You won't be disappointed!

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

A film which successfully manages to tell the life story of superstar Bruce Lee in an interesting, exciting way; not a bad effort considering the dozens of low-budget similarities which followed in the '70s after the death of the Chinese legend. DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY differs somewhat by including a number of purely fictional moments but these also make the story a bit more surprising to established fans of the actor who already know his life story anyway. In the end, the film admirably works as both a biopic and an action-thriller, which is no mean feat at all. The action scenes (of which there are plenty, martial arts fans will be pleased to hear) are invariably well-shot and offer maximum hard-hitting violence and cool choreography, with every punch in devastating detail and every kick captured in loving slow motion.Jason Scott Lee), who plays Bruce, may well offer the most noticeable performance in his career; as the kung fu legend he succeeds admirably. The difference from other Bruce Lee impersonators like Bruce Li and Bruce Le is that Jason Scott Lee displays a keen understanding of the factors that made up the man and puts them to use in his performance here, and at times the realism is uncanny. Lauren Holly is also more than adequate as Linda, Bruce's wife, and although a lot of screen time is spent on the pair's developing relationship it never becomes boring. It's also nice to see a substantial and memorable role for Sven-Ole Thorsen as nightmare creature The Demon, after years of playing only supporting roles.The overall effort of the film is to convey the good qualities of Bruce, from his physical prowess to his strong personality and his characteristics of bravery and inner strength. The negative aspects - including his dodgy death - are skipped over, but really this is no great loss. Scenes in which Lee combats racism are excellently done, and the combination of film clips, interspersed with Jason Scott Lee playing Bruce Lee in the process of making his movies, comes off well. Not the best martial arts flick out there, but definitely a commendable and enjoyable one, and perhaps definitive when it comes to Bruce.

Bruce Lee was an amazing man and Jason Scott Lee was pretty convincing as Bruce even though he doesn't really resemble Bruce. He's a little bigger than Bruce and maybe even a little darker (Bruce was part German). His personality is very similar to Bruce even his voice. Besides his similar mannerisms to Bruce, the movie dramatizes the struggles Bruce Lee had to deal with such as racism. I don't know how much of the drama from the film actually happened in real life, but it seems so real that you really feel sorry for him. I know most of the film was made up and even the synopses about the film says loosely based on Bruce.Some of the reviews I've been reading seems kind of overly critical and harsh. I have to agree that the fight scenes for example were too long considering Bruce Lee's philosophy about fighting was to simplify and use the most effective way to come out of a fight. Bruce Lee after all was a street fighter. He started training when he was 13 and not as a young kid because he kept getting beat up in street fights as a teenager. Also, Bruce Lee was an actor since he was an infant. His dad used him in one of his plays. There were many black and white films of Bruce as a kid. So Bruce Lee was a child star and the film focuses more on his martial art abilities for some reason (I guess for Hollywood glamor). Besides ignoring Bruce as an actor as a young kid, I remember reading about his frustration when he was an instructor teaching his martial art style Jeet Kune Do. His students thought there was an ultimate technique but he tried to explain to his students there is no ultimate technique and that you are the one to figure things out for yourself. His students didn't understand it and at one point he closed his schools.Even though this film is a made up story about Bruce, this isn't the only biopic that's not accurate. Many biopic films focus more on the dramatization than actual events for artistic reasons. Filmmakers are artists as well remember. The soundtrack to this film is excellent. I enjoyed this film simply for the fact Bruce Lee was one of a kind man besides just a martial artist. He is such an influential icon that I can't imagine the movies we watch these days (especially with actions films) would've become without him.

I'm more a Jackie Chan fan than a Bruce Lee one but it didn't make Dragon less inspiring. Indeed even if it's only a fictionalized biographical film the story and its characters feel real enough. Jason Scott Lee is great as the legendary Bruce Lee and Lauren Holly perfect as Linda Emery, his future wife. In fact their romance is far much more interesting than the action scenes. Their choreography is over the top and weakens the humanist bond other sequences try to develop between him and the audience. Some are relatively good but the precious minutes wasted with the crazy cooks could have been spent on his training for instance. One minute he's a kid, the next he's a young adult and martial artist. It could also apply to the part covering the opening of his first school but the teaching elements are great. From his tragic accident to the writing of his famous book, The Tao of Jeet Kune Do, it can only warm the heart and soul. There's also something dramatic about the confrontation of his dream to reality. It's probably symbolized by the samurai who chases him in his nightmares. This mystic element is actually one of my favorite with the empathic Linda. Their connection is magnified by the cult labyrinth of mirrors sequence and such a strong and beautiful woman is every man's dream. So Holly did an excellent job and it also applies to the athletic Scott Lee because from the screams to the moves from beginning to end it's almost like watching the master. To entertain and appeal the fans there're also plenty of fan service, like the hilarious The Green Hornet stunt. It leads us to racism because the issue has a major element and witnessing Bruce struggling to succeed and change the way people see things, only in white or yellow, is quite moving and thoughtful. So it has a few weaknesses but overall it's a mandatory experience for martial arts fans. Moreover it can only convince you to learn more about Bruce Lee and appreciate the tremendous impact his life had on millions of people around the world. The Dragon is eternal and its constellation shines every night !Note : This review was first posted on Kritikenstein, my weblog.

This film deserves a 10 star rating from me, and so it has received one. It has just the right mix of action, comedy, emotion to grab your attention from the beginning and carry you through to the end, without ever getting boring or dry. In this film we deal with issues of racism. I never had the idea that Asian people faced so much racism in the United States. It's wrong that they were treated that way. But the way Bruce overcame it with humor and confidence is awesome. The fighting scenes are some of the best I have ever seen. And there is plenty of it as well. I think they should have said a bit more about his mysterious death at the end, because that was a very powerful scene, but the fact that they left it as it was made the ending a bit more positive, yet still emotionally powerful. In my reviews I usually find a character in the movie that needs a punch in the face, and this is either a tribute to good acting/writing, or to extremely poor film-making. In this film it's good acting/writing. That person is Linda's mother. The is a racist bigot that should be restricted from interacting with other humans. Her hatred of Asians is uncalled for, and her callous resistance to Linda's marriage is a manifestation of bigotry and evil. People like her need to be stopped. I am glad her ideas did not prevail in the story. You are left, after watching this film, with a sense that a positive attitude and a strong drive can overcome any obstacle. Bruce Lee had a dream and he made it happen. It is a shame he did not live longer. This film has incredibly high replay value and I think you will think so as well.Please see my profile to understand my rating philosophy.