but the friend was in a drug den. There was a confrontation with a drug boss. In the ensuing struggle, some of the boss' men were injured and some of the drug was lost.
As stated in the movie, the father told him that if he stayed in Hong Kong, he will either be killed by the drug gang or be put in jail by the authorities. Therefore, he had to leave immediately for the U.S.A. By the way, there was a minor mistake in the movie in that the $100 bill was the modern bill with the giant portrait of Benjamin Franklin.
This also filled in some gaps in that I always wondered why some people in Hong Kong thought that he was killed by the Triads or some Chinese gang. Thus the conspiracy theory.
I am sure like any movie based on a real person, the movie company took some liberty with the facts but I hope it was not much. Overall a good movie that emphasized his family, friends, and career while growing up in Hong Kong.
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★ 7 / 10
Its a period/bio pic (not so much a martial art flick)
Emosin
Being a Bruce Lee fan, this was a joy to watch. There were a few forgivable embellishments: Like Bruce lee being way too nice of a guy, strutting around like…
Being a Bruce Lee fan, this was a joy to watch.
There were a few forgivable embellishments: Like Bruce lee being way too nice of a guy, strutting around like the heartthrob of Hong Kong, running amok with his stand by me rat pack, and a few doses heavy handed doses of melodrama(to appease the eastern viewer), and yes they did hire a pretty boy for the lead role.
The cinematography is stunning and the historical setting and context really paint an accurate portrayal; as if the director himself had lived through those times. Right down to playing marbles in the street, a cherry blossom tree inside the household, or the grander themes of the Japanese and British occupations. Its also very cultural at its roots, if you're not familiar with Traditional Chinese culture, some things may not make sense.
Just don't expect an action flick (although there are a few fight scenes), rather view it as a well drawn bio drama/ period piece, and you'll walk away with an enjoyable film.
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6.4/10
2K
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Why upload the Turkish dub? Original language please