Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 23, 2024

With a title like “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story,” one expects to learn something about the subject. The 1993 endeavor isn’t interested in providing a thorough investigation of the media star and martial artist, preferring to explore the cinematic ways of his life. Co-writer/director Rob Cohen creates a bit of a hagiography with the film, carefully sanding down Lee’s rough edges, making his story palatable to a wide audience as the writing primarily focuses on bigotry and response to adversity. It’s a commercial for Bruce Lee, which adapts his wife Linda Lee Cadwell’s 1975 book, “Bruce Lee: The Man Only I Knew,” and she’s extremely protective of his reputation and legacy. “Dragon” is sanitized and filled with fantasy, but Cohen (in what’s easily his finest movie) crafts an engaging picture, best digested as entertainment that features reminders of Lee’s philosophy, passions, and physical abilities, sold through a sensational lead performance from Jason Scott Lee.

Bruce Lee (Jason Scott Lee) is offered love and protection by his father, who urges the boy to learn the ways of kung fu. Growing up to be a young man of honor and troublemaking, Bruce is sent to America to get away from his woes, ending up a Chinese man in a deeply racist country, forced to prove himself as he hunts for success. Meeting Linda (Lauren Holly), Bruce finds a spouse and a trusted partner, with the pair setting out to bring Lee’s Jeet Kune Do to the masses via classes and a published book. As Bruce experiences the highs and lows of success, especially in Hollywood, his mind is haunted by The Demon, a supernatural force looking to kill him as he fights to deliver his message and take care of his expanding family.

“Dragon” embraces the legend of Bruce Lee, as the script searches for ways to transform the trials of his life into cinematic moments. Confrontations are a common source of fantasy in the movie, as Bruce experiences many challenges from awful people, and Cohen runs with it, turning hostility into elaborately choreographed fights meant to showcase Bruce’s fighting style and action poses. The screenplay goes through the years, tracking Bruce’s movement from Hong Kong to America, and while there’s an opportunity to really work into the ways of fear and attitude, the endeavor is more content to be a simplified version of life challenges, handed a Hollywood glaze. However, it’s a well-done glaze, supported by lively cinematography by David Eggby and triumphant scoring from Randy Edelman.

The depiction of racism is most important to “Dragon,” following Bruce’s encounters with angry Americans who have no patience for a Chinese man trying to make his way in the world. He finds hate everywhere, including Linda’s mother (Michael Learned), who resists her daughter’s relationship with Bruce. The subject’s quest to build a bridge of education through Jeet Kune Do, sharing his culture with the “Gwai Los,” is perhaps the most interesting element of the journey, testing Bruce’s patience and stamina as he attempts to bring his Eastern ways to the West. Prejudice is a major theme of “Dragon,” and an important one, but Cohen’s not a filmmaker capable of nuance, often painting in primary colors to make sure everyone understands this hostility and how it possibly motivated or hardened Bruce, depending on who’s telling the story of his life.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.

"Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" was originally issued on Blu-ray in 2015, and now comes to UHD, listed as a "new 4K transfer from the 35mm original camera negative," and "presented in Dolby Vision." Fans of the feature will be able to spot an improvement with the new scan, which provides a crisper, more cinematic viewing experience. Detail is strong throughout, capturing ample skin particulars on the cast, along with fibrous costuming as styles and cultures are observed. Depths are present during exterior tours. Interiors maintain dimension, and decoration is open for inspection. Colors are clear and inviting, preserving the atmospheric moods of the original cinematography, which often favor blazing oranges and reds, and cooler nightmare hues and urban tours. Primaries are distinct, along with greenery. Skin tones are natural. Blacks are deep, securing evening activity and shadow play. Highlights are tasteful. Grain is fine and film-like. Source is in good condition.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix handles with clear dialogue exchanges, preserving acting choices and accents on a variety of characters. Scoring retains a crisp synth sound, delivering soaring moments of triumph and darker stretches of conflict. Musical moods do carry into the surrounds for some immersion, joined by atmospherics and louder sound effects during fight sequences. Crowd bustle and response is also defined. Low-end rears up with violent encounters, especially during Demon events, communicating a heavier stone and metallic threat.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Rob Cohen.

• "Archival Introduction from Linda Lee Cadwell" (6:53, SD) welcomes viewers to this "special laserdisc edition" of "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story." Cadwell celebrates the world of Bruce Lee, charting his development and "high intensity energy," which is meant to be displayed in the feature. The interviewee also highlights Lee's spiritual and philosophical life, along with his drive to "tear down barriers" in martial arts and moviemaking.

• "The Making of 'Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'" (6:27, SD) is a 1993 EPK overview of what apparently was once called "Dragon: The Life of Bruce Lee." Interviewees include director Rob Cohen, author Linda Lee Cadwell, producer Raffaella De Laurentiis, trainer Jerry Poteet, and actors Jason Scott Lee and Lauren Holly. Plot points and characterization are explored, along with the usual promotional salesmanship to pump up the feature as a soulful understanding of Bruce Lee's life. Perhaps most interesting is the tale of Jason Scott Lee's casting, as the actor had no martial arts training, learning how to move as Bruce Lee before filming began.

• "Behind-the-Scenes Footage" (5:17, SD) follows the day's work at a tournament setting, watching director Rob Cohen set the scene for the extras and actor Jason Scott Lee manage martial art choreography. Short interviews with author Linda Cadwell and actors Lee and Lauren Holly are also included.

• "Jason Scott Lee Screen Test" (3:48, SD) features commentary from director Rob Cohen, who describes the process of hiring an actor physically and emotionally suited to play Bruce Lee. Frustrated with the search, Cohen found his way to Jason Scott Lee, who was initially hesitant to take the part, finally putting his trust in the director to "do the man justice."

• "Bruce Lee Interview" (7:11, SD) is a 1971 chat with the icon, appearing on "The Pierre Berton Show," and he discusses his career at the time, choosing between two television projects after the success of "The Big Boss." Bits of Lee's philosophy is presented, along with some understanding of his naturally dramatic ways.

• Storyboards (16:07) examines the pre-production process on "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," presenting art for "Opening Sequence," "Johnny Sun's Fight Sequence," "Phantom/Seattle Kwoon Sequence," "Phantom/Oakland Kwoon Sequence," and "Hall of Mirrors Sequence."

• Production Photo Gallery (15:56) collects film stills and BTS snaps.

• Bruce Lee Image Gallery (8:47) collects personal photos of the performer as he poses for martial arts shots, plays with his family, and appears at public events.

• And a Teaser Trailer (1:26, SD) and a Theatrical Trailer (1:58, SD) are included.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Those seeking to learn more about Bruce Lee's vices and weaknesses aren't handed much in "Dragon." Such realism isn't pursued by Cohen, who's pushing to turn the subject into a legend, even carefully avoiding the allegedly unsavory circumstances surrounding his death in 1973. The picture is a celebration of his achievements and tenacity (energetically communicated by Jason Scott Lee, who offers career-best work here), also clearly identifying his wisdom, especially with martial arts mastery and philosophy. It's pure gloss with some sense of demonic doom to beef up its dramatic journey (incredibly, Bruce's son Brandon died mere months before the release of the film, which depicts the father protecting his son from otherworldly harm). To best embrace what Cohen's selling here, one has to relax expectations for a grittier, truthful appreciation of one man's journey. "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" doesn't want to share the real Bruce Lee with viewers, merely inflating his myth, but doing so through style and passion.