Birth Of The Dragon Movie Review

CAST: Philip Ng a, Xia Yu, Billy Magnussen, Qu Jingjing

DIRECTOR:George Nolfi
GENREDrama// UA

Story: A story about the legendary showdown between Bruce Lee and his nemesis, the martial artist Wong Jack Man.

Review: Bruce Lee's life is fascinating. To pack it all in a ninety minute film is a challenge for any filmmaker. That's why George Nolfi chose to focus on one legendary fight that may or may not have happened in Bruce Lee's life. Also, the movie is a work of fiction, so don't expect to see the trivia that you may know about one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Lee, an arrogant a fight instructor in San Francisco believes that kung fu should be taught to whoever wants to learn it. His adversary is the Shaolin monk Wong Jack Man, who has to leave his country and work in America for some reason. Man believes kung fu should only be taught to Asians, as it's a cultural heritage which may be hijacked (which eventually happened). Lee's student Steve (Billy Magnussen) manages to arrange a fight between the two. How that showdown turns out is what the movie is all about.

What's evident at the start is that the film doesn't focus on Bruce Lee as it should. It instead focuses more on Steve's character as a wandering sixties flower child and his love interest Xiulan (Qu Jingjing) who is being groomed to work at a brothel. Fans of Lee would of course want to see their icon recreated and actually fight. But that is not what makes up the film. Majorly, everything works to make possible the epic showdown between Man and Lee. However, they payback in that scene ends up disappointing you. Also, the film is more about Man trying to tame Lee and how the latter learns things about himself. That knowledge changes Lee for good which is how the 'Dragon' we see in films is born.

Philip Ng as Bruce Lee is well cast. The early swagger and the transformation later are portrayed quite well. Xia Yu as the disgraced Shaolin monk is top form, both acting and fighting wise. One can't say that he is not a trained fighter like Philip. Billy Magnussen as Steve gets a lot of screen time and plays his part well, although he is the weakest link in the chain because his character is written that way.

For a bit of kung fu nostalgia, do check it out. Although don't expect an out and out action film here.