Bruce Lee: Birth of the Dragon (PG)

Fists of Fury!

Truth or fiction? Perhaps the jury is still out upon the release of Bruce Lee: Birth of the Dragon. Our tale concentrates on an epic (?) fight between Lee and a mysterious challenger from (where else) The Far East. Just go with the flow and enjoy the ebb and flow of this triumphant escapade from Touchwood PR now entertaining folks at Scotiabank theatre, Metroplolis, Coquitlam and Riverport Cinemas.

Chemistry and authenticity can make for a good film. Here we see a cocky up and coming Lee simply hone his craft in San Francisco. Bringing just the right degree of charm to this larger than life character is Philip Ng right down to the last body blow (or drop kick). East meets west with a significant contribution to a fight to the finish being a lost in love white boy and an Asian lovely kept under wraps. These two may hold the key to Lee’s ultimate showdown with a larger than life aging master martial artist sent to the city by the bay to cleanse his soul.

Purists may enjoy this movie or not. I did. The action fight scenes are well choreographed and the whole genesis outlining the purpose of Kung fu come across as genuine. All in all this is an enjoyable entertaining movie sparked by good performances.

By Alan Samuel