Who wouldn't want to watch a biopic about his early life? Bruce Lee? Almost 40 years after his death, he remains not only the most impressive screen fighter of all time, but also the most famous Asian actor in the world, period. His signature screams, yellow overalls, scratched face and physique made him an iconic figure of the 20th century. His premature death in 1973 at the age of just 32 only added to his mystique. However, while millions of fans are once again reviewing his five kung Fu movies, quoting them ad infinitum and perhaps trying to recreate a screen scene or two, early life Lee, like the dozens of films he starred in as a child and teenager, is less known to the general public. What the directors intended to do Raymond Yip и Manfred Wong in his new film called "Bruce Lee, my brother", should shed some light on who he was Bruce Lee before he became a legend.
Based on a memoir written by a younger brother Lee, Robert, the film begins with birth Bruce in San Francisco, while his father, Lee Hoi Chuen (his role is played by Tony Leung Ka Fai), travels around the United States with his Cantonese opera troupe. Viewers will find out how Lee I accidentally got my English name and how I starred in my first film - Golden Gate Girl - while still a newborn.
Against the advice of my friends, Lee Sr. rushes back to Hong Kong, but soon after, Japanese troops invade the city. Lee was the fourth of five children and grew up in comfortable and fairly luxurious conditions, mainly thanks to his father, a successful film and theater actor. A little time passed, and young Bruce began appearing in local films, and at the age of six received his first leading role and stage name Li Xiaolong - Little Dragon - a name he would use throughout his career.
The film talks about life Bruce until the age of 18 and his return to America, which will be the first step towards great endeavors. Lee (his role is played by Aarif Lee / Aarif Rahman) appears to the audience as a daring, self-confident and slightly hooligan guy who, through his participation in street fights, petty crimes and vandalism, regularly incurs the wrath of his strict father. Despite the beautiful appearance, Lee, apparently, was not a ladies' man. He had his fans, but he was besotted by his feelings for Pearl (Jennifer Tse), his best friend's girlfriend, and instead of hanging out in nightclubs looking for a date, he walks around feeling offended like a scolded puppy. And this hints at the problems inherent in the film "Bruce Lee, my brother", because throughout all the potentially exciting, tumultuous, and volatile events involving these characters, nothing much actually happens.
Raymond Yip helped Peter Chan take off “Commanders”, Manfred Wong regularly collaborates with Andrew Lau. This proves that they are both competent and extremely experienced filmmakers. They gave the film a rich and dynamic look, whether it was intimate scenes in the luxurious wood-paneled house Lee, spectacular beautiful sets or backgrounds of Hong Kong in the 50s, enhanced with computer graphics. As a result, "Bruce Lee, my brother" looks absolutely great. The problem is that the Japanese occupation, the subsequent years under British control and the start of the city's slow rebuilding, and even the misadventures of a young teenager who also happens to be a local screen star, are all shockingly dull.
We don't see that Lee coping or somehow struggling with the success and popularity he gained at a very young age, his fights and other misdeeds have no real consequences, his love life is in a constant stupor due to his passion for Pearl, and his home life is equally sedate and rich in events. Because our narrator, Robert Lee, was very young in those years, he, of course, was mostly in the dark about his father's addiction to opium, financial pressure in the face of corrupt officials, or, even more unbearably, was practically unaware of anything interesting that was happening would while growing up Bruce.
As a result, the film practically turned out to be a bunch of boring alternating events. That is until someone on set got impatient and the ending of the film inexplicably turned into a movie with Donnie Yen. Out of nowhere a brash and loud English boxer appeared and called Lee for a duel. At the same time, best friend Lee got carried away by drugs and needs to be rescued from some provincial house that has a bad reputation. In the film for an hour and a half there was nothing even remotely interesting and suddenly - a lot of fights, revenge and running across the rooftops with drug dealers. But all this is too little and all this is too late.
As with the recent invasion of films about Ip Mane from Wilson Yip и Herman Yau, there is also a clear reluctance to portray guardianship truthfully on screen Great Master over Bruce. In this case, the audience will not be able to see the face Ip Man, so the last bit of hope you must have held, thinking that the film would somehow entertain you, slipped between your fingers. What's even more annoying about this film is that it's almost equally filled with great acting.
Tony Leung Ka Fai great in the role Lee Hoi Chuen, recreating the complex and contradictory character of a handsome and pleasant person, although it could easily portray him as a drug-addicted tyrant. Christy Cheung returned to the screens for the first time in 6 years and played the role of a long-suffering mother with delightful tenderness Bruce. Plus high-quality support from outside Michelle Yip и MC Gina. However, it's the newcomer who deserves the real credit. Aarif Lee, who coped with the role Bruce simply fantastic. He went far beyond simple imitation and completely embodied the image on the screen. Little dragon and perfectly captured the necessary balance between brash self-confidence and charisma, which were integral components of a convincing screen image Lee.
It would be just great if the company "Media Asia" managed to acquire the necessary rights and permissions to continue the story about Bruce Lee, because with such a cast and crew, it’s unlikely to spoil an interesting and exciting drama about the second half of his life. However at the moment "Bruce Lee, my brother" only slightly better than ordinary candy in a beautiful wrapper - it looks great, tempting, however, there is practically nothing really interesting there.
Author: James Marsh
Source: Twitch
Translation: EvilDollaR
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Tags: Bruce Lee, My Brother, Aarif Lee, Bruce Lee, Manfred Wong, Raymond Yip, Tony Leung Ka-Fai
Tags: Bruce Lee, My Brother, Aarif Lee, Bruce Lee, Manfred Wong, Raymond Yip, Tony Leung Ka-Fai
Yesterday I managed to find a couple of hours of free time to watch this creation. I don’t like to write detailed reviews, so I’ll be brief:
If this particular film is anything to go by, Raymond Yip and Manfred Wong should be making melodramas, musicals, TV series, but not fight scenes. Either the cameraman had some kind of seizure, or he was hungover, or Aarif Rahman had a camera cable tied to his leg, but filming fights like that is simply disrespectful to Bruce Lee and the audience. If this was the operator’s fault, he should have used Steadicam or programs that remove shaking in the picture. It is clear that Rahman is not a fighter, but if you wish and have such a budget, it is quite possible to replace the face of a stuntman/fighter on the computer with the face of Aarif (or even with the face of Bruce Lee himself), remember the same second “Matrix” and the fight in the square.
The acting is good, but the plot is so boring in places that I wanted to fast forward a dozen times.
In general, I only liked some of the gestures and where they came from from Bruce, the “banter” about old kung fu films and their director, the T-shirt with red stripes (I think the hint is clear) and the ending of the second fight with the boxer. And this is in 2 hours 9 minutes...
Therefore, the film, almost immediately after viewing, was safely sent to the trash bin and subsequently deleted. :)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1482989/
http://www.kinopoisk.ru/level/1/film/569979/