The Difference Between Bruce and Jet (and Jackie)
Bruce
Jet
Jackie
(Bruce pic from here, Jet pic from here, Jackie pic from here)
In our last podcast with Ed and Eric, we touched on the difference between Bruce, Jackie, and Jet. Vu had brought up the difference between Jackie and Jet during the podcast, and we made numerous inquiries into the characters that the actors portrayed and their respective reputations. For me, if we look at the three guys at the highest points of their careers, there’s always been a clear difference between the three men physically:
1. In terms of form, Jet was the best traditional martial artist of the three.
2. Jackie by far was the most daring stunt person. His stunts are insane. He’ s insane.
3. Bruce could’ve definitely beaten the snot out of Jet nine times out of ten, and he probably would’ve beaten Jackie. (I say “probably” because a certain mix of acrobatics, lack of fear, and crazy can often produce lethal fighters. Everyone remember Sakuraba the “Gracie Hunter?” Some of those moves were sick. Seriously, fighting while doing cartwheels? Jackie’s advantage is that he was and is a crazy mofo.)
In any case, all three of these guys were great martial artists with skills far above the norm, even by martial artist standards. However, as everyone pointed out during the podcast and in the comments afterwards, there still remains a big difference in the way people view these three men, regardless of their fighting abilities. We all agree that Jackie is perhaps the greatest film stuntman ever, but somehow his reputation has devolved into a caricature because of both the roles he plays and the comments he makes offscreen. Which leaves the other two–Bruce and Jet. What is the difference between the two, and why does this difference exist?
While I agree that Jet avoids playing the caricatures, I personally have always had trouble getting into his films. Jet is a great fighter, and yet I’ve always felt little compelling reason to stay in front of the screen. During a Jet film, I can go get a beer, change a diaper, use the loo, or check my e-mail without feeling any need to hit pause or stop on the DVD player. When I get back, I watch the movie wherever it ended up, and I feel like I’ve missed nothing. With Bruce, on the other hand, there’s an intensity that I never want to miss. It’s as if Bruce expands beyond the screen. Even when I’m watching Enter the Dragon for the fiftieth time, I can’t turn away from it. Every move, every gesture, every facial expression is special and unique. Every line, every inflection, teaches something not only about his philosophy, but of his real character. I learn something new every single time I watch that film.
Since this is a blog and not an exploratory essay, I’ll just come out and say what I think the Bruce mystique is–Bruce’s priorities transcended the screen. They went far beyond anything movies could do. True, Jet was a martial artist before an actor too. However, Bruce spent most of his time developing a philosophy. He spent his time thinking about fighting and how to improve it. He thought about society, thought about culture, thought about racism. He focused hard on what his film career was supposed to do. For Bruce, film was a vehicle, not an end.
When you read about Bruce’s encounters with racism and threats, it was amazing what he was able to overcome. First when he was playing Kato, the producers wanted him to lose to Robin from the Batman series. He wouldn’t have this, so they agreed to go to a draw. Then the producers of Kung Fu stole his idea and put the White David Carradine in his place. When he finally got to make Enter the Dragon, the racists made a character named “Braithwaite” because they knew he’d have trouble pronouncing it. (Sorry for the lack of references. I’ve read sooo many books about Bruce, and don’t remember where I read this. I’m sure some of you could document this.) Meanwhile, Bruce continued to make martial arts the center of his life. He would challenge whomever, wherever. Even today, he gets respect from the best of the best. In the first Elite XC, Frank Shamrock called Bruce the original MMA fighter. That’s the level of respect he commands. You can see that fury in his movies. He carries it into the character. Audiences know his power because they feel it.
With Jet, we have a guy who is a proficient martial artist, possibly one of the best ever. But that’s about it. I’ll never forget Lethal Weapon 4, where he plays the Chinese bad guy who gets clowned with racial jokes by the White Mel Gibson, who was the main actor. I will never forget that movie as long as I live. Gibson pokes fun of Jet’s Chinese accent, talks down to him as if he were a coolie, and in the end, teaches him the lesson that White colonialists have spent centuries drilling into racial minorities–never oppose a White man, or the system will take you out. It was like watching Manifest Destiny…manifest. Here you have a racist White man abusing this talented Chinese martial artist, denigrating Chinese culture, making racist remarks, and in the end, this White man wins. It was a lesson caught on film that visually articulates what Asian Americans face–we can be really good at what we do, but we still have to fight a system that places Asian people at the bottom of the social heap.
Bruce Lee would NEVER have played that character. He was verbal with everything, and people feared his mind as much as his physical prowess. Mel and the racist writers and producers, despite their millions, would’ve been too scared to mess with Bruce. He had that effect on people. And if they were crazy enough to mess with Bruce, Bruce would’ve opened his mouth. Bruce was verbal and could unleash a furious argument. I saw this movie in Japan, and I was shocked at how shamelessly Mel Gibson unleashed the racist jokes and how Danny Glover and the rest of the cast just played along. Even the Asian members of the cast went along. Let’s just say my Japanese friends got an earful of my Asian American voice afterwards.
Jet, of course, went on to play the unromantic Romeo in Romeo Must Die, as well as several other forgettable roles that I won’t forget since I didn’t bother spending the money to see them. Last time we heard from him, he made some movie with himself, Jackie, and some white boy set in ancient China.
Now some of you may wonder what I think about Jet’s Chinese movies. I think they’re okay. They’re fine. I have no problem with them. But because I think multiculturally since I live in a multicultural environment, the multicultural questions and stories are the ones that interest me. With respect to his multicultural movies, to be fair, I don’t blame Jet. I think he’s reacting to racism the same way most people would react to racism. I can’t be angry at him for being normal.
But Bruce was really something else. He knew the score, and he played by his own rules. Brains, physicality, and spirit, ALL of which come out on the screen. ALL of which came out in his real life. ALL of which still live today in the many people–Asian, White, Black, and Other–whose lives he influenced. To answer Ed’s original question, THAT is what made Bruce a phenom.
