Dragon - Die Bruce Lee Story

I really liked Jason Scott Lee's portrayal of Bruce Lee, but I noticed many inaccuracies in the story. If I had not seen the AMC special on Lee last year, I would not have a problem.

-according to Linda Lee, Bruce was not hurt when competing for the right to teach whoever he wanted to. He hurt himself when he didn't stretch properly for a workout in 1970. That was the big inaccuracy

-Bruce auditioned for another role in early 1965 before the role of Kato was offered to him.

• other roles he took in America were completely ignored: "Marlowe", his appearances on "Longstreet", etc...the movie went right from 1967 to 1972 within a minute

If you want to see a really good special on Lee, as well as see lost footage from a project that was butchered after he died, check out the AMC documentary.

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The story told in the movie is really excellent and entertaining. However it feels more like a story based on the life of Bruce Lee rather then an actual biopic of his life.

Jason Scott Lee perfectly plays Kung Fu legend Bruce Lee. Not only the way he plays Lee is impressive but also his fighting skills.

The music by Randy Edelman was also surprising good.

There are way too many fictitious and untrue things added in the movie to be considered a fair biography. But does it really matter for the movie? It's like "Ed Wood" that was also filled with altered things and false truths but still it was a movie that told us the story of an unique character and what drove him. "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" isn't much different in that way. OK it's not completely fair to compare this movie to "Ed Wood" since that was a far superior movie to "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" (what a horrible title by the way).

The fight sequence are probably the best thing about the movie and they were highly entertaining, although very hard to believe that they actually really happened that way.

It's a good entertaining movie but if you want to get to know more about Bruce Lee this isn't the best material for you to start with.

7/10

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Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is directed by Rob Cohen who also co-adapts the screenplay with John Raffo and Edward Khmara. It stars Jason Scott Lee, Lauren Holly, Robert Wagner and Michael Learned. Music is by Randy Edelman and cinematography by David Eggby.

Based on Bruce Lee: The Man I Only Knew by Linda Lee Caldwell (Bruce Lee's widow), "Dragon" is more tribute movie than biography. A big success on release, it's a film that still causes some consternation with a number of Bruce Lee fans. The reasoning is because in true Hollywood style it tinkers with facts, misses out other notable points and has some time line issues. Yet if you can accept it as a "painted always in a positive light" homage piece more than a definitive biography? Then you find the essence of the man and his short life is there in glorious splendour.

In many ways it's an inspiring tale of a complex man, while it also plays out as a wonderful love story between two people of a different race making it work at a time when such a thing was frowned upon by the ignorant. Lee's skills as an artist and a human being are firmly portrayed, with Jason Scott Lee (no relation) proving to be admirable in his depiction of such. The fights are very well choreographed and perfectly OTT, but crucially they do not come at a cost to the story, it's the narrative that shines through even as the action appeases the action hungry hoards. While rightly there's iconography unbound, naturally.

The production value is high as regards quality of colour photography, set and costume design and recreations of famous moments. Edelman's score is a heart swelling and heroic scorcher that avoids over dosing on Oriental strains, Cohen moves it along at a nice clip and Holly is fabulous in her sympathetic portrayal of Bruce's wife. It's not all perfect, though. Away from the issues the hard core Lee fans have, the Demon that haunts the Lee family dreams is more funny than scary and the finale feels rushed and not dramatically fulfilling. It's fair that Lee's wife voices over the end and tells us it's about celebrating his life, but his death remains a key issue and skipping over it is a mistake.

In the year of the film's release, the Lee's first child, Brandon, would be killed whilst filming The Crow, aged 28. Thus as Linda Lee Caldwell helped craft a film about a husband who died aged just 32, she lost her son. There is added poignancy in that, it's something that undeniably makes Dragon even more of a moving experience, but rest assured, as a film tribute to Bruce Lee, it earns every one of its emotional and thoughtful beats. 8/10

Once you became a Bruce Lee addict and begin seeing and reading the numerous different biographies and biopics, you're going to realise that DRAGON has quite a bit of fiction in it - and in the bits you don't really expect it to. For example, Lee approached Raymond Chow's Golden Harvest production company to make a marital arts movie, not the other way round and Chow isn't even the guy! Also, due to Lee's 'mysterious' death, the film also doesn't really an idea of how its going to wrap it all up. Therefore, the film is the perfect example of the word 'vivid'.

However, what makes Dragon the fine film that it is is that it decides to look at the two lesser-known aspects which dominated Lee's life - his long, ongoing 'battles' with an inner-demon and of course the racism of sixties America. These are managed and brought to the screen extremely well although to be fair they aren't particularly well developed.

The highlights would have to be the performances of Jason Scott Lee as Bruce and Lauren Holly as his devoted wife, Linda. They share a remarkable chemistry together and are certainly a credit to their subjects. This review probably hasn't made Dragon sound like a very good movie. Well if that's the case, then please think the opposite.

This film as a stand alone kung fu movie would be worthy of your attention, as it is very enjoyable and well made. The thing that makes it special is Jason Scott Lee's portrayal of the legend that is Bruce Lee.

He successfully captures his mannerisms, attitude and even his fighting style, extremely convincingly (a truly remarkable feat of acting ability.)

Although dramatised to heighten your viewing pleasure, the story actually follows the events in Bruce Lee's life and shows us the man behind the martial arts, covering his inner turmoils and personal struggles as well as his famous physical ability.

A great movie, befitting the legend that is Bruce Lee.

8/10