Movie of The Week
Birth of the Dragon
Three of Four Stars
Written by Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele
Directed by George Nolfi
Starring: Philip Ng Xia Yu Billy Magnussen
iTunes release date: November 2017
Tells truths about the Bruce Lee we never knew. Lee, played by Ng is teaching Karate to whites in San Francisco, and he thinks that because of this Wong Jack Man (Yu) has come to stop him. Wong Jack Man is really on a quest to wash as many dishes as possible to gain absolution for almost killing a competitor in an exhibition he was losing.
Lee, on the other hand, is determined to share the gift of the art of Kung Fu with the world. One of Lee’s student’s falls for a Chinese waitress who is being held by a Madame to pay for her immigration into the United States. When the Madame demands a fight between Lee and Wong Jack Man for the price of the girl’s freedom Wong Jack Man realizes he may now have another way to gain his absolution and save Kung Fu from the undisciplined nature of Westerners.
Wong Jack Man and Lee push each other to limits they have never known and as a result, gain a friendship that helps to put them both into the history books forever.
As a fan of Lee’s for my entire life, I was excited to finally see a movie that showed a different perspective on his early life and how he came to be the creator of Jeet Kune Do.
Happy Viewing
The Writer
