Review of Birth of the Dragon (2017) by Greg C — 26 Aug 2017

'Birth of the Dragon' is a well-balanced and extremely entertaining of a much disputed famous fight between a young, brash Bruce Lee, and a rival Gung Fu exponent, Wong Jack Man, which took place in the early 1960s.

Presented as a "fan fable" and not pretending for a moment to be a documentary or tru-to-life biopic; instead, 'Birth of the Dragon' presents a fictionalised account of the events in a manner similar to how the 'Ip Man' films or the 'Wong Fei Hong' films present the lives of their titular heroes.

'Birth of the Dragon' is a loving tribute to both Lee & Wong, showing great respect to the memories of both men. It neither takes sides, nor favours one over the other. Instead, it allows the viewer to see the differences between their characters whilst simultaneously showing how both men are passionate about their chosen art.

They might be adversaries on the surface, but deep down they have the same values & passions, and both are good men with good intentions. Philip Ng brilliantly portrays Bruce Lee, not trying to imitate him, so much as bring alive the subtle nuances of his character, speaking patterns & mannerisms.

Xia Yu brings dignity and depth to his role as Wong Jack Man, counterbalancing the youthful brashness of the young, ambitious Lee. Initially, it is issues between these two men that draw them together in combat, but eventually, it is outside influences involving students and underworld forces in Chinatown that draws them together as allies, rather than enemies.

The action sequences are many and varied, choreographed by Corey Yuen, a veteran the industry, and with real life martial artist Philip Ng as Bruce Lee, he couldn't have asked for a better person to present his work.

Audiences couldn't ask for a better or more qualified person to portray their hero, Bruce Lee, either; Ng is the real life student of the late Wong Dhun Leung, the actual senior Wing Chun brother and mentor of Lee in Ip Man's Hong Kong school.

'Birth of the Dragon' may not be historically accurate, ...tell me a Hollywood biopic that is, ...but it's fun, entertaining, heartwarming, humorous and actually delivers some very important messages in its 96 minute running time.

Enjoy it for what it is and you'll leave the cinema with a big smile on your face. Five stars!