The Legend Of Bruce Lee (2008/Lionsgate DVD)
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras: D Feature: A-
Bruce
Lee, American born, Chinese raised, martial art master, philosopher, and movie
star. He took the martial arts world by storm and left unforgettable movies, as
well as his life, his myth, his legend inspired all who knew him. It also reiterates that Kung-Fu/Martial Arts
wasn't just about fighting, but discipline, practice, and understanding. Bruce
Lee became an iconic hero to the people, everything he did reflected his life
and philosophy. He was not only a master in martial arts, but teacher in his
sayings, and a master of the human spirit.
This is yet
another take on the life of Bruce Lee, this time from Chinese television,
showing us again how he became a martial artist, from the people he met, to the
things he learned and how he lived his life. The film starts off with Bruce Lee winning
karate championship and then flashes back to how he first started into martial
arts, how he gradually learned, the challenges and difficulties he faced. It
showed the changes he made and improvements in martial arts he made.
From his early life to his death the film showed how he started out
as a reckless youth and became the legend he is.
This film could almost be a biography of the life of Bruce Lee not unlike the
film Dragon back in the 1990s, including
much fighting, but Bruce Lee's training on the path to become a true
martial artist. The movie also showed
some of the struggles Bruce Lee went through life, opposition for him teach
non-Chinese martial arts, various loss and injuries, how he overcame them, and
how he formed his own style and ideology. Phrases like "Flow like water..."
came from his philosophy. My only small
complaint is there are two tracks, English and Chinese, listening to the
English track the Chinese voices were dubbed and listening to the Chinese
track the American voices were dubbed. I would recommend this for any Bruce Lee fan, especially
those who have been talking about Ip Man,
a recent hit about Lee’s mentor. This film
is a great homage to his life and legend.
- Ricky Chiang
