Reviews & Columns |
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
DVD Talk Forum |
|
Resources |
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
Columns
|
|
Bruce Lee - True Story
Bruce Lee doesn't remain one of the most famous faces on the planet for nothing. His screen presence has never been equaled in the martial arts movie field, neither for his sinewy fighting prowess nor the feline sexiness he projected. Part of what helped cement his legend is that, like James Dean and Jimi Hendrix, he died before he had a chance to slide over the hill. Like those other prodigies he didn't even get a chance to reach his peak. And the moment he died the Hong Kong film industry went into overdrive to cash in on his name, pumping out imitators like Bruce Li and Bruce Le and producing supposed behind-the-scenes productions, biographies and sequels, attempting to woo Lee fans with fake product. Some of the imitations are accomplished in their own right.
Bruce Lee - True Story is an hilariously fictionalized biography. The title is extra funny given the great lengths to which the film goes to turn Lee's life into a chopsocky flick. One early instance is inventing a rivalry with a karate teacher that finds Lee battling the man in a stadium in front of their respective students. Lee's legend includes many supposed real-life duels but this one, which supposedly takes place in Seattle, is one that seems plain silly.
The whole time line of Bruce Lee -True Story is completely made-up but that doesn't stop it from being an entertaining film. Li clearly studied Lee's on-screen mannerisms and mimics them here to a ridiculous extent. He turns a simple head-twist or smirk that Lee may have done once in a film into an ongoing tick. Still, this method is charming in a way and makes Li very entertaining to watch. His fighting isn't bad either. He moves swiftly and keeps a sense of humor as he fights. It's been said that Li was the best of the imitators and that's easy to imagine. It's a shame that he never really got a chance to develop his own career (The actor, whose real name is Chung Tao Ho was quoted as saying "The producer gave me the name Bruce Li, L-I. But, I don't like it, because I can act like him, but I can't be him.") But with all due respect, Bruce Li was not Bruce Lee. At least this film, unlike many other knock-offs doesn't try to trick the audience.
VIDEO:
The full-frame video is pretty bad, although significantly better than The Young Bruce Lee. It's extremely blurry and the print shows some damage. Still, it's not quite unwatchable if you know what to expect.
AUDIO:
The audio is also very low on the technical scale. Voices are muddled and the music is harsh. Another sad attempt.
EXTRAS:
This disc is loaded with extra features, including an audio commentary track (the menu claims two separate tracks but they both seem to be the same track. Is that possible? Weird.) The track features George Tan, Ed Khmara (who wrote the only fully sanctioned bio, Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story) and Davis Miller (who wrote the documentary Curse of the Dragon) and was recorded, apparently, over the phone. The commentators state early on that they don't plan to discuss the film itself but rather the myths around Bruce Lee and their own Bruce Lee projects. It's potentially an interesting track but the audio is so horribly bad that it's tough to hear what anyone is saying.
The disc also includes an interview with Li. This piece was shot more recently and Li seems like a nice guy. He discusses how he got into kung fu, his entrance into show business and his career. The piece also includes some clips of other Li film appearances. The video, of course, is of pretty low quality, but this is a nice feature that should help introduce who Bruce Li really is to audiences. He also reveals that of his thirty films he only likes three.
Another interesting feature is "The Bruce Lee Stories," a piece on the various biography films on Lee. The piece points out various inaccuracies in the films and is a smart addition to this disc.
There's an interview with director Ng See Yueng who tells stories from his many years producing martial arts films.
A pair of short pieces round out the extra features: "In The Dragon's Footsteps," which shows Tommy Carruthers, a Scottish martial artist who Lee student Jesse Glover feels has the abilities of the master, and an interview with Joe Lewis, who trained with Lee, who gives some demonstrations of Lee moves. Not bad features, but of limited appeal.The disc also includes a trailer and TV spots. There's even a pseudo Easter egg, visible on the main menu: "Insta Action," which jumps you straight to some of the film's fight scenes.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Once again the quality of this release is pretty low. And Bruce Lee imitators, no matter how entertaining, can't match the real thing. Still, this movie is pretty fun and has its own kind of charm. If the Hollywood biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is somewhat inaccurate then this is basically a work of fantasy. But that shouldn't matter to fans of the genre who might enjoy it nonetheless.
|
Popular Reviews |
Sponsored Links |
|
Sponsored Links |
|
Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices
|