Bruceploitation Lives...

I've been getting into the Bruceploitation films a bit more, a Bruceploitation for those who do not know is the collective name for films given to cash in on Bruce Lee's death in 1973 starring actors like Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee, Bruce Leung and many others (even Jackie Chan somewhat got in on the action with New Fist of Fury), some of the films attempted to tell a biographical story of Bruce, others set off "Bruce Lee" on other stories and some would just be plain odd.

Bruce Li or Bruce Lee can you guess???

Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth (after a little research I found it's also known as Bruce Lee: True Story) is a Bruceploitation movie starring Bruce Li that tells the "true" story of Bruce Lee.

Actually I'm being a little unfair using the "commas" because as far as a Bruceploitation film goes it's as close to accurate you are gonna get, released in 1976 (or 1978 as someplaces note). In truth though anybody looking to watch this movie shouldn't really take it too seriously it is impossible to fit an entire life in 80+ minutes and it's not as if you'd watch any type of film like this for historical accuracy anyway.

Airport security was so lax in them days

Bruce's fight scenes are all set up the same in this movie, a Tai-Boxer, karate expert etc. think they are better then Bruce and challenge him, usually in front of an all bunch of people then have their arse's handed to them, then they scarper off into the sunset. The fights are not brilliant but not embarrising. One scene of Lee getting attacked in the airport is a little bit better choregraphed.

Not your typical neighbourhood gym.

The film does have it's fair share of unintionelly funny moments like the scenes in which Bruce works out in a room that more closely resemble a laboratory then a gym.

The film presents kind of three endings one- the official and probable truth, Bruce suffering from a cerebral edema, a second ending of him getting stabbed to death and third him faking his death with the idea he'd come back in 1983 (which never did happen).

The film is pretty good as far as Bruceploitation films go. It's a damn sight more watchable then Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (which was nothing more then an expensive Bruceploitation movie) and Bruce Li was probably one of the mroe charismatic if not most atheltic iminators. Worth a watch.

They'll be more Bruceploitation write ups in the coming weeks including me getting a couple for Christmas which indludes The Dragon Lives Again which truly as to be seen to be believed.