Original subtitles

Bruce Lee fainted in an apartment on Beacon Hill, Hong Kong.

He wasn't sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital right away.

At 11:30 p.m. that night, the doctor declared him dead.

The news released the next morning

shocked people in Hong Kong and around the world.

After Bruce Lee died,

the speculation surrounding the cause of his death

was puzzling, complex, and even shocking.

Given Bruce Lee's contributions to martial-art film and his global impact,

Hong Kong authorities decided to hold a public inquest at the Coroner's Court.

From September 3 to September 24, 1973,

judicial officers spent seven days holding an inquiry into Bruce Lee's death

at a second court in Tsuen Wan, Kowloon.

At 10:00 a.m. on September 24, 1973,

The presiding judge outlined the seven possible causes of Lee's death

to the jury, and argued the probability of each of these.

One: Homicide.

There was no evidence that Lee had been murdered, so this could be ruled out.

Two: Manslaughter.

The deceased showed no signs of injury, so this could also be ruled out.

Three: Lawful killing.

This had nothing to do with Lee's sudden death,

so this could be ruled out.

Four: Suicide.

There was no motive or intention to commit suicide, so it was ruled out.

Five: Death by natural causes.

The autopsy revealed no evidence of fatal disease, so this could be ruled out.

Six: Death by accident or misadventure.

Death could have been caused by an allergic reaction to aspirin.

Seven: Unknown causes.

The jury's questions and expert analyses were all considered.

In summary, the jury reached a final verdict.

Bruce Lee died from cerebral edema as a result of overworking.

Thus, death by misadventure.

Bruce Lee's birth name was Lee Junfan.

His ancestral home was in Shunde, Guangdong.

He was born in San Francisco in 1940,

and passed away in Hong Kong in 1973, aged 32.

Bruce Lee accomplished many amazing feats in his short life.

He combined Wing Chun and Chinese Taoism

to create Jeet Kune Do, a new form of martial art.

He sparked a global interest in Chinese martial arts,

one of the greatest cultural phenomena of the 20th century.

He not only popularized the term "kung fu",

but also brought a whole new film genre to Hollywood: kung fu movies.

Therefore, Bruce Lee is regarded as a giant who stood on the twin peaks

of martial art and film.

We should learn about Bruce Lee, and understand who he was.

Bruce.

-Bruce? -Hey!

Come down! Time for breakfast.

All right. Just a moment.

My "Little Dragon" costume.

How is it? Does it look good?

Looks cool.

Show it to your mom, sisters, and brother.

Sure.

-Come on. Hurry up! -I'll surprise them.

-Awesome! -That's cool!

Looks good.

Bruce, are you confident you'll win?

No problem. I promise I will.

-Brother! -I'm coming.

Look! How's my costume?

Sister.

The costume looks good.

Today I'm representing my school

in the Hong Kong High School Cha-Cha Competition.

Are you guys coming to watch me?

You know what?

We just discussed it.

But we're afraid that you'll be too nervous to win. That'll be shameful.

Why do you look down on me?

Come on, Bruce. Don't be mad. We've decided that

we're not doing anything this afternoon,

so we're all coming to watch you.

-We're all going. -Yes.

-Dad has set aside time for this. -Really?

That's great!

-Have an egg. -Thanks, Mom.

Here you go.

Sister, I have a little favor to ask.

What is it?

Can I borrow your bike?

All the British kids at school are driving cars now.

Many of them have motorcycles too. I need to go by bike at least.

That'll look cool, right?

We don't even know if you're going to win,

-and you're asking me for favors? -Don't give your sister a hard time.

You...

If you get good grades,

I'll buy you one.

-You mean it? -I do.

-It's a deal? -Deal!

Yes!

Bruce.

You're still a student.

Students should focus on their studies.

Don't be so demanding.

You'll want this today,

and want that tomorrow...

just to compete and show off.

But your grades don't improve.

How about I quit school?

Okay, okay, Bruce.

If you behave, and don't get into trouble or fight,

-I'll give you my bike. -Really?

-Under one condition. -Which is?

You take good care of it.

-Yeah. You should. -Come.

I will. Thank you so much.

Watch out! Excuse me.

A Lin!

Cool! Doesn't it look exactly like one of Jones's?

Yeah, I just want to piss her off.

She acts like she's the class aristocrat. I'll take you to school.

Careful. Careful!

-Slow down. Slow down. Careful. -This place is gorgeous.

-Slow down. -Slow down.

I don't know what Bruce's father does,

but how can he be riding a BSA bike?

I heard his dad is an actor.

Blair.

Bring your car tomorrow. I'll join you for a ride.

Okay. I'll drive you to the stadium this afternoon.

Xiaoman. Here, take it.

What's up?

I'll take you to the stadium for the competition this afternoon.

All right.

What a nice bike! Is it yours?

A Lin, you can ride it for a bit.

I need to practice cha-cha with Xiaoman.

I'll be the champion this afternoon.

-Great. -Great.

Hey, Bruce.

Do you think someone like you can win? Here?

Blair?

You're just a yellow-skinned bitch who's trying to show off.

What did you say?

Looks like your English is good.

Let me tell you, Blair. This is China. Go back to England.

-Stop! Stop! -What's going on?

-Stop! No fighting! -Behave, you guys! Behave!

Those Chinese don't know how to behave. Bruce Lee! Want to taste my fists?

-Sure. Come on! -Bruce.

Stop! Stop!

You need to take responsibility for your actions.

You can't behave like that here.

He humiliated me and insulted Chinese people.

All right.

My dear Blair, a noble man is not supposed to hurt others.

You know our school opposes racial discrimination.

You must apologize for what you said to Bruce Lee.

Okay. I'll apologize.

Bruce, you're not a yellow-skinned bitch.

Ms. Ingrid, can you tell me what "yellow-skinned bitch" means?

Um...

Okay. Bruce Lee.

It's almost time for the competition.

The next couple is Blair and Jones.

Great! Great! Great!

Great!

The next couple is Bruce Lee and Qin Xiaoman.

Please give them a big round of applause.

-Great! -Great performance!

Lee and Qin's performance is much better than Blair and Jones's.

They should win this.

The next couple is Steven and Annie.

Please give them a big round of applause.

Bruce.

Bruce, you're pretty damn good.

We've all agreed that if you win a prize,

-all the girls in our class will kiss you. -Will Jones kiss me?

I guess so. I mean, all the Chinese girls in our class plan to.

I don't mean that.

But if Jones wants to kiss me,

I'd be very happy.

Xiaoman. That's not what I mean.

It's nothing to do with you. Jones is with Blair, isn't she?

She looks down on us, right?

I just want to beat her.

I want the foreigners to see that I can beat them.

Quiet!

Quiet. The competition isn't over yet. You have no manners.

Ms. Ingrid,

to me, the competition is already over.

As long as I beat Blair and Jones,

my competition is over.

Bye.

Leave her alone.

And the champions are...

Bruce Lee and Qin Xiaoman.

-Please come to the podium for the awards. -Awesome!

Dad, I didn't know Bruce could be that good.

Yes, he dances well.

Peter.

Tell your brother to come home early.

We're going to celebrate.

I've noticed that if our troubled Bruce really wants something,

he'll get it. Right?

But you need to tell Bruce.

Today, A Lin and everyone were just so happy.

Don't let it go to their heads.

That's great!

Don't worry, it's my treat.

Congratulations.

Just "congratulations"? Nothing else?

If you can teach me and Blair the dance you did with Xiaoman,

I'll help you with your homework.

I can teach you,

but you want me to teach that foreign devil Blair?

He can go to hell.

Miss Jones. If you weren't with Blair, you'd actually be cute.

Bye.

Let's go.

-Bruce, wait for me. -Let's go.

Let's go.

Why would you want him to teach you?

He's a good choreographer.

Come, I'm going to take you somewhere.

Where are you taking me?

To see a good show.

What show?

Just come with me.

I'm not in the mood.

Bruce, I reckon the whole school should applaud you.

You were crowned cha-cha champion.

You'll have no problem graduating.

Our school always values this sort of achievement.

The only prize our school hasn't won is High School Boxing.

We've won almost all the other championships.

Then I'll win the prize for boxing.

It's not that easy!

Mr. Smith at school is a boxing coach.

He's trained many people over the years, but no one has beaten David Cafeld.

If you can beat him, they'll build a monument for you.

-I need to think about it. -Don't bother. It's impossible.

Plus, you need to focus on your studies.

Ms. Ingrid, that cold-hearted teacher, is keeping a close eye on your work.

That foreign woman?

She only cares about the foreign students.

I'll make her respect me.

Well, after today's cha-cha competition,

she might see you in a new light.

So you'd better work on your grades.

Are you listening?

Excuse me.

Please get off.

Bruce, how about some beers at my place?

I'll cook some fish for you.

Thanks, but I promised my brother I'd be home early.

Bruce, I'd really like to have a beer with you today.

We'll drink next time.

I have to go home.

Bruce Lee.

You're proud of yourself today, aren't you?

Huh? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?

Yes! Kiss my ass, you yellow-skinned bitch.

Don't be ridiculous.

Get him!

-Let's go. -Let's go.

-That yellow-skinned bitch was so weak. -That's right. Yellow son of bitch.

-Let's go for beers tonight. Your treat. -Okay, it's my treat today.

Blair, you just wait.

Why isn't Bruce home yet?

Peter. Peter!

Yes, Dad?

Didn't you tell Bruce

to come home early?

I did.

He said he would.

Let's just wait.

Bruce. Bruce.

Come on. Give it to me.

Why are you...

-My God! -Your clothes! They're so filthy.

-What happened? -Did you get in a fight?

-You must have. -What happened to the bike?

Bruce, what's happened?

Did you crash?

Tell me. Did you fight with someone?

This doesn't look like a crash to me.

You must've had a fight. Tell me the truth.

Tell me. Did you?

Bruce, we're going to have dinner.

The whole family's waiting for you.

-Bruce! -Don't shout.

He must've gotten into a fight.

That boy. He never thinks about others.

Just fighting every day.

Hello?

Yes, A Lin.

MARTIAL ARTS

Bruce, come and have dinner.

Why aren't you eating?

Mom, why are you so annoying? I don't want to eat. I've stuff to do.

Come on. Eat first.

Mom, I don't want to eat.

I really have stuff to do.

A Lin called.

I know what happened.

What do you know? Don't listen to him.

Look...

Dad spent so much money sending you to a private school.

I'm just worried...

about your temper.

Did you fight again today?

Did you?

No, I didn't fight.

Don't lie to me.

A Lin told me everything over the phone.

I know.

You've never respected anyone since you were little.

You lacked discipline.

You just ran around as you pleased.

Then you got into this school, where they're strict with you.

Can't you just behave and study hard?

Mom. Please stop talking. I don't feel up to it.

I have stuff to do, Mom.

Bruce.

Okay, I'm done. You eat.

Please eat.

Promise me you'll never fight again.

Do you hear me?

When you fight with others, I worry.

When you get hit, it hurts me too.

Did you know that?

Because of you,

I can't sleep well at night.

I have nightmares all the time.

Promise me you'll never fight again.

Okay, okay. I promise. I'm going to eat.

You must promise me that you'll never fight again.

Promise me that today!

-Mom! -Your father's getting old.

It's not easy for him to make money.

He's on and off the stage, which is exhausting for him.

Can't you just listen to us?

Do you want to spend your life fighting?

Well? Do you want to spend the rest of your life fighting?

You need to study.

Only by studying will you have a future.

Swear to me.

Swear you'll never fight again. Never, ever again.

Say it.

Mom.

Mom.

Mom, I promise you.

I won't fight anymore.

You promise?

I promise I won't fight,

but I won't just stand there and be insulted. I won't!

Come.

What are you doing?

Bruce has made a promise.

But I'm still so worried.

I...

see it in his eyes. He's changed.

Bruce is not someone who thinks things through.

What can we do? I'm still worried about him.

How can I do something about him now?

When he was small,

whenever he fought with someone outside,

I just told him off, I slapped him.

But now it's different.

He's grown up. He's even taller than me.

I've told him everything I could.

You tell me what else I can do.

This time, he came back home, beaten up.

How can I hit him again?

How can I do that?

Bruce is just a troubled kid.

He's a real trouble maker.

How did he become like this?

Okay, let's eat.

Come on.

Bruce. Did you think about what happened last night?

You made a promise to your mother.

You know, you really need to think it over.

From now on, if you go out and cause trouble or get into a fight,

then I have no choice...

but to break your legs.

Bruce.

Bruce!

If you leave, don't bother coming back.

Hold this.

What?

Are you here to take revenge, or to eat my fist? I'm telling you...

these fists are well trained.

I'll teach you a lesson today.

A lesson?

Let's find a place.

Right here.

Blair, if you kiss my ass right here,

I'll fix my bike myself.

You talk big!

Looks like I need to teach you another lesson.

Come at me.

I'll show all the teachers and students

how a foreign devil like you will fall before me.

Blair, you teach him!

A Lin, why don't you stop them? Just stop them!

-Bruce, don't do it. -Go away.

Go! Go!

-Bruce! -Did you see that?

I'll beat him into the ground, and let you guys walk over him.

But don't piss on him.

Come on.

-Bruce. -Bruce!

Bruce Lee! Bruce Lee!

Will you kiss my ass?

Or should I kick you to death?

What happened here?

Bruce Lee, what have you done?

He's a hooligan. He kicked me in the balls.

Bruce Lee! How dare you?

Bruce Lee!

You're a lowlife.

You need to take responsibility for this.

What did you do?

Do you know where you are?

You piece of trash.

What did you say?

-Who's a piece of trash? -You are.

You injured your classmate.

That says it all.

You should ask him what happened yesterday on Fish Market Street.

Ms. Ingrid, what's wrong?

What happened?

Mrs. Burley,

Bruce Lee kicked the shit out of Blair.

You know Blair.

He's the son of a military officer at Government House.

I know. What does this have to do with the military officer?

I mean...

Bruce Lee beat up Blair.

-That's a serious matter-- -Come on.

Have a seat.

Don't get excited.

How did it happen?

He... kicked him in the balls.

Balls...

But do you know why Bruce kicked him there?

-This is a really serious matter. -Balls are indeed serious.

But why? Were they practicing their boxing?

No.

Bruce Lee was fighting with Blair.

Blair. He's pretty robust.

Isn't Blair one grade above Bruce Lee?

How can Bruce beat him?

I mean,

is that the Bruce Lee that won the Hong Kong Cha-Cha Competition?

Yes, it's him.

Bruce Lee can't be as strong as Blair.

My dear Mrs. Burley,

the school needs to tell Bruce Lee's parents

that this sort of behavior isn't permitted at our school.

But you still haven't told me why they fought.

Do you think it proper to inform his parents right now?

I can tell you why they fought.

Xiaoman, you shouldn't have stopped me.

I was trying to teach him a lesson.

And I know what I'm doing.

A Lin, isn't that right?

Bruce.

How did you know how to take him down?

It's simple.

Blair...

But Bruce Lee is not a good student.

He fights with the other Chinese students

all the time.

I want his parents to come in.

All right. Go ahead.

He just knows a little boxing.

If I fought him face to face, I'd definitely lose.

So I had to think of a way.

Kung Fu practitioners have a saying:

Pigs use their heads, chickens use their wings. They have their ways to get food.

I've never heard of it. Tell us.

I spent all of last night reading, and I learnt this:

If you want to defend yourself, you must learn from pigs.

Twist your ass and move forward.

But if you want to attack, you need to act like a chicken.

Like a chicken?

How would that work?

You don't understand?

How do chickens attack?

Chickens use their beaks.

But you didn't use your mouth just now.

Just tell me, Bruce.

Actually, chickens don't attack with their beaks.

They keep flapping their wings...

and poking their enemies with their beaks.

But, in fact, this is all just to confuse the enemy.

Chickens really attack by scratching at their enemy's craw.

So they attack with their feet. I learned that point.

So when I fought Blair,

who has strong fists but leaves weak points down his body,

I attacked him like a chicken.

I moved my hands to confuse him,

but hit him with my leg.

And then he fell down.

I kicked him in his craw.

Did you know?

Blair relies on his boxing lessons

and his large physique,

but actually he's as dumb as a pig.

I just wanted to make him fall in front of all the students.

Will he dare look down on us again?

Am I right?

-Yeah! -That's right!

That's right!

Could you tell me where the Principal's office is?

Over there.

Did you really beat up Blair?

I did, I'll admit that.

But he insulted me.

At worst,

I'll be expelled from this school.

Mr. Lee,

if this were the first time he'd gotten into a fight,

I wouldn't have called you.

But your son, Bruce Lee,

this is the second time he's been in a fight this week.

He violated the school rules.

And today, right at the entrance to the school,

he kicked Blair, an 11th grader.

This sort of behavior is unforgivable. Do you understand?

My son kicked someone?

-Where did he kick him? -He kicked him in the balls.

Was it serious?

You'll find out shortly. Mr. Lee, I feel I must remind you

that a piece of mouse shit can spoil a whole pot of porridge.

Ms. Ingrid!

A rotten egg like your son

should never have been accepted into our school.

Rotten egg? Mouse shit? How can she talk like this?

Come on, Mr. Lee. Have a seat, please.

Ma'am, my son caused trouble at this school.

He beat someone so badly they had to see a doctor.

As a parent, I'm duty bound to accept responsibility.

If this school expels him

just because of this,

I won't even say a word.

But you can't say that my son is

a rotten egg or mouse shit.

Haiquan, Haiquan.

What's up?

What happened to Bruce?

Did he hurt someone?

Put it down, put it down.

Put it down.

What? You want to kill him?

No matter how large the injury, we'll take care of that student.

We'll send him to hospital, be nice to him. But don't hurt our son.

I warned him before he left this morning.

He never listens to me.

It's fine to teach him a lesson, but you can't hurt him.

You! Give me the belt. Get another one. Belt!

Bruce, how about I go to your place first, to see how your dad is?

I'm worried you'll be beaten.

It's okay. I'll get beaten anyway.

Don't worry. I can handle it.

I'm really worried about you.

Relax. I feel happy today.

Even if my dad beats me to death, I won't feel sad.

I'm telling you,

the thing I can't stand the most is being bullied by foreigners.

So even if my dad kills me,

I won't feel sad.

You should go home.

But Bruce, let me help you anyway.

How can you help me?

Are you going to fight my dad?

Just go home.

-Okay, you're back. -Bruce.

Bruce. Admit your mistake to your dad. Right now.

Dad, don't hit me yet. Let me explain myself.

Don't say a word.

I already know.

I told you this morning before you left,

don't get into a fight or I'd cripple you.

You heard it.

But I didn't promise I wouldn't fight today.

You!

-Damn it! -Don't fight!

Bruce, run! Bruce. Bruce, run away!

Bruce, hurry!

-Fighting's all you know. -Dad.

-Dad, Dad! -All you know is how to fight.

-Dad! -Dad!

Dad! What's wrong with you?

You can't hit Mom. Never.

It's okay, Bruce. It's okay.

I won't run away, even if you try to kill me.

I'm still happy.

You're happy?

You caused trouble, and you're happy?

-Dad! -Bruce.

-You promised. -Do you want to kill our son?

You swore you'd never fight again. Did you hear me?

-Hold Dad back. Stop it. -Okay, Dad.

I can promise you...

that I'll never fight again.

But must you stop me

from hitting back when I've been insulted?

You were the one who picked a fight with Blair outside the school gates today.

But he insulted me on Fish Market Street yesterday.

Do you know how it feels to be humiliated?

He also broke my sister's bike.

He did it deliberately. I didn't provoke him.

The bike's broken. Dad can fix it.

Can't you help stirring up trouble?

-You must've done something to offend him. -I didn't.

What did I do wrong?

The only crime I committed was winning the cha-cha competition.

He's British. I'm Chinese.

I'm not worthy. I'm not worthy of being crowned champion.

Bruce, that's enough.

Don't say any more.

Bruce, you know...

you're supposed to go to school to study, not fight.

Yes. You can win a fight.

You can beat someone.

But is there a future in fighting?

To be honest, I don't want to hit you.

You're a grown man now.

But I don't want to lose face.

I don't want to listen to their criticisms.

Who criticized you?

You know what Ms. Ingrid said?

She said you were a rotten egg,

that you're a piece of mouse shit at their school.

How can I listen to that? I can't take it.

We're Chinese.

Our nation is founded on etiquette!

Can't you just not hit back?

Dad. He said I'm a yellow-skinned bitch.

A yellow-skinned bitch!

Go and get some food for him.

He hasn't been eating well lately.

Bruce!

Bruce.

A Lin told me you were beaten up last night.

Was it bad? Does it still hurt?

I'm happy though.

I wasn't beaten in vain.

I'll return it all to Blair.

Blair? He's faking it.

I heard from the infirmary that he's totally fine.

I don't care if he's fine.

I'll beat him up till he learns how to respect people.

All you're thinking about is fighting.

Don't you wanna go to school? Dance the cha-cha?

Don't you want to compete?

Bruce, listen to me. Please don't fight anymore, okay?

Okay?

So long as no one offends me.

Otherwise...

Bruce, where are you taking me?

Didn't you say we were competing

in the Hong Kong High School Student Union's cha-cha show?

Yes.

Then let's practice.

Bruce, where shall we go to practice?

Since cha-cha became popular in Hong Kong,

a lot of dance halls have been opened.

Careful! Where are you going?

I'm taking you to a brand-new dance hall.

The foreigners say it's the most luxurious one in Hong Kong.

Let's go and show off.

Give them a big surprise.

I reckon as soon as we walk in, they'll all stop dancing.

Yes!

Please come in.

CHA-CHA DANCE HALL

Let's go inside.

Sorry, you two. We don't admit Chinese.

Why? Do you accept tickets?

We're the champions of the Hong Kong High School Cha-Cha Competition.

Are you British?

Look. I'm a yellow-skinned Chinese.

Sorry, sir. We don't admit Chinese here. Please leave.

Hi! Are you British?

You can leave Ms. Qin to dance with me.

Maybe I could ask the manager to let you in.

And you'll see the most luxurious cha-cha hall in Hong Kong.

Bruce.

If you guys fight, I'll call the police.

You want to come in? Then let's play.

Subtitle translation by Vicky Wang