| Alright, maybe I am a little biased since this film stars my hero, my idol, my Yoda, BRANDON LEE. I have spent virtually my whole life following him. I can't tell you how many times I have been to Seattle to pay my respects since his unfortunate death.
Everyone is entitled to their own opionion. As big of a Brandon Lee fan as I am, I can even understand people not liking Laser Mission (AKA: Soldier Of Fortune). So the beggining Of Legacy of Rage is a little slow, but once it takes off it never looses speed. You have to keep in mind that this is an action movie. Your supposed to be entertained, not desparetely looking for plot holes & film flaws. How can you enjoy it unless you just step away from reality for a while?
I've read the reviews from others & can't understand why they did not like this movie. Maybe they are still using finger paints & don't understand Cantonese. I know, the subtitles go too fast for them to read. I mean half the people who review this think it is Laser Mission so that just goes to show you that they are not paying attention anyway. In any event, here's my two cents.
Brandon Lee portrays an honest, hard-working young man with a bit of a temper named Brandon Ma who has found the girl of his dreams, May. She wants to marry Brandon & start a family, of course- like any guy- he wants a new motorcycle. But he loves her & does want to marry her too. Unfortuantely, his so-called "best friend" Michael (Michael Wong) is jealous & decides to frame Brandon. Leaving Brandon's pregnant girlfriend all alone & vunerable.
Brandon serves his time in a harsh prison where he saves some nerd, who- you guessed it- helps him out. Don't expect too much violence in the prison scenes, it's not OZ for cryin' out loud. But Brandon is a legitimate tough guy.
Once out of prison, Brandon discovers that he has a son & that May has not only been loyal to him, but still loves him! HOORAY!!! A little sappy I know, but it's a movie, lighten up! See, Brandon thought that she had left him for another man while he was in the joint. But it was only a kind, elderly fella who thought of May as his own daughter so he took her in & provided for her & her child.
When Brandon discovers that it was Michael who not only framed him, but tried to seduce & rape May, it's time to kick some serious ass.
What follows next is an awesome series of car chases & gun fights. Brandon is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best action stars in cinema history. Period, end of story. The scenes are not done with a big budget but are extremely entertaining! You are on the edge of your seat as Brandon & his nerdy sidekick storm Michael's mansion in hopes of saving May & wiping out as many bad guys as possible.
Does Brandon make it out of Michael's mansion alive?
Does he get his revenge?
Does the nerdy friend even have a backbone?
You'll have to see the movie.
My only real complaint is that the fight between Brandon & Bolo was pretty short. After people building up all this hype about Bolo (who fought Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon") facing Brandon on screen there were a lot of high expectations. Their scene is great but ends at it's peak, leaving you wanting more. However, the phenomenal acting talents of Brandon Lee & Michael Wong do not dissapoint. While this is not the caliber of movies Brandon Lee was capable of, you have to keep in mind that this is one of his first films- a building block in his career. Legacy of Rage (Long zai jiang hu) is an extremely well done movie & does justice to the Brandon Lee legend.
That's just my opinion though..... |