Review of Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee (2007) by Jason F — 12 Sep 2008

This movie is fantastic! I love the way Justin Lin, The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, filmed this as a 70's documentary. It was a totally unepxected surprise to see MC Hammer as Roy Thunder. That was so funny and worth the purchase price right there. Hammer should be in more films because he can really act. In fact, one of the funniest lines in Finishing the Game, is when MC Hammer says, "I'm always on the lookout for the next Pat Morita.".

After Bruce Lee died, several Asian actors tried to make Bruceploitation movies that had such stupid titles as Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave and Re-enter the Dragon. The Hong Kong film industry was in a panic to try to prolouge Bruce Lee's star power as long as they could by hiring look-a-likes and wannabes. Lin wonderfully satirized that with Fists of Fuhrer and he nailed it in the character Breeze Loo.

This film is also a look at how Asian actors were treated for a long time by Hollywood in such roles as delivery boys and servants. The real Bruce Lee did a lot to try to change the way Asians are looked at in film. Ironically because of Lee's achievements, now Hollywood is trying to sell Asians as martial arts stars, which means that few Asians are represented as being real. They are mostly reduced to oriental exoticism to sell tickets. Hollywood has yet to make a movie with Asians actors that really show a good well written story that doesn't exploit.

This movie is a lot of fun. The fact that it doesn't take itself so seriously makes it an enjoyable ride. Its worth a rent or to buy if you want to see an amusing look at how directors and producers attempt to create a film after the star's death.