Why Quentin Tarantino’s use of Bruce Lee in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ is problematic
- Asian icon and martial arts superstar is essentially reduced to being a comedy punchline in Tarantino’s latest opus
- Filmmaker has ‘a lot of love for Bruce’ but frustrations of Lee’s daughter over not being consulted for the film are understandable
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has been earning rave reviews, but some are annoyed by the film’s representation of martial arts legend Bruce Lee – and it’s understandable why.
Lee, played by Mike Moh, steals the show with a memorable cameo, and it’s probably wise to say up front that spoilers lie ahead, if you’ve yet to make the trip to the cinema.
Anyway, Lee gets into a fight with Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth – the two actors are actually standing there and trading, not stuntmen – but it’s Booth who gets the better of the Enter The Dragon star before throwing him into a car door.
“If you’re going to try to set up how indestructible a person is, having them fight Bruce Lee and doing a good job [is the way to do it],” Tarantino said before the film’s premiere this week. “He could either fight Bruce Lee or Jim Brown … either one would really set up [that] the guy is a bad arse.”
Some fans on social media weren’t too happy about Lee being used as a mere plot device to put over another character.