Review of Birth of the Dragon

I was surprised to see how unflattering a character Bruce Lee (Philip Ng) was made out to be in this film. He comes across as supremely arrogant and cocky, exactly opposite the way one would consider a Kung Fu master to be. For that reason, a rival in the form of Wong Jack Ma (Yu Xia) is introduced, exhibiting all the characteristics that Lee appears to be lacking. Not that I'm a big Bruce Lee fan, but until this movie, I had never heard about the legendary martial arts contest that was secretly held between these two men. You would think it would be a cornerstone of Lee's legend, and maybe it is for more knowledgeable fans, but it was news to me. Going in I was more than primed to accept the story with appropriate grains of salt, and other reviewers on this board have clearly established as much. If one didn't know any better, and if you were watching the picture unaware of it's title, you would almost think the main character was Wong Jack Ma, as he inspires the viewer with the true spirit and spirituality of Kung Fu. The emphasis on Steve McKee (Billy Magnussen) as the intermediary between the two martial arts masters was probably unnecessary for the story, and as others have mentioned, is a major fictional element in the movie. Considering the passage of time since Lee's death, it would seem to me that a true biopic of the man is more than overdue, without the chopsocky trappings of many of these overwrought fighting spectacles.