Bruce Lee: The Man, the Myth

After Bruce Lee's untimely death, a series of Martial Arts films followed to capitalize on his fame and the growing popularity of Martial Arts films. Bruce Li (AKA - HO-Chun-Tao) assumes the role of the great Bruce Lee and did a remarkably good job. He has the look and the overall presence to convince the audience he's the real deal. He may not have been as fast or as skilled as Lee himself, but then again, who was?

This fictionalized biography touches on the key points in Lee's life from his days at Washington University, his personal relationships, his competitions, his film career and his marriage. The marriage is briefly shown as we get merely two minutes of screen time with his wife and two children. We also see his struggles and eventual success with convincing the Production studios to make him an Action film star. Lee had the looks, the skill and charisma to carry Martial Arts cinema into a mainstream genre. But this film biography puts a huge emphasis on fight scenes. From how the screenplay is presented, it's as if Bruce Lee was a man who was constantly being provoked and tested by thugs who were unfortunate enough to test themselves against him. And Lee was not a guy who was known to back down or turn the other cheek. Street thugs harass him or an innocent bystander which is thus followed by a valiant display of heroism and fighting power. Along with the fight scenes is an ongoing battle of fighting disciples: Kung Fu VS. Any other discipline from Karate, Thai boxing, Judo, etc. While Lee represents the Kung Fu philosophy this theme runs concurrently with his overall methodology which was an amalgam of various disciplines as he subsequently developed his own brand known as Jeet Kwon Do.

The downside was that it's not well made. Poor dubbing and dialogue look laughable at times. The acting is fairly wooden. The story doesn't backdate itself. We start in late 1950's Hong Kong up to the present day and the fashion and styles all remain 1970's. The filmmaker didn't put an emphasis on authenticity. But what stuck out in my mind most was a workout session where Lee is measuring his punching speed through this sophisticated battery of equipment. He pokes his finger through this electronic device to have these mounted bulbs light up indicating his accuracy and impact. I've never heard of such a machine being used in the early 1970's and I am guessing this was pure fiction, but it does give the scene a futuristic and Avant Garde feel. 1970's Futurism. LOL.

If you are looking for a more accurate and deeply personal portrait of Bruce Lee, this may not be the best film for you. It does, however, carry some nostalgic and sentimental value for Bruce Lee fans.

Bruce Lee, the Man, the Myth and the Legend (1976) was one of the many and I do mean many Bruce Lee rip-offs, knock-offs and wannabe Bruce Lee films that were being cranked out of Asia and parts unknown after the "Master" died in 1973. One of them is this one. It details certain points in the young Dragon's life. Reportedly based upon his life but it's a cheesy, clichéd filled and heavy fictionalized account of his life. But it's perversely entertaining. A companion film to this would be The Game of Death II. which also stars several of the participates and is directed by the same man who directed this schlock.

Watch out for brief cameos from Mars, Yuen Biao, Lee Hoi Sang and Hark Fung-On. The woman co-starring as Bruce's wife looks just like her! Bruce's former buddy Unicorn Chan makes a guest star appearance. Karma would later claim his life a few years later. I would recommend this one for it's sheer lunacy. Check out his "electromagnetic" therapy and Futuristic computerized training!

I would give this film a B+

I've watched this movie long time ago, and more recently after watching Young Bruce Lee (2011). It was curious to find that this movie picks up right where Young Bruce Lee ends. Put both of them back to back, and you get a complete story of Bruce's rise to stardom.

While Young Bruce Lee was a recent production and style was of modern people and props made to look like '50s Hong Kong, this movie was made in the '70s, and all the fashion, and hairstyle are authentic '70s style. It was such a different world back then.

Bruce's greatness was he believed in himself when no one else believed that he could be a star. He had to battle his way up both as martial artist and a movie star. Without his pioneering effort, likes of Jackie Chan wouldn't have had the market to thrive in. All the kung fu movie stars of the world owes a lot to Bruce in this sense.

It's amazing that after almost 40 years since his death, his presence has not diminished.I guess that's the true quality of a star. In this sense, he's maybe topped the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford etc. in that they remain as old actors, but Bruce Lee continues to find new audiences.

It would be interesting to see how this segment of Bruce Lee's life would be remade into a movie using modern production.

This is a biopic of the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee staring Bruce Li. It's actually quite an effective film about his rise to stardom. Li has one half the charisma of Bruce Lee but that's not unexpected. The plot follows his life especially in his epic fights. The action is solid with loads of hand to hand combat. Li is at least competently skilled in that arena. There are some missing story elements and some liberties are taken as always. His family life is mostly in the background. The production value may not be that high but in a way, it matches those Bruce Lee movies of that era. It's a functional biopic and that's more than expected.

The movie opens by giving away the ending - Bruce Lee is dead! Not too much of a spoiler actually. Our hero, Bruce Li, appears and does his Wing Chun dummy routine then talks to his master. He must go to America. Hello Seattle! Bruce is already the big man on campus. He works at the gas station. We are deviating from history again. Two black karate experts attack for the movie's first fight

Looking at Bruce Li's execution, focus, and speed, I would say the fights are good. The stunt men vary from okay to pathetic. The stunt man who hit himself in the head with the nunchucks was in Bruce Lee's movie. This movie is certainly only for fans of the genre. That is it's only entertainment value for back then and even for now. In consideration of that and the year it was made it rates as simply average.

I have been watching martial arts movies of the golden age from 1967 to 1984 in chronological order and writing my reviews. It is interesting to watch the progression of these movies in that way. Curiously, when I reached 1976, there were three movies in a row starting with "Bruce Lee" in the title. The man had an impact in many ways.