After seeing Quentin Tarantino’s latest movie “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” NBA hall of famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn’t happy about the portrayal of his late friend Bruce Lee.
In an article Kareem himself wrote for The Hollywood Reporter, he goes over why he was so disappointed in one of his favorite film makers saying
“Quentin Tarantino’s portrayal of Bruce Lee in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood does not live up to this standard. Of course, Tarantino has the artistic right to portray Bruce any way he wants. But to do so in such a sloppy and somewhat racist way is a failure both as an artist and as a human being.”
Kareem’s displeasure stems from knowing Bruce on a personal level and spending a lot of time with him getting to know how he felt about certain things including the portrayal of Asians in TV and movies.
The scene with Bruce Lee in the movie goes against everything Bruce Lee stood for according to Kareem,
“I was in public with Bruce several times when some random jerk would loudly challenge Bruce to a fight. He always politely declined and moved on. First rule of Bruce’s fight club was don’t fight — unless there is no other option. He felt no need to prove himself. He knew who he was and that the real fight wasn’t on the mat, it was on the screen in creating opportunities for Asians to be seen as more than grinning stereotypes”
Although it is fiction, I see Kareem’s point. Right or wrong, the one dimension that Bruce Lee was portrayed in is how some people will see him and other Asians. It paints a picture of how the world will see them because some can’t separate fiction from the real world.
That’s not to say Asians or anyone else can’t be portrayed in that way but when it’s a real life person that isn’t alive anymore, the portrayal shouldn’t be so one dimensional if he’s going to be used and should be somewhat accurate.
Tarantino has responded to the criticism saying
“Bruce Lee was kind of an arrogant guy. The way he was talking I didn’t just make a lot of that up. I heard him say things like that to that effect. If people are saying well he never said could beat up Muhammad Ali well yea he did. Not only did he say that but his wife Linda Lee said that in her first biography I ever read. She absolutely said that.”
Flip the page to see clips from the movie and Tarantino’s response.