The spirit of Bruce Lee lives on in this poignant high school drama…
Even long after his death, Bruce Lee was as much a part of the seventies as Al Pacino, white flared suits and disco. For those of us young (or old) enough to have been at an impressionable age then, writer-director Ha Yu’s strikes a chord. From it’s opening sequence as te lead watches Fist Of Fury as a child on the big screen, to the exhausting brawl at the end, this is a fine homage to Lee’s memory.
When his family move to a new area, shy Hyun-soo (Kwon Sang-woo, Volcano High) finds himself transferred to a notoriously rough and militaristic school, Jungmoon High. Making new friends is never easy, but soon makes unlikely friends in popular Woo-sik (Lee Jung-jin), who considers himself a skilled fighter, and Hamburger (Park Hyo-jun), who sells porn to his fellow students. Hyun-soo idolises Bruce Lee, but has no desire to follow his hero - or his father, a tae kwon do instructor - into fighting with his fellow pupils.
Then Hyun-soo falls for Eun-ji (Han Ga-in), a student at a local girls school, when he sees her on a bus. He harbours a massive crush on the girl; only to find his best friend Woo wins her over. Frictions in the group begin to tear them apart, but as the violence at Jungmoon begins to escalate Hyun-soo decides to make a stand against the school thugs. He looks to his hero, Bruce Lee and his fighting technique, Jeet Kune Do, as the solution to his problems.
Director Yu’s film draws on many of his own experiences growing up to paint an authentic vision of high school in Korea. It could just as easily by America or England, or anywhere, his themes are so universal. Only the sequence when the female owner of the boys’ favourite restaurant seems like the wishful thinking of a teenager.
But if you were expecting some sort of action extravaganza think again. Even after we watch Hyun-soo in his father’s gym, gruellingly learning the techniques of Jeet Kune Do to the point where he can swing two nunchucks around like the man himself, when it comes down to the fight itself he simply cracks them over the head of his opponent like a brick. It’s not a fight, it’s a full on scrap, as vicious and undisciplined as any playground rumble should be.
This really is a coming of age drama more than anything else. The heartbreak of unrequited love, betrayal of friends, and parents who just don’t get it, experiences most of us can identify with. It’s poignant film, well played by its leads; solid viewing that knocks spots of most Hollywood teen dramas, but not groundbreaking by any sense. Just immensely ‘watchable’, in that way Korean films so often are…
DVD details
Distributor: Premier Asia (UK)
This is a good transfer with plenty of extras in the form of interviews with the cast and the action director Shi Jae-myung. Also includes a trailer gallery and outtakes.
