Bruce Lee, My Brother

6.4
2010 2 hr 9 min Drama , Action

Bruce Lee, My Brother is an action-dramatic biopic of the eponymous martial arts legend as told by his younger brother, Robert Lee. It revolves around Bruce Lee's life as a rebellious adolescent in Hong Kong before he sets off for the USA and conquers the world at the age of 18 with only US$100 in his pocket.

  • Cast:
    Aarif Rahman , Tony Leung Ka-fai , Christy Chung Lai-Tai , Jennifer Tse , Zhang Yishan , Michelle Ye , Angela Gong Mi

Reviews

Matrixston
2010/11/25

Wow! Such a good movie.

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Ensofter
2010/11/26

Overrated and overhyped

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SanEat
2010/11/27

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

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Janae Milner
2010/11/28

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

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jesse-dragonetti
2010/11/29

I am sick of people criticising this film for not having enough action or fight scenes! The genre of this film is biography/drama and that is precisely what it is (and a fairly good one at that). This film was made to give people an insight to who Bruce Lee actually was aside from his fame as an action hero superstar. It shows the utter loyalty, love and respect he showed for his friends and family and the pride he took in doing so. The way Lee is presented as a, somewhat, naive teen, and the innocence and likability his character shows, is a nice contrast to the wing chun warrior in which we previously knew him. This film brings out Bruce Lee's human qualities and presents him as a common man.The direction and cinematography of this film can be admired. The recurring glare of sunlight throughout the film present a nostalgic feel and remind us of the softer side of Lee; the side that this film portrays. However, at times the narrative can stray off topic and leave the audience wondering where the story is going. Also some may argue that some of the narrative is not factual and, hence, not true, however, not knowing a whole lot about Bruce Lee apart from his Hollywood legend status I found this film incredibly fascinating and a few false recounts here and there didn't detract from a pleasant viewing experience. I recommend giving this film a go. It is worth diving a little deeper into a life which, otherwise, seemed fairly emotionless.

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les6969
2010/11/30

This is NOT a martial arts film so if that is what you expected steer clear. It is the story of Bruce Lee's early life as told through his younger brother. At times it is over sentimental and at other times just silly. Having read much about Bruce Lee I was disappointed that he was portrayed as an emotional wimp. Also in his early fights as a boy in Hong Kong he is shown he using the famous Bruce Lee scream yet from what I read he only used this for films. I had also previously read that he was regularly in street fights, some quite dangerous ones and it was for this reason that his Father sent him off to the U.S.A but in this film it was to do with him destroying some drugs when trying to rescue a friend from the pushers grasp. Is any of that true? There are some really good acting performances in this film, especially the actress playing Bruce's mother.

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ironmonky-962-225919
2010/12/01

This film was captured very artistically for a biography. I was very surprised to have seen this movie turn out the way it did, the artistic quality was done very well, as well as the storyline. It's definitely worth watching, and if you're a Bruce Lee fan, then you really should watch this. A lot of people don't know the life before he moved to America, and here you learn a lot about his life that you never see. This movie is not really an action film. There's not a lot of fight scenes, but the ones that are there play significant roles to the film. So I'd suggest you watch this with the mindset of watching a great story as opposed to waiting for action to happen.

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DICK STEEL
2010/12/02

Based upon the book Bruce Lee, My Brother by Robert Lee, Bruce's youngest brother, directors Raymond Yip and Manfred Wong take us on a journey that's begging to be made about the life and times of the formative, growing up years of Lee Jun Fan / Lee Sai Feng (Phoenix). It doesn't need to encroach into the territory that Rob Cohen's Dragon had already touched on, the Hollywood film done some 17 years back with Jason Scott Lee (of no relations) in the leading role that begins from his teenage and adult years in the USA, Jeet Kune Do, Kato, Fist of Fury and all. Instead this film takes a more nostalgic look back from the 40s to 60s Hong Kong, focusing on the somewhat wayward youth and teen actor prior to being "exiled" by his dad to the US for his own protection, and the rest, as they say, is history.In what would be something like a calling as an actor when his father the opera megastar (Tony Leung Kar Fai) assisted a director friend in need by volunteering his infant son in Golden Gate Girl, Bruce Lee's film forays was way before the kung fu movies launched him into super-stardom, starring in The Orphan and many others, and through this narrative angle, allowed the filmmakers to pay tribute and homage to famous screen actors who once were and the films they were in, the filmmaking mover and shakers behind them, and a commentary on the state of the industry at that time, with unions and hectic film schedules, actors often handling simultaneous projects that require flitting from one sound stage to another. No effort was spared in the attention to detail in sets and costumes, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything the filmmakers had in pulling out all the stops in recreating the mood, look and feel, plus the wonderful actors taking great pains to bring back the memories of acting veterans.Acting career aside, Bruce Lee, My Brother also touches upon his family members as well, with scenes involving his siblings and parents, their upbringing and the value system instilled upon them. It shows the affluence of a traditional extended Chinese family living together, and not just under the same roof with kin, but that including the servants and their children too. Glimpses of stepping out of traditional boundaries are shown through his mom, played by Christy Chung in a comeback role, as deliberate attention was paid to her wearing the pants of the household when her husband's away, taking charge of delicate situations, including cursory mention of her fine family background. It is little nuggets of information like these that make this film a wonderful gem to sit through for trivia.And of course, no story will be complete without friendship and romance thrown into the mix, especially when dealing with the pains of growing up. A tempestuous youth almost always never shying away from a fight, nevermind his semi-stardom, Bruce Lee is part of a group nicknamed the Kowloon Tigers, and it is this allegiance with his buddies that take centerstage, with a subplot running to the finale, involving loving the same girl as his best friend, and how he puts his loyalty with friends and family above everything else. They hang out mostly at dance parlours, and the hours he puts in explains his nimbleness and gracefulness that we'll see infused into his fighting prowess, not to mention being crowed a Cha-cha dance champion at one point as well.The fights are widely touted in the trailer, and here's where chief credit must go to the filmmakers for conscientiously steering clear of too much Wing Chun, and avoiding the temptation to stage clichéd big battles with the Japanese soldiers or British corrupt police. These have been touched upon too frequently of late, with the two Ip Man films, as well as the Andrew Lau's tribute to Bruce Lee with his Legend of Chen Zhen. Meeting up with Ip Man himself is probably requisite for this film, but it placed it in proper context that Bruce was most of the time being trained by one of the pupils instead, and we do see some hints of Jeet Kune Do in his fights, which are never deadly, but friendlier in nature meant as a comparison of skills and fighting philosophies.Bruce Lee, My Brother is a fitting tribute about the early life of Bruce Lee, hitting the mark on famous milestones in his life, and showing his character not as the superstar to be, but the down to earth and fiercely loyal friend, brother and son he was known to all those close to him. Dramatic license is of course heavily used especially when putting in subtle hints throughout the film that references the famous movies that he will make in the future (loved that makeshift nunchak using preserved sausages, as well as the banter with a certain Shek Kin). A definite must watch especially for fans who must stay put during the end credit roll for a photographic comparison of pictures taken in the film with the real thing. A film I enjoyed tremendously and goes into my books as a firm contender for the best this year has to offer!

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