Be Water

Starts as a straightforward Bruce Lee documentary, pivots into being more broadly about Asian representation (and lack thereof) in Hollywood during its early years, and then shifts back into being more a Bruce Lee focused documentary in its final third.

All the content is compelling and interesting- it's really only the somewhat awkward shifting between these two main subjects that holding it back from being more than simply quite good.

But would still recommend as a solid documentary, even if you're like me and already thought you knew quite a lot about Bruce Lee- there was so much here that I didn't know, or hadn't really thought about before, a decent range of archive footage and old interviews to back that info up (an approach similar to another 2020 documentary I watched recently, also about an actor who passed away young: Belushi).

There is something about Bruce Lee that fascinates me . A combination of his looks , his screen presence and of course his martial arts has always interested me without being a massive martial arts fan myself. The man crossed boundaries and brought his art into the mainstream and this film highlights that.

Rejected by Hollywood, Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong to complete four films. Charting his struggles in two worlds, Be Water explores questions of identity and representation through rare archive, intimate interviews, and his writings.

This isn't a fanboy film . Far from it . This is about how he was brought up in San Francisco and then moved back to Hong Kong and the way he didn't really fit in either place back in 60's . It's not a film about his films although the most influential are mentioned .

I learned a lot . I never knew he was a child actor in movies . I never new he was in The Green Hornet TV series in the U.S and most poignantly i never knew he died before Enter The Dragon was released.

I now know more about the great Bruce Lee because of Be Water and that has to be a good thing .

I would not call director Bao Nguyen's film style as being artistically styled for the viewers pleasure but a film that delivers the essence of who action film and TV star Bruce Lee was to countless countries fans who relished in waiting for another Bruce Lee film to be released. Bruce Lee was not treated properly by the United States film and television industry and so they (the U.S. film producers) missed a golden opportunity to lock him up to a long term ten (10) year film contract. Instead Bruce Lee headed back to Hong Kong to fulfill his vision of what a Bruce Lee action film should look like as a finished product.

Triva: I was not aware that it was Bruce Lee who pitched the idea for a television series about a travelling nomad warrior and philosopher to the U.S.A. producers only to have his idea turned down and handed over to American actor David Carradine and turned into ABC's hit TV series Kung Fu (1972-1975). What a real shame! I can only imagine how Bruce Lee would have made this TV series ten (10) times better, but ignorance in Hollywood is once again bliss eh?

This documentary is narrated by Bruce Lee's immediate family and close friends as well as interspersed with various formal and candid interviews with Bruce Lee. It is well worth the watch and available in ESPN's 30 For 30 series.

I give this documentary a credible 8 out of 10 IMDB rating.

The inspirational value of Bruce Lee is best expressed by his response to the question of whether he thought of himself as Chinese or American. "You know what I want to think of myself," he said, "as a human being." Bruce Lee was a man who spent his entire life building bridges; between styles of martial arts, between cultures at odds with one another, and between inner and external philosophies. He felt that true strength comes from within, and that by recognizing that strength, as well as all the flaws that coexist alongside it, one can achieve greatness despite all odds. Bruce Lee is a hero worth idolizing because he did not see himself as one. He did not view himself as a star, or a saint. He was true to himself, accepting the good with the bad. He was confident, but not conceited, wise, but not condescending. He was a man who fought for all he achieved, and deserved every ounce of his success.

It is essential, given the current climate of racial injustice in the United States, that a documentary about a man who played such a role in dismantling prejudice against Asian-Americans take all the racial factors involved into full consideration and treat them respectfully and knowledgeably, and this documentary does exactly that. It is about Bruce Lee, yes, but more importantly it is about the struggle that he and so many Asian-Americans face even today. It is a story of a man who was able to raise himself above it all, against all odds, and prove to the world that an Asian man could outshine any leading actor, and that by virtue of his determination was equally if not more deserving of the superstardom so often relegated to the white Hollywood elite.

Needs to be watched by fans and non fans. Great documentary. Clearly the the fascist / nationalist have been offended by the documentary and they are in denial of the racism and political issues of the USA during the 60s and the 70s era. If the documentary had praised USA giving reason how great USA was in that era, the reviews would have been a lot different.