Be Water (2020) User Reviews

Should be viewed by all Bruce Lee fans and people from all cultures for a better understanding and appreciation of our differences

[Ed-Shullivan · 8/10 · 11 June 2020]

I would not call director Bao Nguyen's film style as being artistically styled for the viewers pleasure but a film that delivers the essence of who action film and TV star Bruce Lee was to countless countries fans who relished in waiting for another Bruce Lee film to be released. Bruce Lee was not treated properly by the United States film and television industry and so they (the U.S. film producers) missed a golden opportunity to lock him up to a long term ten (10) year film contract. Instead Bruce Lee headed back to Hong Kong to fulfill his vision of what a Bruce Lee action film should look like as a finished product.

Triva: I was not aware that it was Bruce Lee who pitched the idea for a television series about a travelling nomad warrior and philosopher to the U.S.A. producers only to have his idea turned down and handed over to American actor David Carradine and turned into ABC's hit TV series Kung Fu (1972-1975). What a real shame! I can only imagine how Bruce Lee would have made this TV series ten (10) times better, but ignorance in Hollywood is once again bliss eh?

This documentary is narrated by Bruce Lee's immediate family and close friends as well as interspersed with various formal and candid interviews with Bruce Lee. It is well worth the watch and available in ESPN's 30 For 30 series.

I give this documentary a credible 8 out of 10 IMDB rating.

A nice and enjoyable documentary about the unforgettable Bruce Lee with a lot of stock footage

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 25 June 2022]

A good documentary dealing with Bruce Lee existence and mainly told by his wife Linda Lee Cadwell . Narrating his difficult beginings as a hard-working young and then being rejected by Hollywood, Bruce Lee goes back to Hong Kong where is hired by Raymond Chow to complete four films for a powerful Chinese production : Golden Harvest Company . Charting his fights in two worlds, Be Water explores questions of mixed identity , both , Chinese and American ; carrying out a deep investigations through private archive , intimate interviews, and his own writings.

As it tells as Lee was born Lee Jun Fan November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, the son of Lee Hoi Chuen, a singer with the Cantonese Opera. A young Bruce begins appearing in children's roles in minor films including The Birth of Mankind (1946) . Furthermore, he worked in a close relative's restaurant. He eventually made his way to Seattle, Washington, where he enrolled at university to study philosophy and found the time to practice his beloved kung fu techniques. Lee became associated with many key martial arts figures in the United States, including kenpo karate expert , tae kwon do , Karate and Kung Fu . Introduced to television by producer William Dozier, based on the runaway success of Batman (1966), Dozier was keen to bring the cartoon character the Green Hornet to television and was on the lookout for an East Asian actor to play the Green Hornet's sidekick, Kato. Around this time Bruce also opened a second kung fu school in Oakland, California and relocated to Oakland to be closer to Hollywood where trained some Hollywood stars , including to celebrities as Steve McQueen and James Coburn as well as screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. .Bruce's screen test was successful, and Green Hornet (1966) starring Van Williams aired in 1966-1967 with mixed success. His dedication was such that he insisted his character behave like a perfect bodyguard, keeping his eyes on whoever might be a threat to his employer except when the script made this impossible. Another film opportunity then came his way as he landed the small role of a stand over man named Winslow Wong who intimidates private eye James Garner in Marlowe (1969). Subsequently, he developed the series 'Kung Fu' for Warner Brothers , though he was turned down for the lead at the last moment and replaced by David Carradine . With this further exposure of his talents, Bruce then scored several guest appearances as a martial arts instructor to blind private eye James Franciscus on the television series Longstreet (1971). His minor hit in Hollywood led Bruce to return for a visit to Hong Kong and was approached by film producer Raymond Chow who had recently started Golden Harvest productions. Chow was keen to utilize Lee's strong popularity amongst young Chinese fans, and offered him the lead role in Big Boss (1971). In it, Lee plays a distant cousin coming to join relatives working at an ice house, where murder, corruption, and drug-running lead to his character's adventures and display of Kung-Fu expertise. The film shot in Thailand on a very short budget and in terrible living conditions for cast and crew. However, when it opened in Hong Kong the film was an enormous hit. Chow knew he had struck box office gold with Lee and quickly assembled another script entitled Fist of Fury (1972). ¨Fist of Fury¨ was previously realized to his American box office ¨Enter the dragon¨. This one was made later but released before ¨Lee's Return of dragon¨ with Chuck Norris as contender , and Lee had formerly starred ¨The big boss¨. Being his greatest success the Kung-Fu actioner : ¨Enter the dragon¨ is his last complete movie character but his next film ¨ Game of death¨ was absurdly edited after his death . Bruce Lee enthusiasts all around the world were still hungry for more Bruce movies and thus remaining footage -completed before his death of Lee fighting several opponents including Inosanto, Hugh O'Brian and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was crafted into another film titled Game of Death (1978). The film used a lookalike and shadowy camera work to be replaced for the real Lee in numerous scenes. These films packed exciting and rousing struggles violent with impressive combat sequences including Karate , Judo, Tae Kwon do , Hapkido and Wushu . And most of them directed by Lo Wei and Robert Clouse .

Be Water (2020) including appearance of some famous actors , such as Steve McQueen , James Coburn , Nancy Kwan , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and tragically, his son Brandon Lee, an actor and martial artist like his father, was killed in a freak accident on the set of The Raven (1994) . This decent documentary being competently made by Bao Nguyen.

A Mesmerising figure

[valleyjohn · 8/10 · 8 January 2021]

There is something about Bruce Lee that fascinates me . A combination of his looks , his screen presence and of course his martial arts has always interested me without being a massive martial arts fan myself. The man crossed boundaries and brought his art into the mainstream and this film highlights that.

Rejected by Hollywood, Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong to complete four films. Charting his struggles in two worlds, Be Water explores questions of identity and representation through rare archive, intimate interviews, and his writings.

This isn't a fanboy film . Far from it . This is about how he was brought up in San Francisco and then moved back to Hong Kong and the way he didn't really fit in either place back in 60's . It's not a film about his films although the most influential are mentioned .

I learned a lot . I never knew he was a child actor in movies . I never new he was in The Green Hornet TV series in the U.S and most poignantly i never knew he died before Enter The Dragon was released.

I now know more about the great Bruce Lee because of Be Water and that has to be a good thing .

Good overview of Bruce Lee's life & career

[gortx · 10 June 2020]

BRUCE LEE: BE WATER. Dir. Bao Nguyen. This Doc is part of ESPN's 30 For 30 series and a decent overview of the Actor/Martial Arts athlete. Nguyen tells the full story of Lee's journey from being born in San Francisco to growing up in Hong Kong (and becoming a child movie star) to returning to the U.S. in Seattle in the early 60s to moving to L.A. and working in Film & TV.

It's well trod territory as Lee, like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe before him, has had his famed life cut too short story told over and over. Nguyen has the advantage here of getting Lee's widow Linda Cadwell, Daughter Shannon Lee and Brother Jan-Fai Lee all to speak on the record in extensive interviews. The family also provided access to personal photos, videos, films and letters. Lee's life story is laid out well enough and others who intersected with the star during various points in his life including Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Producer Raymond Chow. The TV and Movie clips are well chosen (although ESPN's policy of stretching old 1:33 footage to fill the screen gets irksome at times). The downside to the access, is that Lee's life gets a bit sanitized. Only those who adored him are interviewed. Any intimations of Lee's womanizing and drug use is only obliquely alluded to with Lee himself being quoted as saying he was no "saint". The involvement of his family makes this somewhat understandable, but, can't help but make it a less than honest documentary. Nguyen does make up for it with his focus on Lee's struggle to be accepted as an American star rather than purely an "Asian" one - and one limited only to action roles. The context of Lee's time in the U.S. during the 60s and early 70s is nicely explored. Even today, the message resonates. The Doc also does an honorable job exploring the philosophy behind Lee's martial arts and explaining the title.

P.S. I worked on Rob Cohen's docu-drama DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY. I got to work with and meet Linda Cadwell and Shannon Lee, and I worked very closely with Lee's student and very fine Martial Arts instructor of his own, Jerry Poteet (it's unfortunate that he passed away and couldn't be interviewed for this Doc). I never met Bruce, of course, but having worked with Linda, Shannon and Jerry, I feel that this Documentary does respect to him, even if it's, understandably, biased towards him.

Be Water

[jackson_ro · 6/10 · 17 June 2020]

Learned a lot about Bruce Lee from the documentary, especially his character and determination to expand beyond the limitation of nationality, race and geography. But also get a sense that there is much more not told through the film. Through constant extraction of his philosophical mind set, it lends the film a sense of mystery and levitation from reality, but the way it is constructed is very much just the progression of his career, and you feel there are things missing between the lines. Also, using some modern scenes and sit down interviews or his impacts on society and people, both White and Asians, perhaps could have provided the film with a little more relevance and significance.

Gripping. Inspirational.

[greg_k_russell · 9/10 · 8 June 2020]

Bruce Lee was a very interesting man. Stood on principles when it would have been easier to fold under the stereotypes of Hollywood at that time.

A solid documentary for fans and newcomers alike

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 7/10 · 2 January 2021]

Starts as a straightforward Bruce Lee documentary, pivots into being more broadly about Asian representation (and lack thereof) in Hollywood during its early years, and then shifts back into being more a Bruce Lee focused documentary in its final third.

All the content is compelling and interesting- it's really only the somewhat awkward shifting between these two main subjects that holding it back from being more than simply quite good.

But would still recommend as a solid documentary, even if you're like me and already thought you knew quite a lot about Bruce Lee- there was so much here that I didn't know, or hadn't really thought about before, a decent range of archive footage and old interviews to back that info up (an approach similar to another 2020 documentary I watched recently, also about an actor who passed away young: Belushi).

A Hero Worth Idolizing

[eliotar6998 · 10/10 · 8 June 2020]

The inspirational value of Bruce Lee is best expressed by his response to the question of whether he thought of himself as Chinese or American. "You know what I want to think of myself," he said, "as a human being." Bruce Lee was a man who spent his entire life building bridges; between styles of martial arts, between cultures at odds with one another, and between inner and external philosophies. He felt that true strength comes from within, and that by recognizing that strength, as well as all the flaws that coexist alongside it, one can achieve greatness despite all odds. Bruce Lee is a hero worth idolizing because he did not see himself as one. He did not view himself as a star, or a saint. He was true to himself, accepting the good with the bad. He was confident, but not conceited, wise, but not condescending. He was a man who fought for all he achieved, and deserved every ounce of his success.

It is essential, given the current climate of racial injustice in the United States, that a documentary about a man who played such a role in dismantling prejudice against Asian-Americans take all the racial factors involved into full consideration and treat them respectfully and knowledgeably, and this documentary does exactly that. It is about Bruce Lee, yes, but more importantly it is about the struggle that he and so many Asian-Americans face even today. It is a story of a man who was able to raise himself above it all, against all odds, and prove to the world that an Asian man could outshine any leading actor, and that by virtue of his determination was equally if not more deserving of the superstardom so often relegated to the white Hollywood elite.

Bruce Lee - A Powerful Figure

[twright-51402 · 9/10 · 10 June 2020]

The best part of this documentary is that Bruce Lee is almost always on screen. We saw so little of him because of his early demise. 30 for 30 does it again with this gem. It is chronologically presented and very in-depth. Highly recommended.

Great release timing!!

[joshybarb · 10/10 · 14 June 2020]

With what the world is going through right now this couldn't of come out at a better time! Bruce Lee fought for the little people and for justice he inspired us all. I'm 27 he was taken away way to early way before my time he is forever and will continue to inspire. This documents it very well, It was a bit slow to start with but all and all shear amazing! 10/10

They turned this into a "woke" statement and it suffers for it

[fearthemcneil · 4/10 · 5 February 2021]

This documentary was the first one I've seen on the great Bruce Lee that felt like it consisted more of lamenting his time on this earth as a struggle against constant racism more than anything else he did. It becomes the entire point of the film. It's actually ridiculous and borderline laughable how far they take it at times. It becomes more and more apparent the longer you watch this that it's less about Bruce and more about making a woke political statement aimed at the purple haired white women on Twitter and it's a huge disservice to him. Everyone involved in this should be embarrassed.

Great documentary.

[sergant_fatih · 11 February 2021]

Needs to be watched by fans and non fans. Great documentary. Clearly the the fascist / nationalist have been offended by the documentary and they are in denial of the racism and political issues of the USA during the 60s and the 70s era. If the documentary had praised USA giving reason how great USA was in that era, the reviews would have been a lot different.

Boards don't hit back

[nobledan31 · 10/10 · 23 June 2020]

It is currently June 2020 as I sit in my home watching this Bruce Lee story documentary of his life on ESPN 30 for 30 series "Be Water". I reflect on his time over 47 years ago and what he was going through to make his way in the world in his chosen profession and his chosen love of martial arts. Raising his family and struggling in Hollywood to make ends meet. Also showing how he overcome adversity and never gave in to the naysayers. We can all learn a true life lesson from the Bruce Lee story expressed to us from his friends and families perspective. Now for those who would dare to give this story low scores on the ratings. A direct kick to your kneecap for being the bad guy.

Sad

[dajanadae · 9/10 · 4 February 2023]

It's a great documentary, at least for me, but it's sad.

We all se things differently so my viewing of this was also a bit different, maybe.... The only lesson that i took from this is not really an inspiring one, but sad. And the lesson is: You can give it your all, and beyond, but others will alway be the ones benefit from your hard work.

All those greedy, evil rich men in Hollywood sure harvested milions from Bruce's hard work and he didn't evin live to see any of it. He probably burned himself out by trying to prove to them that he was worty... only to fill the pockets of those who denied him the opportunity to begin with.

I find it so sad and so true to our society that hasn't changed at all, and it never will.

I wish we could make a law that says no one can profit from dead artist, especially if the artist never lived to see their own success and enjoy the $ from it. I know it wouldn't be a good law, it just makes me angry every time i witness someone struggling so much to make s difference and then others harvest the fruits of hard labour. So sad...

Inspirational and Heart-Wrenching Documentary

[hjvergara · 9/10 · 6 January 2023]

The Bruce Lee documentary "Be Water", directed by Bao Nguyen, is a must-see inspirational and heart-wrenching watch. The film slightly touches upon the art of gung fu and other martial arts, but most of all, "Be Water" spotlights the cultural and historical implications surrounding, influencing, and affecting Lee and everyone who was a part of his life. It is the struggle of bridging American and Chinese cultures, Hollywood's underrepresentation of minorities, the social and racial injustice engulfing the 50s and 60s, and philosophical explorations that make "Be Water" an engrossing and fascinating watch. It is a portrayal of a man who lived life on his own terms, with confidence, his head held high and proud, without the slightest apology or shame for being who he was. Perhaps what is best about the documentary is the archival footage of some of the most intimate and private moments in Lee's life carefully interwoven in vignettes with voice over interviews and a riveting, piercing musical score. Don't miss it on ESPN+ or YouTube!

A very honest biography!

[M1racl3sHapp3n · 10/10 · 22 December 2021]

I was born in 1967 in Italy and I perfectly remember as a very young child, seeing posters of his movies and people mimicking his fighting moves. I couldn't understand his movies then but I knew who Bruce Lee was. He did become an international superstar in the end and he indeed made us understand that we are all under the same sky. There were no Asian people in Italy in those times but nowadays it is a truly multi ethnic country where differences are celebrated rather than fought. Bruce did not die invain, God bless him and his family!

Be Woke

[jimlacy2003 · 1/10 · 1 November 2020]

This is a Bruce Lee documentary the social justice, woke version. I could only stomach 15min until I was tried and disgusted of the nonsense and being preached to.

First of all, it's sad to see Shannon Lee got infected by the SJW - Critical Race Theory (CRT) cult. In particular this bugs me because I'm a 3rd generation BL student. Ted LucayLucay (RIP, Guru in the Filipino arts in his own right) was my teacher, then he from Dan Inosanto who was BL's protégé. There was never talk of racism in JKD circles, at least that I never experienced.

Some people are always looking for some excuse, someone to blame for their own failures in life.

Here is realty, the truth. Sure there is/was some racism. Some people just flat out hate some other group, class of people, etc., but this does not mean everyone is inherently racist that the SJW movement is claiming.

Consider if you are in Africa do you expect to see mostly Africans in a African produced show, or some other skin tones? Who would be in the staring roles most of the time?

It's mostly about acceptance. This is true all over the world. If you are a foreigner someplace, you might stand out. You might be unfamiliar to people. You are to a greater or lessor degree "unknown".

Furthermore, look at BL's first movie "The Big Boss". It was a 99% a Chinese made movie with 99% Asian people in it. Was this racism?, of course not!

Maybe America in the late 60's early 70's was not ready for an Asian super star. But BL made it happen.

I wish these shows would stop attacking people based on their race in the supposed name of anti-racism.

Unless you want to be insulted by this low IQ silliness, skip it.

Need a little bit more *SPOILERS*

[djalbs-40146 · 8/10 · 12 June 2020]

I would have enjoyed a deeper dive into the death of Bruce Lee. I felt as though they briefly touched on it and moved on. There really was nothing new learned about Bruce here which was a little disappointing. Here is my synopsis on the film: Bruce Lee had come home from 12 years in America in hope to graduate school and become a success. He moved back to Hong Kong where he used to get in a lot of trouble to do Martial Arts or Gung Fu films. He struggled adapting to a very white and racist America. He becomes adopted to the young American life when he begins teaching his Gung Fu class. His students tough him a lot about handling himself in America. America brings in the Chinese to help build the West. They kick them out to restore America by passing laws against the Chinese. This became even worse when WW2 against the Japanese and the Vietnam War caused racial tension against Asian countries in America. Bruce Lee is born in San Francisco, and his dad who is part of the Chinese Oprah introduces and raises Bruce into show business. Shortly after his birth, his family goes to Hong Kong. Grows up with a wealthy family. In Hong Kong, Bruce Lee becomes very famous child actor. And his study's under Y-I-P Man where he becomes his very best student. The world of acting and martial arts begins to get him in a lot of fights and trouble. Bruce Lee was very offended by how Chinese people were portrayed in American and Hollywood. A lot of white people would play them in a monstrous and racist ways,, and the popular roles were played by white people. He came up with the idea of your movements being soft like water but sharp at the same time like a harsh wave. During the time he is studying all the arts he marry's Linda, his white wife. Bruce Lee opened the door for a lot of Asian American's in the country during a time of uprising in America. As everyone was going against the African American Community, the white society starting respecting the mostly silent Asian Community. During Green Hornet, Brandon is born. He did writing and reading while the Green Hornet got canceled he began side work as a stunt coordinator. During the family time while he was studying, he had his daughter Shannon who he absolutely loved and was crazy for. Although money was tight, they were happy. Bruce Lee begins to teach a lot of the famous celebrities and is known as a wise and cool friend to many. Bruce Lee was influenced by the experiments of the 1960's and the challenging of the establishment and styles that make people different and not combining them together. The protest's and American sports was a huge inspiration, including boxing (more so Muhammad Ali). Faced rejection again because Warner Bro's were afraid that the American Audience weren't going to accept his accent as a leading role. He took on Hong Kong as a minor league after constantly only being able to land minor roles. He was recognized by Hollywood for his teachings, but he was a huge star in Hong Kong so he threw all that away to pursue his dream of being a lead. He was viewed as the prodigal son that had returned. Eventually partnered with Hollywood but was very strict and kind of an ass to his American partners to be given creative freedom. Anything spiritual and philosophical in his films was his writing. In 1973 Bruce began collapsing and having severe migraines. He was a strong 32 year old man, they said the painkillers mixed with his heart condition caused him to pass away. It was extreme madness around his death as people mourned his death. Enter the dragon grosses 91 million, and it was saved as culturally significant and stored in the library of world history.

Nothing new in substance, except the anti rascism part...

[speedemon-11997 · 5/10 · 13 October 2021]

...and the horribly greedy money milking daughter Shannon Lee is part of this documentary production. Ergo, avoid like the plague! Watch the movies of Bruce Lee instead.

So disappointed

[activemindinc · 3/10 · 22 June 2020]

I am a huge Bruce Lee fan and was super excited when I heard there's a new documentary. There's really no new insight of what we haven't know already and the fact that the docu was poorly made. It looks like a cheap documentary film and I was bored after 5 mins into the film. What a shame, and I truly hope that it would knock it off the park.

Don't be water. Be oil.

[ddigita · 1/10 · 21 December 2021]

This documentary of the great Bruce Lee is shallow. The depth of this great Lee was neither demonstrated nor revealed in this doc. If you watch this documentary, you simply don't want to be like water. You want to be oil. Oil is slippery and extremely hard to clean. It provides so much energy for life but also so much destruction for death. Be oil my friend.

Bruce Lee's life through the lens of race

[james-23687 · 2/10 · 21 February 2023]

I'm almost in shock at how brutally uninformative and unoriginal this documentary was, but the real tragedy is how the director uses Lee's life to make a trendy statement. The doc returns to the ideas of wokism ad nauseam. The major topic in the doc is race, however the director never even tells you about Bruce's real name, but we get a detailed look at race in America. Yay us.

In fact, if Bruce Lee thought about race as much as the director implies, it seems he would have written about it. But, it didn't. Or, at least we aren't treated to any examples of how Bruce Lee felt about race, or racism in American. In fact, Bruce Lee seems to have loved American, such that he was flown back to America to be buried. He married a white woman! Was Lee held back as a film star in Hollywood due to race? Yes. But, I'm not even entirely sure Bruce Lee didn't use that to strengthen his resolve, rather than to resolve to a sense of victimhood.

There's still a Bruce Lee documentary to be done.

Factually very accurate but dull

[mdtpvvsq · 2/10 · 11 June 2021]

I've read all of Bruce Lee's writing from the 1960s. Most are a third-rate re-hash of 10th Century Buddhism as detailed in the Tao Te Ching written by Lao Tzu around 970 AD. Bruce's Wing Chun combat expertise has always been unparalleled, yet the two hour documentary put me to sleep in 40 minutes.