Bruce Lee, My Brother

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Moviecut—Bruce Lee, My Brother

I am sick of people criticising this film for not having enough action or fight scenes! The genre of this film is biography/drama and that is precisely what it is (and a fairly good one at that). This film was made to give people an insight to who Bruce Lee actually was aside from his fame as an action hero superstar. It shows the utter loyalty, love and respect he showed for his friends and family and the pride he took in doing so. The way Lee is presented as a, somewhat, naive teen, and the innocence and likability his character shows, is a nice contrast to the wing chun warrior in which we previously knew him. This film brings out Bruce Lee's human qualities and presents him as a common man. The direction and cinematography of this film can be admired. The recurring glare of sunlight throughout the film present a nostalgic feel and remind us of the softer side of Lee; the side that this film portrays. However, at times the narrative can stray off topic and leave the audience wondering where the story is going. Also some may argue that some of the narrative is not factual and, hence, not true, however, not knowing a whole lot about Bruce Lee apart from his Hollywood legend status I found this film incredibly fascinating and a few false recounts here and there didn't detract from a pleasant viewing experience. I recommend giving this film a go. It is worth diving a little deeper into a life which, otherwise, seemed fairly emotionless.

Bruce Lee, My Brother is directed by Yip Wai-Man and co-produced by his younger brother – Robert Lee and Manfred Wong Man-chun. Robert provides an in-depth storyline on the Lee family values and cultures while focusing on Bruce Lee's childhood years to his adulthood as an actor and martial artist legend. Newcomer Aarif Rahman Lee, who bears the same surname starred as Bruce Lee along with Tony Leung Ka-Fai and Christy Chung as Lee Hoi-chuen and Grace Ho as Bruce's parents. The 23-year-old lad is a mixed parentage of Malaysian-Chinese-Arab descent from his father and his mother is a local Hong Kong citizen. "He was a very charismatic young man when what most people know about him was his fighting. But actually there's much more of Bruce Lee," Aarif Lee said. Unfortunately, this movie is failure. Despite reviewing his teen years before fleeing to United States because he becomes a national hero in eliminating the drug lord has cause the triads to chase after him. There's really nothing much about him. It's just partial of here and there. I do not blame the movie nor Robert Lee, because he was only a child.

I had certain expectations of this movie, but I'm glad it was nothing like I thought it would be. First, it was NOT an action packed display of consecutive fight scenes. There is some fighting, but this movie really focused on the relationships that Bruce Lee had with family and friends. It's based on the book which was written by Bruce's younger brother, Robert. That is pleasing by itself, considering that every film ever made about Bruce was just a fictional tale of his character. I can't say for sure because I did not know the man, but I would be willing to bet that this is the most accurate representation of Lee Jun Fan as a young man in Hong Kong. Now, I say that with full knowledge that this IS a movie, and there are obviously some fabrications and exaggerations mixed into it. But what I mean is, this movie does not portray Bruce as some magical fighting machine going around fighting everyone he comes into contact with. A large portion of the movie is focused on his relationships with friends and family, and that is something we have never seen, unless you count "Dragon", the movie with Jason Scott Lee (which I enjoyed, but it was not like this one). I enjoyed it much more because of that. I feel like I know a little more about where Bruce came from, and how things may have been for him as a young man. Definitely worth watching, especially if you are a fan of Bruce Lee the man, rather than Bruce Lee the movie star.

I enjoyed the movie. I am a fan of Bruce Lee and had read his books and of course, saw his movies. I also read numerous articles and other biographies from his wife and friends. This movie is about Bruce when he was living in Hong Kong from his sibling's viewpoint. The biggest reason why I enjoyed this movie was that it filled in some information gaps that I had about Bruce Lee. I knew that he was born in San Francisco because his father was a performer in the Chinese Opera and was performing here when his wife gave birth to Bruce. What I always wondered was why did the parents pick the name Bruce? It seems the mother said "push" when the American nurse asked what name they wanted for the baby. The father's English was not so good so he garbled "push" and it sounded like "Bruce" to the nurse. Unfortunately, another question has popped up that I hope the book will answer when I read it is why did the mother say "push." According to the movie, during the labor, the American nurse kept saying "push," and maybe the mother liked that word and stated this when the American nurse asked for the name. I'm wondering whether Bruce's mother even knew the meaning of the word "push" and whether the father even knew what the wife was saying? Again, I hope the book will answer these questions. I knew his family was in entertainment area but I did not know how connected they were in the Hong Kong entertainment scene. It seems the Lee family knew most of the performers in Hong Kong. I knew that the family lived under the same house but I did not know they had several servants and the servants' family living under the same house. This signifies that they were pretty well off. Bruce was a natural leader and it showed when early on, he became the leader of his newly formed friends. He was also a born entertainer. He began acting at an early age when one his father's friend put Bruce in one of his movies. Bruce did not like studying but loved hanging out with friends and getting into fights. The movie fills in on how and why he learned Wing Chun Kung Fu. The major basis of his subsequent fighting style. He loved dancing. I knew he was a Cha Cha Cha champion in Hong Kong but I did not know he did not win that without a female partner. In fact, he won that with his younger brother Robert Lee, as his dancing partner. The movie told the story why his younger brother became his dancing partner, and that was due to a love triangle. One of the biggest question that I had about Bruce was why did he have to leave for America so quickly? From various articles, I knew he was in trouble but there was no real elaboration. According to the movie, one of his close friends was a drug addict. Bruce went to save him but the friend was in a drug den. There was a confrontation with a drug boss. In the ensuing struggle, some of the boss' men were injured and some of the drug was lost. As stated in the movie, the father told him that if he stayed in Hong Kong, he will either be killed by the drug gang or be put in jail by the authorities. Therefore, he had to leave immediately for the U.S.A. By the way, there was a minor mistake in the movie in that the $100 bill was the modern bill with the giant portrait of Benjamin Franklin. This also filled in some gaps in that I always wondered why some people in Hong Kong thought that he was killed by the Triads or some Chinese gang. Thus the conspiracy theory. I am sure like any movie based on a real person, the movie company took some liberty with the facts but I hope it was not much. Overall a good movie that emphasized his family, friends, and career while growing up in Hong Kong.

I don't at all mean the heading of this review as a criticism: just be warned going into this film that you are more likely to witness scenes of intense family drama than intense fists of fury.:) Based on the memoirs and reminiscenses of the late Little Dragon's younger brother Robert Lee, "Young Bruce Lee" (aka "Bruce Lee, My Brother") is a portrayal of the formative years of the action star growing up in 1940s and 1959s Hong Kong, firstly under the yoke of the invading Japanese, and latterly under the colonial British. We witness the early years of Bruce Lee as his personality and persona are shaped by early events in his life. Tony Leung and the luminously radiant (and very underrated acting-wise) Christy Chung play Lee's parents as we chart his birth and early life up until the age of around 19. Somehave voiced disapproval and frustration at the lack of action scenes, but this film is very much a drama following the life events that shape a person, rather than an all-out kung fu movie. That said, the two fight scenes we do get in the second half of the movie are especially well handled: i very much enjoyed the warehouse showdown, with its shades of the Colosseum duel from "Way of the Dragon" (replete with said film's unmistakable soundtrack). If the viewer is in the right frame of mind to watch a dramatic recreation of Bruce Lee's life, rather than straining at the leash for full-on action scenes, then there is much to recommend in this movie: not least the well-rounded performances, excellent recreations of post-war Hong Kong, and - my favourite part aside from the fights - recreations of period Hong Kong movies in authentic black and white. Great stuff, lovingly rendered. In all, a satisfying and nicely nuanced telling of a star's early beginnings. And far superior to Rob Cohen's overly histrionic "Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story". Here's hoping it did well enough to merit a follow-up that can cover the time period of that excreble film much better.

I found this movie very entertaining and am happy to read that it sticks fairly close to the biographical facts of his real life. The love between Bruce and his family and friends is really heartwarming and it it was nice to see that, while he was fairly well-off financially and a minor celebrity too, he still enjoyed the wild fun of being a street kid in an urban location. The fact that he managed to get into trouble quite a few times is probably also very true to the actual life of Bruce. The film left me wanting to know more about what happened to his circle of friends in Kowloon after he achieve stardom and whether he really was as shy as portrayed when it came to girls and first romance. I also wonder if the death near the end of the film actually occurred. Still, it was a good movie that tries not to over mythologize the person worshiped today as Bruce Lee.

Billed as an exploration of Bruce Lee's early life, YOUNG BRUCE LEE is a film that's been falsely advertised from the outset. Cine Asia marketed it as an all-action fighting-flick, with a fight-packed trailer and explosive advertising. In actual fact, the makers of this film aren't interested in the action at all, instead focusing on human drama throughout. This is a film that explores Bruce's love life and the lives of his friends and associates in 1950s Hong Kong. Unfortunately, it's also extraordinarily dull, and the distinct lack of action makes it a real chore to watch. It soon becomes apparent that Bruce's early life just wasn't very interesting and certainly not worthy of a film; the interest lies in what happens when he went to America, which is conveniently where this film ends. In addition, the filmmakers strive to portray him as a pacifist, and he sustains at least two beatings during the course of the movie; hardly the champion and kung fu star of later years. This is a tough film to like, because the action that takes place is just so dull. Bruce comes across as arrogant and unlikeable, and the decision to cast an unknown Arabic-looking actor in the part was a bad one. Okay, so he sometimes looks a bit like the star at the right angle, but it becomes painfully obvious that he has no fighting ability and he has little acting ability, either. Tony Leung is brought in for heavyweight support as Bruce's father, but his role is a completely extraneous one. The film does pick up towards the climax, but the fights are still disappointing and in the high-rise finish Bruce has little to do. I mean, who wants to watch a film about Bruce Lee for the romance? The whole setup was misjudged from the very beginning, leaving this a crushing bore and huge disappointment.