Young Bruce Lee (4 Stars)

This is a difficult movie for me to review. The film is well made and enjoyable to watch, but it's not at all what I expected. It's not the Bruce Lee I expected to see.

The film (released in the USA under the name "Bruce Lee, my brother") is based on a biography written by his younger brother. It deals with Lee's life from his birth in 1940 up to 1959. He was born in San Francisco, but his parents returned with him to Hong Kong in 1943. His father was an actor, and he used his connections to get Bruce roles in films from his early childhood. In 1959 he left his family to return to America.

What troubled me about the film is that it didn't portray Bruce as the hero I've known and admired for many years. His success as an actor made him arrogant in his teens. He frequently got into street fights. His motivation for learning martial arts in the school of Ip Man wasn't spiritual, it was so he could win his fights on the street. I assume that this is a true portrayal of his character. His brother obviously admires him, so he has no reason to put him in a negative light. He's showing the way Bruce really grew up, as a troubled teenager caught up in first the Japanese, then the British occupation of his country.

The film should be watched by all fans of the legendary Bruce Lee, and even those who don't know much about him may enjoy it. Click here to view the trailer.

Bruce Lee (on the left) in a 1950 film.