Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
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| Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Rob Cohen |
| Written by | Rob Cohen John Raffo |
| Produced by | Raffella de Laurentiis |
| Starring | Jason Scott Lee Lauren Holly Robert Wagner |
| Cinematography | David Eggby |
| Edited by | Peter Amundson |
| Music by | Randy Edelman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios |
Release date | May 7, 1993 |
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $14 million |
| Box office | $35,113,743 |
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, is a 1993 semi-fictionalized biographical film telling the story of actor Bruce Lee, starring Jason Scott Lee (no relation) as Bruce Lee, Lauren Holly (as Linda Emery) and Robert Wagner. The film was directed by Rob Cohen and written by Cohen, Edward Khmara, and John Raffo.
Plot
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (February 2009) |
The film begins with a nightmarish dream of Bruce Lee's father. The father sees a demon in medieval armor that hunts the young Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee is shown as a child receiving instruction in the traditional Chinese martial arts in a montage that passes quickly through his teenage years in Hong Kong.
At a formal dance, Bruce sees a group of drunken British sailors harassing a young Chinese woman. Bruce easily dispatches the entire group of sailors despite being outnumbered. He walks off with the woman when police sirens are heard. As Bruce returns home, his father says that the police are looking for him. One of the sailors was the nephew of a powerful political figure in Hong Kong. His father says that Bruce must leave Hong Kong. He suggests that Bruce go to America. When Bruce questions this choice, his father explains that Bruce was actually born in San Francisco when his father was on a tour there. Bruce sees his birth certificate for the first time. Bruce should have no problems entering the United States since he is officially an American citizen. His father provides plenty of money, money that he had saved up for a day such as this. His father asks Bruce to become a success, so big a success that his name will be famous even back in Hong Kong.
Instead, Bruce Lee ends up as a dishwasher at a modest Chinese restaurant in America. He lives in a small apartment where he reads books by Ernest Hemingway, among other authors. One of the female workers at the restaurant takes an interest in Bruce. They spend the night in Bruce's apartment. When the two speak and laugh together at the restaurant the next day, an older cook becomes jealous and attacks Bruce with a meat cleaver. Bruce throws him onto the stove where the man's shirt catches fire. The other workers put out the fire and throw Bruce into the back alley. Several of the workers head out after Bruce, armed with more meat cleavers.
Bruce fends off the jealous cook and the other kitchen workers until the restaurant owner (played by Nancy Kwan) kills and tells everyone to get inside.
Bruce loses his job over the incident but the owner grants him an all purpose loan and convinces him to use the money to get a life.
Upon enrolling in a University, Bruce faces racial intolerance from fellow students due to the Korean war. An altercation in the gym allows Bruce to gain the respect of some of the students, who follow him and ask him to teach them his fighting style.
It is during these classes that Bruce meets an attractive woman named Linda Caldwell who joins the class, and eventually the two begin dating. Linda suggests that Bruce open up a martial arts training school. After Bruce opens the school there is a dream sequence of the demon finding Bruce and attacking him.
After the school becomes successful, some other Chinese martial arts schools have a dispute with Bruce over whether he should train non-Chinese people the traditional Chinese martial arts. Bruce still wants to train non-Chinese people and the other Chinese men set up a fight with Johnny Sun. Bruce wins the fight but Sun delivers a cheap shot and Bruce ends up with a back injury. While immobilized and recovering Bruce and Linda writes "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do." Linda also tell him that she is pregnant. Later Bruce in a wheelchair, goes to another hospital room where Linda has given birth to their first child, a son whom Linda wants to name Brandon.
Later at Ed Parker's martial arts tournament Bruce has a face off with Johnny Sun, in a 60 second demonstration of his new fighting style. After the match Bruce meets Bill Krieger and they come up with the "Green Hornet" TV show. Bruce and Bill work together and create the idea for Kung Fu. At a cast party, Linda says she is now pregnant with their second child and quickly afterwards there is an announcement for the cancellation of the "Green Hornet". The show "Kung Fu" makes it onto television, but starring David Carradine instead of Bruce (implying that Bill sold Bruce out because of his skin color).
Bruce travels back home for his father's funeral and whilst in the country is soon approached by Philip Tan, a Hong Kong movie producer. He says that Bruce is well-known in Hong Kong and that the "Green Hornet" show is called "The Kato Show" there.
Bruce begins work on "The Big Boss." In the filming of the final scene, set in an ice factory, he is prepared to fight other actors. Instead, the brother of Johnny Sun steps out of the van, and attacks Bruce, who successfully defends himself against the impromptu assailant.
Bill Krieger shows up in the editing room as Bruce is working on edits. Krieger knows that Bruce is angry with him but he offers Bruce a chance to work on a big-budget Hollywood movie.
Bruce misses out on a planned outing with Brandon to the zoo. Later on in the bedroom, Linda tells Bruce that she is going back to America with Brandon and Shannon, which angers Bruce after the treatment he received at the hands of the American people compared to his homeland. Reluctantly, he returns to America to try again.
On the 32nd day of shooting "Enter the Dragon" Bruce is once more embroiled in a battle with his demon. At the end of which he decides to walk off the set and home to see his family.
The last we see of him is whilst filming the final shot of "Enter the Dragon", with a voice-over by his wife informing us of his death before the movie was released.
Main cast
- Jason Scott Lee as Bruce Lee
- Duncan Chow as Bruce Lee (as an infant)
- Lauren Holly as Linda Lee
- Robert Wagner as Bill Krieger
- Michael Learned as Vivian Emery
- Nancy Kwan as Gussie Yang
- Ed Parker Jr. as Ed Parker
- Kay Tong Limas Philip Tan
- Ric Youngas Bruce's Father
- Wang Luoyong as Yip Man
- Sterling Maceras Jerome Sprout
- Sven-Ole Thorsen as The Demon
- Eric Bruskotteras Joe Henderson
- Aki Aleong as Principal Elder
- Michael Cudlitz as Tad Overton
- Van Williams as TV director of The Green Hornet
- Lala Sloatman (sometimes credited as Lala) as Sherry Schnell
Production notes and cameos
| This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (November 2009) |
- Both lead actors Jason Scott Lee and Lauren Holly trained in Bruce Lee's Martial Art Jeet Kune Do for months under former Lee student-turned-instructor Jerry Poteet. Jason Scott Lee has continued to train in Jeet Kune Do under Poteet since 1993. Poteet also portrays himself in the film. He can be seen in the background of many scenes.
- The tombstone that Bruce (Jason Scott Lee) is forced to see when confronting his demon towards the end of movie is the actual tombstone of Bruce Lee. The picture on it is different from the one that is actually on the real one but the date of birth, date of death and the epitaph are the same.
- The role for Bruce Lee was first offered to his real-life son Brandon Lee, who declined. Brandon Lee died in a fatal shooting accident while filming for the movie The Crow in March 1993, less than two months before this film's release. The film is dedicated to his memory at the end credits. In the film Brandon was portrayed as a child by Iain M. Parker.
- Bruce Lee's daughter Shannon Lee has a cameo appearance as a singer in the party scene (singing "California Dreamin'"), at which Linda tells Bruce she is pregnant for the second time - carrying Shannon.
- Van Williams, who played The Green Hornet in the 1960s TV series of the same name appears as the director of The Green Hornet in this film. Contrary, however, to what is depicted in the film, Williams actively petitioned the studio in support of equal screentime for his non-white co-star. Williams pleas' to the studio fell on deaf ears.
- The film is based upon the novel Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew, written by Linda Lee Cadwell, the late Bruce Lee's wife and widow.
- Wong Jack Man did not kick Bruce Lee in the back while Lee was walking away from the fight. The fight did in fact take place but it was at Lee's own school, not at the strange temple seen in the film. Bruce won successfully, but his fighting style was very limited at the time. This fight was the reason that Lee would develop his own style, Jeet Kune do. Lee later injured his back while lifting weights.
- There was no rematch between Lee and Wong Jack Man or a fight against Wong Jack Man's brother while making The Big Boss. However, a challenge match did take place between the real Bruce Lee and a local Thai boxer while filming The Big Boss.
- In the film The Fast and the Furious, this film was on Dominic Toretto's television during a scene in his house. Both films are directed by Rob Cohen.
Historical inaccuracies
| This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (November 2009) |
- In real life, Brandon Lee was born with blond hair. The film shows him with black hair.
- Bruce was already an actor before he became a martial artist, according to his screen test he was in Hong Kong films since he was 6 years old. The film only shows him working on The Green Hornet, pitching the idea for Kung Fu, and his martial arts action films.
- There were absolutely no problems between Bruce's film making and spending time with his family. In fact according to the documentary Bruce Lee: Warrior Within, production stills of Game of Death shows that Bruce invited Linda, Brandon, and Shannon to the set during filming. The film shows Bruce nearly isolating himself from his family, even arguing with Linda on two separate occasions
- It is well known that Brandon Lee has been taught martial arts by his father at a young age, and that during a demonstration in Hong Kong, Brandon was shown breaking a board. The film never indulges on Brandon learning Martial Arts or the demonstration.
- Johnny Sun nor his kin ever existed. Sun was based on Wong Jack Man, who challenged Bruce to a no holds barred match. The match was over the disapproval of Bruce teaching non-Chinese students Kung Fu. Bruce won the match in real life(though disputed)and in the film. However unlike the film, Wong Jack Man left whereas Johnny Sun in the film broke Bruce's back. Bruce did break his back in real life, but from excessive weightlifting. Sun's brother is based on reports of extras on the set of martial arts films that have challenged Bruce to a fight insisting that Bruce was only an actor. Like the extras, Bruce beat Sun's brother.
- The Tao of Jeet Kune Do was published after Bruce Lee died. In the film it is published before he died.
- On the set of Enter the Dragon, Bruce collapsed. In the film, he had a vision of a demon fighting him; after the fight, Bruce is back on the set of enter the dragon, confused but unfazed.
- Although Bruce Lee did work and live in Ruby Chow's restaurant, he had no confrontations against the other workers. However there are old pictures showing Bruce teaching others martial arts in the back lot of the restaurant.
- In the film, after the success of The Big Boss, it is showing Bruce working in the editing room on Way of the Dragon. In real life, Fist of Fury was made after The Big Boss. Although it is possible that the scene in the film was time lapsed.
- In the begining of the film it showed Bruce fighting and beating a group of Commonwealth sailors single handed. When no such confrontation with soldiers or sailors ever took place.
- The film showed Bruce and Linda denied a table at a restuarant because of being a racially mixed couple. But so such incident ever happened.
- Bruce was well liked by the college football players and had no confrontation with them as the movie portrayed.
- Van Williams of the Green Hornet thought well of Bruce Lee and they had a good working relationship. The movie gives the impression of one of indifference between them. When in fact Van WIlliams was very supportive of Bruce's efforts.
Reception
The film received generally positive reviews, with a rating of 81% on RottenTomatoes, based on 16 reviews counted.[1]
The film had a domestic gross of $35,113,743, with an additional $28,400,000 earned in foreign territories. The film grossed $63,513,743 worldwide.[2]
