- Year: 1998
- Starring: Bruce Lee, Dan Inosanto, George Lazenby, Taky Kimura, John Saxon, Andre Morgan, Jackie Chan, James Coburn, Peter Archer, Richard Norton
- Narrated by: Shannon Lee
- Produced, Written and Directed by: Walt Missingham
- Running time: 43 minutes
Oh no, another Bruce Lee documentary, that's just what we need. I was a little hesitant about this one as I really didn't want to see the same people tell the same Bruce stories all over again. After watching it I was surprised to actually enjoy PATH OF THE DRAGON, but it did seem a little light on information. We are given the Bruce Lee basics, but it doesn't really go in depth into his life. I guess there was only so much they could do given the 43 minute running time.
The documentary doesn't spend the entire time talking about Bruce Lee, but also goes into the origin and philosophies of martial arts, info on Shaolin Temple, tricks of the martial arts and the martial arts stars who came after Bruce. The usual talking heads show up to talk about Bruce like Dan Inosanto, Taky Kimura, Andre Morgan, James Coburn, George Lazenby, Jackie Chan, et al. I found George Lazenby had some interesting stories to tell. Unfortunately near the end of the program there is some stuff about Walt Missingham which only made in there because he wrote and directed the movie. This could've been cut shorter or even cut altogether to make room for some more Bruce Lee material.
The movie has clips from all of Bruce Lee's movies as well as homemovies and photos. There are also lots of other clips from HK movies such as POLICE STORY III: SUPER COP, WHEELS ON MEALS, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA I & II, ARMOUR OF GOD, IRON MONKEY, and NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER. The interview footage has all been filmed for the documentary except for the James Coburn and Jackie Chan stuff. There is also some Walt Missingham home movies and some stock footage of China.
PATH OF THE DRAGON is an Australian production which appears to have been made for television. What sets it apart for utter crap like FIST TO FIST (other than it doesn't suck!) is that PATH OF THE DRAGON has been approved by the Estate of Bruce Lee. The documentary is even narrated by Shannon Lee, if you don't know that's Bruce Lee's daughter dumbass.
I can say this about PATH OF THE DRAGON, I actually don't regret buying it, and that's as close to a recommendation as I'm going to give. Bruce Lee walked the path of the dragon, turning people all over the world onto martial arts and revolutionizing the "kung fu" movie genre. Me, I'm going to walk the path to 7-11 and get me some Hostess Cup cakes. See ya.
"Review" by Keith
