Review of BIRTH OF THE DRAGON: Why the White?

September 28, 2017

This film was supposed to be about a young Bruce Lee  and his fight with Shaolin master Wong Jack Man in the mid-1960s. Just like the excellent "Ip Man" and its sequels, I was excited to watch how this Asian martial arts film would play out. Bruce Lee is a martial arts legend, and I would really like to know more about his life before he entered the heady limelight of show business. 

It was 1964. In Henan, China, there was an exhibition fight between Shaolin master Wong Jack Man and his counterpart from the Tai'chi school that ended badly for his opponent. Meanwhile in San Francisco, USA, Bruce Lee was gaining prominence teaching white men kungfu fighting as he also aspired for a career as an actor. One of his white students was Indiana farm boy Steve McKee.

McKee befriended Wong when he arrived in San Francisco to make amends for his grave sin by becoming a dish washer. He got to see the more philosophical view of kungfu espoused by Wong, as opposed to the physical kick-ass kungfu taught by his sifu Lee. The two masters agreed to fight each other only when McKee convinced them that it was the only way to free his Chinese girlfriend Xiulan from the clutches of the Chinatown mob.

It was exciting to see the story build up from the contrasting points of view of Wong and Lee. However, the plot took an unexpected turn when the focus shifted to the problems of Steve McKee. Here we were watching a film supposedly about two of the most important Chinese martial arts personalities of the 1960s, and then it turns out that the focal point of the story would actually be about some fictional white dude and his forbidden romance. Nevertheless, as long as the story was centered on the two masters, I was totally on board. 

I enjoyed listening to the beautifully phrased pearls of wisdom dropping from the lips of Wong Jack Man (as played with serene calm by award-winning actor Xia Yu). He spoke of needing to restore balance in his soul which was displaced when his pride overcame his discipline. His lines were written with eloquence expected from a Master. Xia Yu was also elegant in his smooth and ethereal moves in his fight scenes. He reminded me of Donnie Yen in "Ip Man."

On the other hand, in total contrast, Philip Ng was all brash bravado as Bruce Lee. This actor is already 40 years old in real life (same age as Xia Yu coincidentally), but he still manages to pull off a credible portrayal of the youthful Lee. Odd that Bruce Lee's name is in the title, but the film is clearly not about his good side. In fact, it seemed to be showing him in a rather bad light. Ng is very charismatic, but Lee's characterization is mostly negative, much like the way the bad white sensei was portrayed in "Karate Kid." It felt disrespectful to Lee as an icon of this field.

The controversial character of Steve McKee is portrayed by Billy Magnusson. It was an earnest performance by the actor to be fair. It is just that the character, ostensibly someone for whom the Western audience can identify with, did not feel right as the pivot on which the story turned. His damsel in distress and love interest Xiulan is played by pretty Qu Jingjing. Playing the role of ruthless mob boss Auntie Blossom is Chinese dancer and actress Jin Xing, notable for being one of the first transgender women recognized as female by the government in China.

What Chinese martial arts film does not have a fight scene in a Chinese restaurant? This was the chosen venue of the final series of fights, and this indeed was the best fight sequence of the whole film. It showcased the best of both Wong Jack Man's and Bruce Lee's fighting styles. McKee also figured somehow in this finale, but his participation is almost comic relief, maybe the filmmakers' way of restoring the film to its proper leads.

This film is by George Nolfi in only his second directorial effort since "The Adjustment Bureau (2011) (MY REVIEW). The white incursion in this film was distracting, true. It was not at all that bad as an action film, but still disappointing for those expecting more of Bruce Lee, as the title and poster clearly purports. I felt it would have been more entertaining if he never diverted the focus away from the two real-life iconic kung-fu masters his film was about, especially Bruce Lee. 5/10.