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I Am Bruce Lee

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    Mark Tolch
    Senior Member

  • I Am Bruce Lee



    Released By:
    Shout! Factory
    Released On:01/15/2013
    Director: Pete McCormack
    Cast: Bruce Lee, Linda Lee-Cadwell, Shannon Lee, Dana White, Ray Mancini
    Year: 2011
    Purchase From Amazon


    The Film:


    There are few people on the planet, informed or otherwise, who would deny the awesomeness of Bruce Lee. Though he largely became known initially as sidekick Kato on the hit television show The Green Hornet, it was Lee's short but intensely powerful run of films in the 1970's; The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Enter The Dragon, and Game of Death; that formed his legacy. Many would argue that such power and style had not been seen in martial arts films prior to Lee's arrival…and many would agree that such power and style has not been seen since. But in an age of no social media and limited news coverage, Lee's sudden and somewhat mysterious death at the age of 32 has left many to speculate about the man, his life, and his passing. There isn't exactly a wealth of documentaries on Bruce floating around, but those that have been released seem to tread a lot of the same ground, using a good chunk of the exact same footage. I Am Bruce Lee claims to be, “The Best Bruce Lee Documentary Ever!” (really, it says so on the cover), but is that really the truth?

    Featuring interviews with Bruce's widow, Linda Lee-Cadwell, his daughter, Shannon Lee, and a variety of other folks (more on that in a moment), I Am Bruce Lee documents the American-born Bruce's life as a child star and a Cha-Cha dancing champion, as well as his training with the legendary Yip Man and the Wing Chun Clan. His anger at the Japanese who treated Chinese citizens as second-class citizens in their own country was compounded by the discrimination Lee himself faced, being partially Caucasian (and a self-admitted nasty temper), and the aggressive Bruce found himself on the wrong side of the law, ultimately moving back to the States in the late 50's. Finished with his schooling, he began teaching martial arts and later found success in television, though he faced some of the most ridiculous racism in his career when he was bumped out of the lead role of the television show Kung Fu to make way for a very non-Asian David Carradine. Returning to Hong Kong, he became famous for his Chinese martial arts films, and opened his own schools in America, teaching his method of Jeet Kune Do to celebrities such as James Cobourn and Steve McQueen. At his peak, Lee allegedly had what was described as an allergic reaction to a chemical found in medicine he had taken for a headache, and died suddenly.

    I Am Bruce Lee covers the aforementioned information, widely available before its release, in a suitable fashion, utilizing clips from Lee's films, photographs, and the same black and white Pierre Berton interview that fans of Lee's will be familiar with. Sure, it's cool and nifty to look at; the pacing is decent, and the quick edits and music move it along; but is it thorough? Is it definitive? What makes it different? What makes it, “The Best Bruce Lee Documentary Ever!”?

    Adding to the interviews of Bruce's friends, colleagues, and family members are a number of interview clips with “current” personalities, like Modern Family's Ed O'Neill, UFC president Dana White, pro boxer Ray Mancini, Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas, and a whole other host of professional athletes. Some of these athletes are very sincere and excited when they talk about the influence of Bruce Lee, and it's easy to see that Bruce has had a profound impact on them. But while Dana White declares Bruce Lee the grandfather of mixed martial arts (and hey, he's Dana White), others are quick to talk about the contributions of others. Ray Boom Boom Mancini talks about how he would deal with fighting Bruce, which is interesting to listen to, but to hear Ed O'Neill…Al Bundy…talk about how Ray would've beat him because Bruce wouldn't know how to react to an uppercut…is almost insulting to Bruce's fans. Pro skater Paul Rodriguez might be impressed with Lee, but why does the viewer care what he has to say about him? By the time the interview with Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas rolls around, with him demonstrating how he dances differently than other performers because he's emulating Bruce Lee…well, dammit. I don't even know what to say to that.

    I get that the producers of I Am Bruce Lee may have felt the need to give their film a modern spin, and make Bruce accessible to today's youth, and I certainly understand the connection between martial arts and mixed martial arts. I don't begrudge any of today's MMA talents for looking up to Lee, and don't doubt that he inspired them. The film, however, comes across as very insincere in many spots; almost like it was produced for the sole purpose of making money, and creating a market amongst MMA fans for Bruce's films. While I'm of the opinion that more fans of Bruce equals a better world in general, I Am Bruce's “ready for Spike TV” format may work against it. The same “modern” editing techniques, flashy interviews, and array of clips could've been utilized to present a much more thorough, definitive film…worthy of being called the best.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    Shout! Factory brings I Am Bruce Lee to blu-ray with a 1.78:1 transfer that looks fairly good for the most part. The newer interview clips are solid, though they do display a strange bit of weirdness in the blacks, but the mixed bag of video footage, some of it quite old and obviously not preserved, displays some ugliness. Fortunately, these flaws add to the charm, and a bit of interlacing aside, don't detract from the film. The clips from Lee's Hong Kong Films seem to be in better shape than some of the other footage used, as well…are there blu-ray editions (finally!!!) for these on the horizon?

    The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is more than appropriate for the content, and dialogue remains clear and consistent throughout, and surrounds and sub are used liberally. Again, the older footage suffers a bit from muddiness and the occasional bit of hiss, but that's to be expected.

    First up in the supplements is Backyard Training Videos, which runs about eleven-and-a-half minutes, and features home movies of Bruce training with different students at home. Interview clips with Linda Lee-Cadwell, in the style of the main feature, are interspersed throughout.

    Inspiration-Bruce Lee's Global Impact is three minutes of…well, it seems like an outtake from the film. Shannon Lee is interviewed some more.

    Bruce Lee In Action runs almost five minutes, and is fun to watch because it's a fight clip from a number of his films. If you don't feel like dealing with the stories, this is a great, abridged way to see Bruce in action, defining the reason that he is so legendary.

    Bruce Lee's Hollywood Audition is an interesting extra, consisting of an audition tape shot in 1965 when Bruce was auditioning at Fox Studios for a role in Charlie Chan's Number One Son, prior to his casting as Kato in The Green Hornet. It runs over nine minutes as Bruce explains his philosophies, his personal life, martial arts, and even demonstrates some of his moves.

    A Trailer for the documentary is also included.

    The Final Word:

    I Am Bruce Lee is not a bad film by any stretch, and contains the majority of information and footage that every casual fan of Bruce should be familiar with. But in going for a modern edge and talking about how great Bruce was and how great everyone he influenced is, it loses the potential to become the definitive word on Bruce Lee, himself.

    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!























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