Bruce Lee is arguably the most iconic martial arts figure of the modern age, and perhaps of all time. A new documentary, I Am Bruce Lee, is the latest in a line of documentaries about the man who was an actor, fight choreographer, director, teacher, and so much more. What makes this one different? It offers insight not just from his family, but it uses interviews with Bruce Lee himself as well as those people directly influenced by him to provide not only a timeline but to really examine what makes him special.
Even if you already know about Bruce Lee and his story, I Am Bruce Lee is well worth watching. The insight given to the various actions he took, such as the films he made, is deeper than most other documentaries that only scratch the surface. While it is easy to focus on his acting career, I Am Bruce Lee offers up a look at his philosophy.
Plenty of attention is given to Bruce Lee the actor and martial arts figure. Because he is the icon he is, these are things that need to be related. It is the philosophy he had as a man that informed those performances, and his history and how it relates to the formation of that philosophy. We learn about his childhood, how the two main schools of martial arts would inform his decision to break the rules and create something that wasn’t new, but looked at old ways with new eyes.
A few of the expected talking heads are present, such as his widow and daughter, along with a few UFC/MMA notables, but Ed O’Neil? Sure I expected Mickey Rourke, Tattoo from the music group Black Eyed Peas? Because there are people you don’t expect, that doesn’t mean the filmmakers were scraping the bottom of the barrel. Instead it is a testament to the reach of Bruce Lee and his philosophy.
Fans will also enjoy the special features on the disc. Outakes are expanded and shown more in-depth – certainly stuff that could have easily fit within the film itself. Home Movies looks at the backyard sessions he held for various Hollywood celebrities then moves on to his views on Jeet Kun Do as a term. Inspiration is just a few moments snipped from the film, and Bruce Lee In Action is a few minutes of compiling various action shots from his films. What appears to be a full screen test for Bruce Lee, which is featured in the main documentary, and is a great peek into his past.
I Am Bruce Lee is certainly a worthwhile documentary for fans of martial arts, action films, and of course, Bruce Lee. If you’re even slightly interested in learning a little more about the man behind the legend, I Am Bruce Lee is a great starting point.