BRUCE LEE AND THE OUTLAW (2018)

I didn’t realise this was a documentary until I had started to watch it. And I guess the reason for that was because the short synopsis I read seemed to be quite unbelievable. Bruce Lee and the Outlaw follows the story of the ‘King of the Underworld’, a man who’s adopted the moniker of Bruce Lee and looks after the homeless children of Bucharest. Nicu, the main subject of the documentary, is one of these boys, nicknamed ‘The Outlaw’ by Bruce.

On the surface, Bruce Lee is a kindhearted man. He doesn’t look after just the children, but also homeless dogs and animals. His goal is to buy a rundown hotel so everyone can have a roof over their head, christening it the ‘Hotel for the Homeless’. Unfortunately, his notoriety has been rightly earned. It’s not often a director gets involved in the subject of their documentary, but that happens to be the case with Joost Vandebrug in this movie. Shot over the course of five years, Joost and Nicu bond inexplicably, with Nicu referring to him as a ‘brother’. Their bond deepens when Nicu is admitted to hospital and Joost is the only one who stays with him. Bruce is nowhere to be seen.

Nicu’s development throughout the film and up to his eighteenth birthday are linked wholly with that of the documentary itself. Joost’s impact on Nicu’s life is apparent, becoming a contrasting role model to that of Bruce’s. This, in itself, becomes the most interesting aspect of the movie - would the ending of this story be different if Joost had never decided to pick up a camera and make this documentary? This film really does capture a tragic story, yet still manages to find much warmth within. Score: 64/100