I Am Bruce Lee (15)

Time Out says

Fri Jul 13 2012

Stuntmen, martial arts experts, filmmakers and family members line up to pay tribute to fallen kung fu king Bruce Lee in this detail-light documentary. The segments covering Lee’s life and legend are fine: an old TV interview with the star is funny and illuminating, and contributions from his wife and daughter are sweetly moving.

But the film constantly wanders off topic, whether into a discussion about mixed martial arts (plenty of whose leading exponents gather here) or a series of tedious and self-important montages in which said pugilists (not the most eloquent bunch) expound on Lee’s influence on their lives.

It’s frustratingly shot as well: too much in-your-face shakeycam and random words flashing up onscreen to underscore whatever point the latest lunkheaded interviewee is making. Lee’s legions of fans might get a kick out of this, but newcomers would do better to invest in a DVD of ‘Fist of Fury’.

Author: Tom Huddleston