Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey (2000 Video) User Reviews (27)

Be water, my friend.

[mstomaso · 8/10 · 29 June 2005]

This is a touching and compelling portrait of the legendary martial artist, humanist, entertainer and philosopher, Bruce Lee.

While interested in Lee, and entertained by his films, I have never considered myself a fan. Produced with love and care, A Warrior's Journey has helped rekindle my interest in a man whose timeless messages, and amazing physicality were lost to the world as I was growing up.

This documentary is less comprehensive than a biopic, as it really does not cover all of Mr. Lee's too-short life. Rather, it is a film essay concerning his importance as a cultural icon and his unique melding of intensely personal quasi-taoist philosophy with the practice of martial art. If you've ever wondered what the "big fuss" concerning Bruce Lee is, this film is the right choice. Interviews with Lee's friends, students and family are carefully woven together with a well-written voice-over narrative, interviews with Lee, and the ever-intense fight footage from several of Lee's films. Particularly interesting are the articulate comments of his friend and student, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, and Linda, his wife.

An added bonus, worth more than the cost of the DVD, is the complete remaining footage of Lee's last major project "The Game of Death", featuring some of the most interesting physical acting and clever martial arts photography I have ever seen.

I did not expect much from this film, but was surprised to find that once I got it rolling, I could not take my eyes off the screen.

Excellent

[Joe_Galvin · 9/10 · 22 August 2002]

The first Bruce Lee documentary that tells the real story behind one of the most fascinating men of the 20th Century. For fans of Lee or martial arts it is absolutely unmissable. There is so many awful movies/documentaries out there that take advantage of Lee's name to make some money, it's great to see a documentary that's true to the great man.

If you enjoy this, I recommend you read the Lee's biography 'Fighting Spirit', the author of which is Bruce Thomas.

The most excellent Bruce Lee documentary!

[PeterRoeder · 8/10 · 15 February 2006]

This is a documentary which pays homage to the pure mayhem and fury of the myth/man Bruce Lee! Moreover, it contains the most astonishing scenes from the Game of Death. It shows the scenes how Bruce intended them, and I must say it is awesome to say the least! Whereas the original Game of Death movie almost even manages to ruin the Bruce Lee material (not to speak of the rest of the movie, which is worthless) this new material is mindblowing and real! For example, you can see the Korean Haikido masters lips move in the original Game of Death but there is no speech! Here you hear what he says, and you hear Bruce Lee's comments and thoughts. Such as: "Give him the fatigue bombing!" and wonderful dialogue such as Karim: "You must have given up the hope of living" "On the contrary, I don't let the thought of death bother me", and "I hope you don't mind that we move our man so the two of us have more time to groove!" Moreover, they call each other "baby" all the time. It is truly awesome. The rest of the biography is also good but what makes this a real classic is the remake of Game of Death.

Astonishing.

[stupid_fresh · 26 June 2002]

This is without a doubt one of the greatest documentaries that I have ever seen. The narration is easy to follow, not too self-consciously obtuse or referential to previous films, and the piecing together is simply masterful. The only quibble is the lack of information on Bruce's early life.

Things to love about this film:

* the Game of Death sequence, fully restored, edited and soundtracked to Bruce's wishes (according to recently found production notes)

* The one finger (and a thumb) pressups - although rather short

* The one inch punch

Truly awesome and 10/10.

Amazing story of the Legend of Bruce Lee

[InzyWimzy · 10/10 · 3 July 2002]

Man, I was shell shocked. I actually saw this on AMC for the first time and was blown away by the in-depth interviews with Bruce, not to mention his spectacular demonstrations. John Little gets big credit for putting this masterpiece together.

I got so much more information about Bruce from this one. You really get to see him as a person, how his beliefs shaped Jeet Kun Do and how he applied it to life in general. Hearing Bruce speak shows how intelligent and philosophical he was, humble, very down to earth....a very likeable guy. It's such a shame to think what potential he would have had if he hadn't died in 1973. Hearing everyone from Linda to Kareem and others speak about him show what an impact he had on others...and not just kung fu. I had known that he defied tradition by teaching "anyone" kung fu and this shows Bruce was a great man. His belief in the "way" and "no limitation as limitation" is really thought provoking as well.

The creme de la creme was the hidden footage from Game of Death they discovered. Bruce's vision and his philosophy on what the different levels represented just made me respect him moreso. Plus, the outtakes of various fight scenes from his film shows his hard work ethic and determination in getting the scene down pat.

Overall, I've been a big fan of Bruce Lee since I wore Osh Kosh an this made me admire him so much more. To anyone who wants to learn about Bruce, watch this one. To all his fans, I don't need to tell you what a gem "A Warrior's Journey" is.

Bruce Lee Accurate History

[LivingDog · 10/10 · 15 October 2002]

I always saw Bruce Lee as an enigma. This movie lays that feeling 100% flat to rest. It is so well done I was glued to the set even though all they show are clips and the remaining scenes to Lee's last movie: "Game of Death."

The scenes in "GoD" are very well-done even for a marginal MA fan like me. However, the pauses were too long, but Lee's mastery made it worth waiting to see his moves. The scene with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (the last recorded piece) was better in the later part of the fight and even turned convincing.

John Little did an excellent job of directing this documentary. He allowed first hand witnesses to speak freely. It is clear from the start of the film that it was made as a reverence to Mr. Lee - a world class person and martial arts master. A sadness permeates this movie because you feel that Bruce Lee was taken way too early.

• Zafoid

AMAZING!!!

[wwjd1983ad · 10/10 · 14 October 2002]

This is BY FAR the best Bruce Lee documentary I have ever seen for two reasons: they consentrate on more of his philosophical beliefs rather than his life story, and they show GAME OF DEATH!!! That was the real reason I watched it. They found Bruce Lee's original outline and stunt moves for the film, and also all of the footage cut for the 1979 version. They put it all together now in the order it was supposed to be in and the result is AWESOME!! The nunchakaus scene is sweet! And the fight with Kareem is cool as well. A must-see for any Bruce Lee fan.

Remarkable Insight

[Nephren-Ka · 10/10 · 27 November 2003]

Arguably the best Bruce Lee documentary available at the moment, and I've pretty much seen every one that is available. Having grown up idolising the great man and having seen all his movies countless times, when I first saw the "Curse of the Dragon" documentary I was most intrigued by an interview which was conducted with Bruce's long time friend, colleague and training partner Dan Inosanto where Bruce's original concept for "Game of Death" was brought to light. Inosanto made mention of the 5-floor pagoda idea and immediately I made it my mission to somehow find this lost footage.

Some years later I have finally been privileged as well as honoured to see the long lost footage from the final battle scenes in "Game of Death" and to see the master in action for one final time. All I can say is that the "Game of Death" footage alone is worth the price of admission and any true Bruce Lee fan will be left salivating after seeing the incredible fight scenes coupled with the philosophical undertones that Lee so wanted to convey to his students, fans and audiences alike.

The lost footage aside, the documentary is also quite solid with excellent insight into Bruce's philosophy and his incredible determination and integrity which truly made him a master in his respective trade. While other documentaries often focused on his meteoric rise to stardom and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his untimely death, this documentary chooses rather to focus on his life, his teachings, his way of thought and his remarkable achievements - all of which made him a legend.

10/10

Not bad at all

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 18 September 2021]

Not a bad Bruce Lee documentary. Pretty much clip based showcasing the legendary actor at his very best. They add in some new bits and pieces that fans will be delighted with.

Fantastic Documentary

[jarmlar · 10/10 · 7 May 2002]

This documentary shows you Bruce Lee's life, how he went to be as good in Martial Arts as he was. There are also a great look at the original version of the "Game of Death" fighting in the Tower scenes. These scenes are just great, very different from the 78 version. And they are never been showed before. So take a look here, and see how Bruce Lee takes his one inch punch and much more....

A documentary that will make you miss the man

[tonosov-51238 · 7/10 · 26 November 2023]

This is a very good and eloquent overview of how Bruce Lee made those monumental films that he is known for. What he had to deal with and how his outlook on martial arts was transforming with each passing year.

I don't think it's a controversial statement to say that he was taken from the world, not even at his peak, but while he was only just beginning to gain momentum. Then, while contemplating the legacy of those few years, it is hard to even imagine what could have been. Despite the fact that most of the interviewees had nothing to say except express their admiration for Bruce, it's still quite remarkable that John Little was able to assemble these many.

Of course, the crown jewel of the documentary is the original footage from Game of Death. The documentary goes above and beyond in this regard. I thought I would see some behind-the-scenes footage and a few finished scenes, but there is an entire third act of the movie. Perfectly edited, completely coherent, and ready to be released. You can definitely see more of Bruce Lee in this version than in 1978's The Game of Death. I don't know why it was never used. They could have structured the movie around this easily. I suppose the footage and notes weren't located back in the day?

Damn, I wish Bruce was alive to see this!

[Zerojojo · 10/10 · 15 January 2006]

The only regret I had watching "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" was that Bruce, the master of all masters, wasn't still alive to see what great tribute is being paid to him with this documentary. He would have been so proud. What a shame it is that such a young, handsome man is ripped out of this life by some, well, whoever it was - IT WAS WRONG!!! The documentary contains great footage of Bruce, the master, and of his movies, too. I especially liked the parts from the movies, since they reminded me of the time I was watching them. I didn't miss a single movie, and I say that with the proviso that I am not capable of understanding Chinese. Therefore I have even more regrets that he only got to making one English movie before the tragedy. So people out there, don't miss that great account of a great master, Bruce, in a great documentary. It's really a great experience and shouldn't me missed by anyone. I enjoyed it a great deal and I am very choosy, for example I didn't like Star Wars.

not to be missed

[DAW-8 · 10 July 2003]

This is a fantastic documentary, both in terms of narration and information about Bruce, but even moreso in terms of the footage shown. More impressive than the 'new' Game of Death footage is the footage of Lee practicing at his Los Angeles home, and, most of all, his philosophical remarks in the episodes of "Longstreet". Those scenes are just incredible, such as his statement to James Fransiscus "Like everyone, you want to WIN, but you must be prepared to die", said in complete earnestness, with a very early-1970s flute playing in the background. When was the last time you heard anything like that on television or film? In any case, this is a beautiful tribute to Bruce as the complex, philosophical, extraordinarily passionate human being he was. You will not be disappointed.

A must have for fan's of Bruce Lee one and all.

[darienal · 10/10 · 7 July 2002]

I had only recently become aware of this DVD as it was being advertised as containing missing footage from Game of Death. What an understatement watching this footage is just an incredible experience. That coupled with the documentary portion of this DVD truely gives us a better insight IMO into what Bruce was about, and the way he was trying to show us all.

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!!

[joez-4 · 9/10 · 7 April 2002]

Short and sweet: If you're a Bruce Lee Fan, You have to have this DVD. If you're not, you will be. Watching this Doc/Feature was like going back to the early 70's. Seeing this never before released footage reminded me why I became a fan. It's a treat to have the "Real Bruce" visiting us again. The original 30 minutes or so of Bruce's (not Robert Clouse's) "Game of Death" makes this DVD a must have. Anyone that does have the Clouse's version can now dump that film in the trash. Why settle for a film with 7 Bruce Lee imitators when you can have the one-and-only. "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey," though only containing 30-or-so minutes of the original "Game of Death" is (the real) Bruce Lee's last film. Enjoy :-)

The most educational and inspiring documentary I have seen about Bruce Lee

[si4abetterworld · 10/10 · 6 February 2010]

Many people only know Bruce Lee merely as a martial arts film actor in b-grade or C-grade movies from the 1970s.

However, he was much more than that. Mnay martial artists believe that he was the greatest martial artist who ever lived.

Bruce introduced kungfu to the non-Chinese world, breaking Chinese traditions to teach everyone, regardless of ethnicity; and he made martial arts much more popular.

Before he became a world-famous film actor, he developed his own martial arts style - Jeet Kune Do - the style of no-style and every style - utilising all styles, but being bound by none. I.e. the best of "martial arts" and street-fighting combined.

He took whatever worked from any martial art, philosophy, psychology theory, sports science theory, etc., without prejudice, without following traditions (dogmas), and synthesised them into an ever-evolving martial art. This meant that this little man was able to defeat opponents twice his size - big football players, big karate men and big street fighters.

Bruce did not compete in karate tournaments because he saw them as unrealistic. However, when he was a martial arts coach (he preferred that word, rather than "teacher" or "master"), the top 3 karate tournament competitors were all his students.

Bruce Lee is very admired amongst martial artists for the many great things that he achieved; and he has inspired many people in martial arts, physical fitness and so on, even after his death.

I find this documentary inspirational, and you might, too, especially in the area of self-defence and also in personal achievement generally. Also, if you watch this documentary, you might learn some profound truths, "taoist" truths, "zen" truths. ; ) PS, another great film for learning profound truths about martial arts and life in general, is "The Silent Flute" (a.k.a. "Circle of Iron"), which was based on a screenplay written by Bruce Lee.

His Legacy Lasts Forever

[hrkepler · 8/10 · 31 May 2018]

This is one of the best documentaries out there made about the greatest martial artist ever appeared on the silver screen. 'Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey' doesn't concentrate not so much about the legendary actor's career in films, but more on his philisophies on fighting, film making and life in general. Most people know Bruce Lee as one of the greatest film stars and action heroes throughout the film history, and that's it. Actually Bruce was much more - he was philosopher at first, all the reast came after that. And this documentary does excellent job to explaining Bruce Lee's mindset.

The second part of the movie contains the completed footage of 'The Death Game' like Bruce had intended to be with original dialogue. To know how much effort Bruce put into 'The Game of Death' it is almost painful to know about the botched up 1978 versioon directed by Robert Clouse. One can only think, if only. . .

Bruce Lee was highly skillful martial artist (who turned his body into piece of art itself), thoughtful philosopher, dedicated actor, masterful filmmaker. And he didn't let his sudden stardom get into his head. All he wanted to do was to create great art.

Bruce Lee Philosophy and Fighting

[view_and_review · 8/10 · 20 February 2022]

"Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey" is rife with a lot of footage from Bruce Lee that you may not have seen. Added to that are interviews with former students of his such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, former associates, and his wife.

Like most insightful and intelligent people Bruce Lee evolved personally and spiritually. His most significant changes came in what he considered the best fighting style. He went from Chinese Kung-Fu, to his own style known as Wing-Chun, to saying "no way" is the best way. In other words, it wasn't the style that made the fighter good or bad, but the fighter him or herself. Put another way it's not the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog.

We get a lot of Bruce Lee's philosophy on fighting, Hollywood, and life. Most interesting to me was what happened with "Game of Death" and why it was such a disaster. He began working on that movie and then pulled off of it to shoot "Enter the Dragon." His plans were to return to "Game of Death", but fatefully, he died before getting that chance. Golden Harvest Studios in Hong Kong produced the rest of the film with a different storyline and a look alike for Lee's role. It was a catastrophe.

Bruce lived a full life that many would relish in his brief time on Earth. In only 32 short years he had a major impact on the world. His brilliance and his zest comes through nicely in "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey."

This was a Bruce Lee documentary that I hadn't seen and I thoroughly enjoyed it particularly the audition tape and never before aired fight scenes from "Game of Death".

[cgvsluis · 8/10 · 29 February 2024]

I am a big Bruce Lee fan and I was thrilled to find this wonderful documentary which I hadn't seen. There is some wonderful interview footage, especially of some of his students like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Taky Kimura, but what really sets this documentary apart is the previously unseen fights scenes that Bruce Lee shot for his vision of "Game of Death". I only wish we were able to see "Game of Death" in its entirety the way Bruce Lee had envisioned.

This documentary focused on a couple aspects of Bruce Lee's life. One focus was his organic journey through his martial arts training and philosophy, his quest to find and perfect what he eventually came to see as "no way is the way". I felt they utilized interviews with Bruce Lee's widow Linda Lee Cadwell to help get into his mindset. I appreciated how he didn't let an injury immobilize his mind and how he still progressed his craft through reading and the studying of philosophy.

Another aspect this documentary focused on was Bruce Lee's clash with traditional martial arts experts and how he had to have a physical fight to win the right to continue to teach martial arts to "outsiders" in his three dojos.

The final focus was on Bruce Lee's interaction with Hollywood. I really enjoyed seeing his screen demo...but even more I enjoyed hearing the recorded phone call and how he challenged the rolls Hollywood deemed suitable for Asian actors at the time. Then his journey with his family to make pictures the way he wanted with Asian leads or "heroes" in Hong Kong...whose success lead back to being approached by Hollywood to finally make a big budget film the way he wanted with the sketches and never before seen footage that was shot for the original "Game of Death".

This is a wonderful documentary that I highly recommend to both Bruce Lee fans and fans of martial arts alike....you will not be disappointed. I was so struck by the height difference between Kareem Abdul-Jabar during their fight scene...while simultaneously just being blown away by Bruce Lee's attention to detail and the perfecting of his craft.

The game

[Persia · 3 April 2002]

Bruce Lee's Game of Death scenes are beautifully directed, showing that had Lee lived to complete the film it would have been one of a kind. The documentary part itself is fine, but this film is worth watching because and only because of the G.O.D sequences, still, the footage itself, as brilliant as it is, would have been different had Lee edited himself, the flow of the footage and the choice of dubbing would have been much better. Its beyond imagination how far Bruce Lee would have gone as an actor/director/writer had he lived, perhaps we would have seen films like The Matrix back in the early 80s instead of the late 90s. I give this footage 10/10.

Simply Awesome!

[mcotto8 · 10/10 · 7 January 2011]

For years i was subjected to the other well known doc. Bruce lee: The Man, The Myth, and as a young kid i knew this doc. was done poorly. WHAT I failed to understand at that young age (i was 9 at the time) was that a lot of Bruce lee's life was not well known yet. I later hoped that a documentary telling more of lee's life as we learned more through time from friends, family, and former students would someday be made.

Fast forward 17 years, this doc comes out and it was incredible. So much more was discovered about his life since that made him an even more mythical human being since his passing. It's amazing how many things were influenced by him, from various types of workouts to protein drinks before all that became popular in mainstream culture.

However, the best was saved for last......the original 41 min of footage he filmed for the game of death before he stopped production to film Enter The Dragon and was left incomplete due to his passing. I can only imagine how awesome this film would have been if it was completed. it probably would have topped Enter The Dragon as the greatest martial arts epic ever.

If you haven't seen this film yet and you are a Bruce lee fan.......BUY IT.......Don't RENT IT! BUY IT!!!!!

Bittersweet...

[poe426 · 10/10 · 22 March 2008]

It was infuriating to see the tasteless knockoffs that surfaced when Bruce Lee died. Like the lamentable lemming, I found myself queuing up every time one of these stinkers opened; and, like said lemming, I invariably found myself regretting it. But I was a true believer, a Bruce Lee fan from his days on THE GREEN HORNET, and I wanted to see anything and everything that might shine light on his having been. It was often painful. The long anticipated theatrical release of GAME OF DEATH, with footage thought to be lost, was nothing less than loathsome. Here and there, documentaries had hinted that there was much more footage than had been seen in the lackluster feature. Most of us had given up on ever seeing any more of it.

Enter John Little, and suddenly there was something to crow about again. BRUCE LEE: A WARRIOR'S JOURNEY is must-see for fans of "the little dragon." Often moving and always- always- respectful, Little's documentary is the tribute to the memory of the greatest martial artist of the 20th century that we've been waiting for since 1973. The GAME OF DEATH fight scenes- as presented here- are among the very best Bruce Lee ever conceived. In many respects, these beautifully crafted confrontations are the highlights of his career. The focus is almost always on Lee himself- which is where it should've always been, anyway. A follow-up theatrical release of GAME OF DEATH with a reworked beginning (omitting none of the available footage in its present form) would be worth paying to see, indeed. But only so long as John Little wrote and directed it.

The spirit of Bruce Lee, and Game of Death redux

[SkullScreamerReturns · 8/10 · 10 December 2020]

This is a very good documentary that deals with Bruce Lee's life, his philosophy, and his movies. The most interesting and longest segment is that which focuses on Game of Death, the film that was supposed to be Bruce's masterpiece, but which became an unfortunate mishmash because the star himself died before the filming was finished. In this documentary we learn that years later some lost archive footage from the filming sessions was found, and the makers of this documentary have carefully re-constructed an extended version of the final battle of Game of Death. It's amazing that this material exists because in the final movie a lot of that was not used, and instead there were all kind of random stuff with other actors. So, if you're a fan of Bruce Lee and you've perhaps already seen all of his official feature films, then you absolutely have to see this one too. Also suitable for casual viewers who perhaps aren't yet so familiar with Bruce Lee but would like to learn. It's a great glimpse of the personality and philosophy of one of the greatest martial artists of our times.

An Excellent Documentary and Revealing Insight into the Master

[peter07 · 10/10 · 23 April 2002]

I thought I'd seen just about everything there was to Bruce Lee, but boy, was I wrong. In addition to the missing Game of Death scenes, the documentary analyzes more to Lee's character and mindset.

Any fan of Bruce Lee will enjoy this very interesting DVD. Go buy it!

Worth seeing

[Prostak · 8/10 · 16 May 2021]

Why I give 8 out of 10 ? (not 10...)

Because nothing was mentioned about possible reason of Lee's death. Trite subject ? Maybe, yet it is still puzzling why such a man just suddenly passed away at the age of his top abilities.

Unique advantage of this production is original Game of Death footage, not published before. DVD released about 1995 shows about 20 minutes of material, which is quite unlike - rather typical action/criminal story, though it was still good to see it (different fight scene at the highest pagoda level).

But definitely the best in this production is its mood - true Lee's philosphy. Timeless and universal message how to find one's own way of life and expression, instead of following footsteps of others.