Birth of the Dragon

In 1964, a young Bruce Lee owns and operates a San Francisco Kung Fu Academy, specializing in the Chinese martial art Wing Chun. Lee cares for his students, providing advice, roles as extras in his upcoming projects, and defending them from the gangs of Chinatown. One of Lee's students, Steve McKee, spars with Lee while fighting in anger, causing Lee to counter and embarrass him. McKee and Vinnie Wei work for the latter's mother's laundry business, where they find out that master Wong Jack Man is on a pilgrimage from China to observe the kung fu scene in the United States. While carrying out a delivery to the China Gate restaurant, McKee falls for an employee, Xiulan, who is forbidden to communicate with anyone on the outside. One night, McKee sneaks over to the restaurant to give her a grammar book, teaching her fellow roommates basic English.

McKee tries to acquaint himself with Man, who is now working as a dishwasher. Lee becomes worried by Man's presence, thinking that he would be punished for teaching kung fu to whites, later asking McKee to set up a meeting. At the Long Beach International Karate Championships, Lee performs an exhibition of karate against his kung fu and debuts his famous one-inch punch. Among those in attendance, Lee points out Man in the audience. Man commends Lee's skill and technique but notices that Lee is his own limitation, to which Lee verbally retaliates and challenges him to a fight as Man leaves in peace. McKee and Xiulan sneak out, later learning that she and her roommates are owned by gangster Auntie Blossom, who owns the China Gate restaurant. Asking for help, McKee learns that Man is in America to perform penance working as a dishwasher because of a near-fatal kick, the Mon Shan, during an exhibition against a Tai Chi master in Henan the year earlier nearly killed his opponent. Realizing that teaching McKee would help liberate himself, Man takes on McKee as his student. Meeting up with Lee, who tells him that he would begin filming The Green Hornet, McKee reveals his intention to end his time at Lee's academy. The relationship between McKee and Man captured the attention of Auntie Blossom, who makes a proposition to the former that if he could get both martial artists to fight, she would let Xiulan go. Man appears at Lee's academy and accepts his challenge. Despite Auntie Blossom's conditions, Xiulan refuses to leave without her fellow roommates, who are all under the control of Wing Lo. In preparation, Lee reluctantly agrees to fight under Man's conditions: only 12 witnesses at an empty warehouse, and the winner would be revealed in the newspaper the next day.

Auntie Blossom, McKee, and a few other spectators bear witness to the private match. Lee's aggressive style of Wing Chun gains him the upper hand, drawing first blood. Man's traditional style of Shaolin was fluid, countering Lee, enraging him. They both engage until the two reach the top of an unfinished staircase, to which Man uses as an example to show Lee the limitation of his style. Man leaps down to the floor with grace, and Lee follows suit as a symbol of exceeding his own limits. They continue to fight until Man is knocked down and attempts the Mon Shan as he arose, only for Lee, and his new style, to prepare to parry. The two stop and show their mutual respect with a bow, ending the fight. With no winner formally announced and $15 million ($124 million today) in bets still in the balance, Auntie Blossom would keep all the girls until one declares himself the winner, while the other concedes.

Lee contemplates his own style, knowing that he could have been killed during the fight. Man is confronted by McKee to declare himself the victor to Auntie Blossom; however, Man says he won the fight by virtue of showing Lee a new path after exceeding his limitation. Wei notifies Lee that McKee grew desperate to get Xiulan out of captivity, taking on the gang at the China Gate restaurant himself, leaving him to be beaten up senselessly. Lee teams up with Man and agree to help out their mutual student, defeating the gang. Lee, Man, and McKee confront Auntie Blossom and her boss, Wing Lo. Man concedes, declaring Lee to be the winner. However, Lee would accept that on the condition that Lo would let all captive girls in Chinatown free. Lo's nephew attempts to shoot Lee with a shotgun, but Lee swiftly performs the Mon Shan, knocking him out. While visiting McKee at the hospital, Lee reveals his desire not just being recognized as a star, but instead, a legend and by doing so, develop a new style that is more fluid and expressive. McKee and Xiulan bid farewell to Man before boarding his ship back to China. Man firmly believes that Lee is the right person to show kung fu to the world.

In a closing disclaimer, Lee had altered his fighting style. In July 1969, he introduced Jeet Kune Do, the forerunner of mixed martial arts.

On February 19, 2013, it was announced that a biopic titled Birth of the Dragon about young martial artist Bruce Lee was in development, writing Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele. QED International and Groundswell Productions would finance and produce the film along with their Bill Block and Michael London, respectively. While Wilkinson and Rivele would also produce the film.[7] On May 30, 2014, George Nolfi was announced to be the director of the film, and Janice Williams was also attached as producer.[8] In June 2015, there was a casting call for the role of Lee, in search for a 20 to 30 years old martial arts expert.[9] Mike Moh was under consideration for the titular role.[10] On November 16, 2015, the film's cast was announced and it included Billy Magnussen as a martial arts student, Steve McKee, fashioned on Steve McQueen; Philip Ng as Bruce Lee; Xia Yu as Wong Jack Man; Jingjing Qu as McKee's love interest, Xiulan; and Jin Xing as the brutal crime boss, Auntie Blossom.[11] Chinese company Kylin Films came on board to finance the film, while QED left the project, Groundswell would still produce the film.[12] London would be the producer along with Janice Williams, Wilkinson, Rivele, and Kylin's James H. Pang, while Leo Shi Young, David Nicksay, and Nolfi would executive produce, and Helen Y. Zhong, Jaeson Ma, and Joel Viertel would co-produce the film.[11] Corey Yuen came on board to design the film's action sequences, which is set in 1965 in and around Oakland and San Francisco, about the actual fight between Shaolin Master Jack Man and the young Lee.[11][8]

• Portrayal of East Asians in American film and theater

• Birth of the Dragon on IMDb
• Birth of the Dragon at Rotten Tomatoes