I Am Bruce Lee (2012) Reviews

• One of the worst documentary's...

  purpleprinc32012-07-27

  This documentary, if one could call it that, I found to be disrespectful and a disservice to Bruce Lee. It must of been hard to juggle all those ego's in those interviews, they even asked expert Martial Artist and renowned philosopher Mickey Rourke to give his wisdom on the matter which was comical to say the least. Then they bring out embittered old man who claims to be the grandfather of MMA, small point, the first 'M' in MMA stands for 'Mixed,' doing one style is not a mixture, end of non-debate. Bruce Lee didn't start Martial Arts until he was 13, and only intensely trained later. He was far more than a mere fighter as this documentary suggests, he studied and wrote philosophy. I just found this mockumentary attempting to undermine Bruce Lee, through claims of plagiarism (even though they're his 'notes' not published works, so how they could claim plagiarism I do not know, equivalent of me being accused of plagiarism when I copy sentences and make notes in University from books I have to study.) They try to undermine he was a great fighter, their MMA fighters, if they think a real fight consists of gloves and a ring they obviously have no idea of the harsh and unfair reality of fighting. Anyhow Bruce Lee wouldn't endorse a commercialized fighting competition that offers people nothing but mindless entertainment through brutality. Please don't compare Bruce Lee to the likes of Tiger Woods and Jay Z, he has more integrity in the tip of his finger than they have in every fibre of their being. Bruce Lee also wrote about philosophy and life, he also studied and wrote poetry, look up 'Bruce Lee poems' you'll be pleasantly surprised. The only person who spoke with grace was his courageous and wonderful wife who I can only admire for her strength of spirit. Just what we should remember Bruce Lee for, his strength of spirit, far more than a mere fighter, he had the spirit of a warrior and was a refined gentlemen, traits we should all strive for. Sorry for the long review, but I felt it needed to be said.

• Legend and Legacy

  jon.h.ochiai2012-02-18

  In "I Am Bruce Lee" there is a famous interview where Bruce distinguishes his philosophy: "Empty your mind. Be formless like water... If you pour water into a cup, it becomes the cup. If you pour water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be like water, my friend." Bruce eloquently relates Tao Te Ching. Amazingly, these were the words of Stirling Silliphant ("In the Heat of the Night") from an episode of "Longstreet" back in the 1970's starring James Franciscus. Silliphant was a student of Bruce Lee, and the episode was called "Way of the Intercepting Fist" which many know is Bruce's creation, Jeet Kune Do. I remember watching Lee in the TV series. This was before he became the martial arts icon—he was magnetic and compelling. In the interview Bruce said he got to play himself, not some character. What struck me was that Bruce Lee was the awesomely gifted martial artist, who was also an amazing teacher. That is a rarity. I think had Bruce lived, he would have become the great martial arts teacher and transformed the distinction martial arts. Silliphant went on to write the TV series "Kung Fu" from Bruce's original concept. But instead of the casting Chinese Lee as the lead Warner Brothers went with David Carradine. Lee eventually made "Enter the Dragon" for Warner Brothers, he tragically died before the release of the movie. I know this is a lot of history, and Director Pete McCormack brilliantly connects the dots in this refreshing and compelling documentary of Bruce Lee's life and death. There is an undercurrent of racism and fighting the establishment in this story which Bruce lived with. McCormack blends a captivating mix of interviews with celebrity fans, and those close to Bruce. Kobe Bryant is captioned as NBA All-Star/ Martial Artist. I wondered what he trains in. Did not know Ed O'Neil ("Modern Family") was a black belt in Brazilian Jujitsu—which is awesome. UFC Champion Jon Jones is very cool in his admiration of his hero Lee. However, McCormack goes sideways with some of his guys including skateboarder Paul Rodriguez and some dude from the Black Eyed Peas. Cantankerous Judo expert Gene LeBelle comes across as a weird skeptic of the Bruce Lee prowess, though it turns out Bruce trained with him. Bruce Lee is an icon and iconoclast. Linda Lee Caldwell, Lee's widow, amazingly tells the story of how Bruce defeated a fighter from China, because Bruce chose to teach Wing Chun which he learned from the legendary Yip Man to anyone, not just Chinese. Linda tells how Lee made the fighter submit within 3 minutes. After the fight Lee lamented that he should have been able to end the fight sooner—Wing Chun alone was not it. Thus, Bruce began the evolution of Jeet Kune Do-- all styles and no style. His first students Dan Inosanto and Richard Bustillio convey their love and awe for their fallen friend. Bruce Lee transcended race and even martial arts. "I Am Bruce Lee" in its own unique way captures that feeling: Everyone wanted to be Bruce Lee. Bruce taught Steve McQueen, James Coburn, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Linda Lee Caldwell tells how Bruce wished Steve could be more like James and James could be more like Steve. Linda says that Bruce was her strength, but you get that she was his rock. This is particularly evident in the story surrounding Lee's death. Poignantly, Kobe Bryant talks about the downside of celebrity. Bruce Lee may have been seduced by fame. His friend and "Enter the Dragon" co-star Bob Wall talks about Bruce's phenomenal prowess. But he also talks about Lee having an allergic reaction to medication, and being found in another woman's apartment. Caldwell is gracious in that she has made peace with that, and to this day finds joy in seeing him on screen. Lee's daughter Shannon Lee, also the movie's Producer, fondly remembers her father and the spectacle of the funeral. Bruce was a man with an upside and a downside. Most importantly, he is still loved to this day. The footage of the Bruce Lee movies reminds us of the icon, who was total genius in his body. He was 5'7" and 135 lb, and so fast and so strong. The clips of his "one-inch punch" are astounding. He was beautiful and immortal. His goddaughter Diana Lee Inosanto says, "He put balls on Chinese men." Provocative. More to the point: Bruce had the perfect body, was charismatic, and sexy. MMA Champion Gina Carano ("Haywire") vehemently agrees. It is interesting that there have not been any crossover Asian stars as compelling as Bruce. Then again, how often does Bruce Lee come along in a lifetime? What landed for me was Linda talking about Bruce's legacy even today. She said she is touched by the fact that Bruce inspired generations to be great. As a kid watching his movies, he inspired me to pursue the martial arts. Now I am a Sensei, and have the opportunity to give something back to others. Bruce made us dare to be great. And that is an amazing legacy.

• A terrible documentary

  kentrel2012-08-17

  Please just go out and get a well reviewed biography instead. Fighting Spirit by Bruce Howard is my favourite, but get a few for a more complete picture. This documentary is done in the style of those "Review of the Year" type shows where they have multiple Z list celebrities who give their two-cents, that nobody cares about. They have no expert opinion, and have nothing to add other than fanboy enthusiasm. The whole way through there's a cheesy soundtrack, just in case you get bored. There are lots of clips of the Z list celebrities throwing punches, because that's what you want to see in a Bruce Lee documentary, other people punching. His wife, and Dan Inosanto are interviewed, and come across well, but informative sources are few and far between. Shannon Lee is engaging, but she was 4 when her father died - her input is limited. If you bought the Enter the Dragon Special Edition DVD you've probably seen most of the footage in this documentary. Better watch it there, than here interspersed with irritating actors and MMA fighters. Just so you're aware of the kinds of useless people they have in this documentary. If they stripped out these nobodies and kept it down to the core group of experts, they might have had something passable.

• Good, but nothing new.

  scott_thai2012-04-24

  Just been to see this at my local cinema. I've been a fan of Bruce Lee all my life. I've read almost every book, every documentary and seen all his films at least 6 times. Nothing new about Lee's life was revealed in this documentary. It was just old stuff repeated with the views of modern MMA fighters and film actors talking about how Lee inspired them. The only poignant moment for me was hearing Dan Inosanto speak so fondly of Lee and clearly how upset he is by Lee's death. If you are new to Bruce Lee and a fan of MMA then you will enjoy this. Otherwise nothing new or revealing to be found in this new documentary.

• Appallingly bad.

  thom-441-8798192012-08-05

  This entire debacle and insult to the man and the memory is nothing short of a very long promo clip, the likes of which they show on television to advertise an upcoming show. It has very tacky background music throughout, and is edited in the style of a 'Behind the music' show. This is the worst way to present this kind of thing, and it really couldn't be much worse. And as one of the other reviews states, this does a disservice to Bruce by interviewing people who have no connection to Bruce, and who compare him to people that have none of Bruce's talent, insight, spirit or charisma. They insult Bruce and his memory by doing so. But all that aside, it is so badly made and so horrible to try and watch, it really is best avoided. Tacky, incredibly commercial, and looks and watches like an MTV promo.