BIRTH OF THE DRAGON: Catch The Official U.S. Trailer For The New Bruce Lee Biopic
Whether you go into director George Nolfi’s new movie, Birth Of The Dragon, for its martial arts action or any historical substance you can scrape, if past reviews and reactions have anything to say for it, its unlikely the film will be as fulfilling in its delivery. The film was assailed by critics after debuting in Toronto late last year and even moreso when the film’s trailer arrived introducing what some feel is a tone-deaf transposition to film based on the legendary contest between two iconic athletes, one of whom would soon ascend to greatness in the years ahead.
That moment was the very fight between fledgeling action film hero Bruce Lee and Shaolin martial artist Wong Jack Man, etched in history as a fight between two distinct ideologies for which the outcome remains a recorded mystery to date. Front and center is American-born Hong Kong actor and martial artist Phillip Ng (Once Upon A Time In Shanghai) making his Hollywood debut opposite actor Yu Xia (Mojin: The Lost Legend) – both starring in the respective roles for the film’s epic fight narrative as presented by the role of Lee’s disciple played by actor Billy Magnussen who narrates the events setting into 1960’s Oakland, California – and much to the chagrin of fans dissenting.
The fallout over the film was rough, a fact helped even less by the devout disapproval of Lee’s own daughter, Shannon Lee, who currently has her own prospects going at Bruce Lee Enterprises to tell her father’s story in a more supposedly suitable and fitting fashion with respect to his legacy. Since then, news around Birth Of The Dragon stayed quiet until WWE Studios and Blumhouse’s BHTilt made it official back in February having acquired the film for its release this year.
As such, IGN has exclusively revealed the official trailer for the film’s August 25 release. For that matter, this one actually weighs itself on selling Ng’s portrayal of the late martial arts star next to the story, which is probably what the initial official sales trailer should have done in the first place. Not that it would make the film decidely better, but this one is selling hard to the martial arts and Bruce Lee crowd. Let’s see how this bodes.
Check out the trailer below!
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!