Martial Arts Madness

Rating:
Summary: Two great Lee films plus two DVDs of non-Lee fluff
Review: This Martial Arts Madness box set features four DVDs: the two Bruce Lee movies Fists of Fury and The Chinese Connection, the biographical film Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story, and a completely fictional film starring a Bruce Lee wannabe misleadingly titled The Legend of Bruce Lee. The set is worth buying for the two actual Bruce Lee movies alone. Both Fists of Fury, Lee's first real film, and The Chinese Connection appear here in a digitally remastered and widescreen format. The picture quality is still a bit below perfect in places, but these are two excellent films featuring some classic Bruce Lee performances (in terms of both fighting and acting); The Chinese Connection is a particularly impressive film. There are no extras to be found here, though; all you get in each case is the movie and a scene selection option.

Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story is practically worthless in my book. While it purports to give a biographical account of Bruce Lee's life and career, it covers nothing of any importance whatsoever. Lee's fighting styles, influences, films, and overall philosophy of life are not mentioned at all, and what little light is shed upon the legendary actor is rather unfavorable. This film is pretty much a travesty, in my opinion. The Legend of Bruce Lee, on the other hand, is worth watching simply for all of the fight scenes. While this film plays itself off as a story of Bruce Lee's life, it actually has nothing whatsoever to do with him. The actual star of this film, Bruce Le (a Bruce Lee wannabe), is a competent fighter, but he cannot even begin to match the power, grace, and charisma of the real Bruce Lee.

This 4-DVD Martial Arts Madness box set should appeal most strongly to budget-conscious Bruce Lee fans and to those who are curious about the legendary martial arts superstar. Buy it for the two vintage Bruce Lee movies, enjoy all of the fight scenes in The Legend of Bruce Lee, but watch the horrible biographical film Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story at your own risk.