I had certain expectations of this movie, but I'm glad it was nothing like I thought it would be. First, it was NOT an action packed display of consecutive fight scenes. There is some fighting, but this movie really focused on the relationships that Bruce Lee had with family and friends. It's based on the book which was written by Bruce's younger brother, Robert. That is pleasing by itself, considering that every film ever made about Bruce was just a fictional tale of his character. I can't say for sure because I did not know the man, but I would be willing to bet that this is the most accurate representation of Lee Jun Fan as a young man in Hong Kong. Now, I say that with full knowledge that this IS a movie, and there are obviously some fabrications and exaggerations mixed into it. But what I mean is, this movie does not portray Bruce as some magical fighting machine going around fighting everyone he comes into contact with. A large portion of the movie is focused on his relationships with friends and family, and that is something we have never seen, unless you count "Dragon", the movie with Jason Scott Lee (which I enjoyed, but it was not like this one). I enjoyed it much more because of that. I feel like I know a little more about where Bruce came from, and how things may have been for him as a young man. Definitely worth watching, especially if you are a fan of Bruce Lee the man, rather than Bruce Lee the movie star.

Loads of period detail, as the end credit side-by-side comparison between reference photos and their recreations attests. It feels somewhat similar in nostalgic tone to Echoes of the Rainbow, but with punch-ups. Unfortunately, these dominate much of the second act. And despite Chin Kar-Lok's excellent choreography, they seem edited down to make the most of what the young performers can do. In the case of the Western style boxing match it at least makes sense in context, and the endless flurries of wing chun forearm chain-punching will give Ip Man 2 fans a thrill. A later confined space fight references a less recent but more famous film - emulating the Lee/Norris bout, feline spectator included.Afterward, the film gets back to the subplot involving Opium War aftermath and heavy foreshadowing of Lee's patriotic hero status. Early on, this is charmingly played out through the opium addiction of Tony Leung Ka Fai as Lee Senior, and its exploitation by the Westernized villains. Then the period film references turn more studio-specific, with choreographer Chin Kar-Lok playing Shek Kin vs. Eddie Cheung as Cho Tat-wah - providing Bruce with the good/evil archetypes that would shape much of his cinematic philosophy.We also get to see Alex Man as Ng Chor-fan recruiting Bruce for "The Orphan" and drilling into him the importance of dramatic acting. There are enjoyable if sparse scenes regarding Lee Hoi-chuen's involvement in the seminal Wong Fei-Hung mega-franchise. And MC Jin turns in another promising performance after Gallants - this time as Unicorn Chan, foreshadowing his continued importance in Lee's life after the tragedy that impelled the Dragon across the water to 'Frisco.After a promising start packed with period detail and many exciting references, both to classic HK cinema and foreshadowing Lee's career, this turns into a fairly disappointing affair. One with a typically slapdash approach to history that eagerly chooses the least interesting avenues to explore. But one worth seeing for the many fun, semi-inside references and its general willingness to fail via overambitious pretense as well as genre cliché.

This film was captured very artistically for a biography. I was very surprised to have seen this movie turn out the way it did, the artistic quality was done very well, as well as the storyline. It's definitely worth watching, and if you're a Bruce Lee fan, then you really should watch this. A lot of people don't know the life before he moved to America, and here you learn a lot about his life that you never see. This movie is not really an action film. There's not a lot of fight scenes, but the ones that are there play significant roles to the film. So I'd suggest you watch this with the mindset of watching a great story as opposed to waiting for action to happen.

Based upon the book Bruce Lee, My Brother by Robert Lee, Bruce's youngest brother, directors Raymond Yip and Manfred Wong take us on a journey that's begging to be made about the life and times of the formative, growing up years of Lee Jun Fan / Lee Sai Feng (Phoenix). It doesn't need to encroach into the territory that Rob Cohen's Dragon had already touched on, the Hollywood film done some 17 years back with Jason Scott Lee (of no relations) in the leading role that begins from his teenage and adult years in the USA, Jeet Kune Do, Kato, Fist of Fury and all. Instead this film takes a more nostalgic look back from the 40s to 60s Hong Kong, focusing on the somewhat wayward youth and teen actor prior to being "exiled" by his dad to the US for his own protection, and the rest, as they say, is history.In what would be something like a calling as an actor when his father the opera megastar (Tony Leung Kar Fai) assisted a director friend in need by volunteering his infant son in Golden Gate Girl, Bruce Lee's film forays was way before the kung fu movies launched him into super-stardom, starring in The Orphan and many others, and through this narrative angle, allowed the filmmakers to pay tribute and homage to famous screen actors who once were and the films they were in, the filmmaking mover and shakers behind them, and a commentary on the state of the industry at that time, with unions and hectic film schedules, actors often handling simultaneous projects that require flitting from one sound stage to another. No effort was spared in the attention to detail in sets and costumes, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything the filmmakers had in pulling out all the stops in recreating the mood, look and feel, plus the wonderful actors taking great pains to bring back the memories of acting veterans.Acting career aside, Bruce Lee, My Brother also touches upon his family members as well, with scenes involving his siblings and parents, their upbringing and the value system instilled upon them. It shows the affluence of a traditional extended Chinese family living together, and not just under the same roof with kin, but that including the servants and their children too. Glimpses of stepping out of traditional boundaries are shown through his mom, played by Christy Chung in a comeback role, as deliberate attention was paid to her wearing the pants of the household when her husband's away, taking charge of delicate situations, including cursory mention of her fine family background. It is little nuggets of information like these that make this film a wonderful gem to sit through for trivia.And of course, no story will be complete without friendship and romance thrown into the mix, especially when dealing with the pains of growing up. A tempestuous youth almost always never shying away from a fight, nevermind his semi-stardom, Bruce Lee is part of a group nicknamed the Kowloon Tigers, and it is this allegiance with his buddies that take centerstage, with a subplot running to the finale, involving loving the same girl as his best friend, and how he puts his loyalty with friends and family above everything else. They hang out mostly at dance parlours, and the hours he puts in explains his nimbleness and gracefulness that we'll see infused into his fighting prowess, not to mention being crowed a Cha-cha dance champion at one point as well.The fights are widely touted in the trailer, and here's where chief credit must go to the filmmakers for conscientiously steering clear of too much Wing Chun, and avoiding the temptation to stage clichéd big battles with the Japanese soldiers or British corrupt police. These have been touched upon too frequently of late, with the two Ip Man films, as well as the Andrew Lau's tribute to Bruce Lee with his Legend of Chen Zhen. Meeting up with Ip Man himself is probably requisite for this film, but it placed it in proper context that Bruce was most of the time being trained by one of the pupils instead, and we do see some hints of Jeet Kune Do in his fights, which are never deadly, but friendlier in nature meant as a comparison of skills and fighting philosophies.Bruce Lee, My Brother is a fitting tribute about the early life of Bruce Lee, hitting the mark on famous milestones in his life, and showing his character not as the superstar to be, but the down to earth and fiercely loyal friend, brother and son he was known to all those close to him. Dramatic license is of course heavily used especially when putting in subtle hints throughout the film that references the famous movies that he will make in the future (loved that makeshift nunchak using preserved sausages, as well as the banter with a certain Shek Kin). A definite must watch especially for fans who must stay put during the end credit roll for a photographic comparison of pictures taken in the film with the real thing. A film I enjoyed tremendously and goes into my books as a firm contender for the best this year has to offer!