For casual observers and aficionados alike, the Bruceploitation craze of the 1970s surely ranks as one of the most bizarre cultural phenomena ever recorded. Obviously the movies were popular, since dozens of them were made--but who was the target audience? Were these ludicrous films made for viewers who literally could not tell the difference between the genuine article and his imitators, for Bruce Lee devotees who had sat through their hero's four cinematic adventures a hundred times apiece and were jonesing for any kind of facsimile (no matter how clumsy), or just for indiscriminate fans of kung fu action? Even today, the answer is unclear. There were three distinct varieties of Bruceploitation: the biographical films, sequels and prequels to Lee's own movies, and standard martial arts melodramas with a central character named 'Bruce' who wielded a nunchaku and made high-pitched twittering noises when he fought, but otherwise bore no relation to Bruce Lee. "Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth" falls into the first category and stars Bruce Li (real name: Ho Tsung-tao), the best of the three major Lee impersonators. And yes, it's a pretty lousy film, but it tries. Firstly, and most conspicuously, it dodges Lee's affair with Betty Ting Pei altogether. A character representing Ting Pei does appear near the end of the film, but she is only Lee's 'friend' and mention is made of her husband and his impending arrival to assist Lee with a screenplay, so that the viewer hasn't the least intimation of hanky panky. Secondly, an effort is made to express some of Lee's philosophy of combat in at least one scene, when he is challenged by muay thai stylists and adopts a few of their own techniques to beat them. Finally, a number of the characters who dispute Lee's fighting mastery are played by prominent real-life martial artists, like judo and chin-na instructor David Chow and hung gar master Chiu Chi-ling. (Lee's best friend Unicorn Chan appears as himself.) In the final analysis, however, honorable intent cannot overcome a wretched lack of sophistication. The stunted, ridiculous dialogue makes the average episode of "What's Happening!!" sound like it was written by Shakespeare and, despite passable fight choreography, Ho Tsung-tao is neither fast nor accurate enough to affect a convincing portrayal of Lee. That "Bruce Lee: The Man, the Myth" is the cream of the Bruceploitation crop (and if you're at all skeptical, take a look at some of the other biographical films like "The Dragon Dies Hard" or "Bruce Lee: His Last Days, His Last Nights") demonstrates just how low the bar was set in this subgenre.