When you see film called Birth of the Dragon and hear it’s a biopic on Bruce Lee, it’s logical to assume that the plot would revolve around said person. However, according to Next Shark, that wasn’t the case with this one.
IMDB users are up in arms over the film, which reportedly paints Lee (played by Hong Kong actor Philip Ng) as an arrogant, one-dimensional character who takes a backseat to a white savior. The story allegedly follows his early years leading up to a no holds barred matchup with kung fu master Wong Jack Man
Things get sidetracked by a Caucasian character named Steve McKee, who then becomes the focus of the movie as he learns kung fu and tries to woo an Asian girl. Obviously, people didn’t take it well. “Hollywood is racist. This movie disrespects the legacy of Bruce Lee. I highly recommend everyone to boycott this movie. The movie serves to perpetuate negative stereotypes regarding Asian women, men, and the culture,” wrote user Consciouskendrik.
Director George Nolfi, of course, was ready with a defense. “The reality is, Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man did not know each other for a long period before the fight and they weren’t heavily involved with each other after the fight,” he told Deadline. “From a narrative standpoint, you needed eyes on the story that would allow you to have a run up to the fight and… I don’t want to spoil what happens after the fight… but you needed that to get to our third act.”
What do you all think? Did you see the movie?
(via Next Shark, image via Flickr)
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