review for Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth on AllMovie

Cinematic martial arts icon Bruce Lee's persona is so clouded by legend, hyperbole, and mystery that even "official" accounts of his life remain suspect. So what chance does a cut-rate exploitation docudrama have of setting the story straight? Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth is more interested in wild kung fu action than strict accuracy, but director Ng See Yuen hews as close to the facts as possible in the rare moments between fight scenes (of which there are at least 15). Filmed on location in Seattle, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Rome, the production looks pretty good, despite some badly out-of-focus shots. The story follows Lee from the age of 18 to his death at 35 (a glaring mistake, since he was 32 when he died), and never attempts to reflect the period in which events take place. For instance, Lee's tenure at the University of Washington was in the early '60s, yet hippies abound and clothing and car styles are obviously of the present day. Frequent Lee imitator Bruce Li appears as the doomed star, and while he isn't much of an actor, he vaguely resembles Lee and mimics his mannerisms well. As for the fight sequences, they're kinetic enough to satisfy the average couch-surfing fan of chop-socky flicks. Li was an actual martial arts instructor and clearly a gifted combatant, but anyone who expects truly authentic kung fu is probably watching the wrong movie. However, those seeking psychotronic thrills have the usual horrible English dubbing to enjoy, as well as scenes of Lee zapping himself with electricity to condition his muscles and working out in a sci-fi exercise room complete with bubbling potions and blinking, humming computers. In the final analysis, this is pure corn, an exploitative bid for dollars that jacks up the violence at the expense of any real exploration of Lee's life. There isn't enough time taken to examine the subject's character beyond his martial arts skills, and the result is an impression of Lee as an arrogant, pugnacious man given to loudly colored track suits. There were dozens of low-budget "tributes" and "biographies" of the late star produced in the wake of his death, and Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth might be the best, but that doesn't mean it's any good.