I'm pretty certain director George Nolfi least expected to poke the hornet's nest going into 2017 with his latest Bruce Lee biopic, Birth Of The Dragon. However, I half-digress, as Nolfi told Netshark in an article just short of a week ago that his intention was to simply a fun kung fu movie akin to that of the seemingly folkloric franchise workup of the title role of Ip Man portrayed by action star Donnie Yen.
Personally, being an Ip fan, I would have been okay with that were it not for the fact that Groundswell Productions had been pushing it as a film based on a real-world event long before cameras were rolling, and now with the film's star, actor and martial artist Phillip Ng, expressing his own wish to do the late film and martial arts legend justice. Needless to say, messaging made all the difference here and the messaging was pretty poor, and it's unfortunate.
The film opens on August 25 and in the wake of scathing criticism from critics and fans who've seen the film in earlier screenings, as well as the vociferous disapproval and departure by Bruce Lee Enterprises's own Shannon Lee. In all fairness, at least we now know what to expect from the film and the circumstances by which Nolfi and the rest of the crew approached the historical moment that inspired the movie, and so that does lighten the load off of expectations some.
Not to mention, of course, that the film is Ng's American debut on the big screen after servicing as actor and stunt coordinator on many on Hong Kong action film, and with his acumen for screenfighting and performance comes the appeal of having someone like Ng to work with who is as equally talented and deserving as today's action actors and stars. That said, none of this will undo some of the criticisms that this film has underwent in its reviews, and I'm almost certain this film's box office fate has been sealed at least here in the states, unless there's a huge swarm of Bruce Lee fans out there pining to see this film in theaters as I'm sure Blumhouse and WWE Studios are hoping.
Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco, ‘Birth of the Dragon’ is a modern take on the classic movies that Bruce Lee was known for. It takes its inspiration from the epic and still controversial showdown between an up-and-coming Bruce Lee and kung fu master Wong Jack Man — a battle that gave birth to a legend.Also starring are Yu Xia and Billy Magnussen. The film has a clip online as of Wednesday which you can view below with Ng opposite co-star Ron Yuan. Check it out as well as its official U.S. trailer from two weeks ago.
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