Birth Of The Dragon Review

Birth Of The Dragon was a Kung fu movie...that's it! It wasn't a docu-drama...it wasn't supposed to answer any lingering questions about legendary fights...it was a Kung fu movie with a plot that progressed neatly from beginning to end. If you need to classify it as something, then call it an historical fantasy. Yes, a man named Bruce Lee once existed during the time period in which the movie is set. Yes, another man named Wong Jack Man also existed during the time period in which the movie is set. Yes, these characters, Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man, know Chinese martial arts, as did the actual people named Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man. The historical portion of the movie ends there. The rest is pretty much a fantasy, and as a Kung fu movie, a pretty good one.

So, yes, It was good as a Kung fu movie--don't go into this film looking for a) historical accuracy, or b) resolution to the question of who really won the much discussed and debated legendary fight between Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man. In reality, this movie is a buddy-buddy hero film (think Lethal Weapon) where oil and water characters meet, quarrel, and eventually team up to vanquish a greater foe. The filmmakers took characteristics of Bruce Lee seen in popular culture, like his movies and interviews, and created a character from them--pretty much pure cocky aggressiveness. They took Wong Jack Man and created an alternate backstory for him as a disgraced, yet, thoughtful and compassionate, Shaolin monk. This sets up a dynamic of cocksure aggressive character against spiritual, thoughtful character. Despite the potential for the characters to be one-dimensional, the writers managed to add a modicum of depth to their portrayals. The ensuing Kung fu was well choreographed and executed, and the acting was pretty good, too.

It was very entertaining. Don't go into it looking for a history lesson, or affirmation/verification of your beliefs about either person or their fight. That's not what the movie is about. This was meant to be an uplifting story of two good men with different paths to the same goal, teaming up to make a small piece of the world a better place.

I give this movie 👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏻👊🏻. There was violence, but not excessive violence, very little sexually suggestive content, and some language inappropriate for younger viewers.