22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Totally False, April 18, 1999
This review is from: Unsettled Matters: The Life & Death of Bruce Lee (Paperback)
Obviously the author had a hidden agenda here. If Bruce Lee took steroids, why wasn't he real big and bulky? Steroids don't make you lean and mean.For those of you out there want to learn what steroids actually do to the human body, do some research. It's obvious that looking at Bruce's physique that he wasn't on steroids. The only thing Bruce was addicted to was his love for the Martial Arts.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, but unsubstantiated, June 1, 2005
This review is from: Unsettled Matters: The Life & Death of Bruce Lee (Paperback)
"Unsettled Matters" was interesting reading for the most part, but considering the author's relationship with Linda Lee Caldwell (his ex-wife, Bruce Lee's widow) I found some of his implications & allegations a bit hard to swallow. I appreciate the revelations of negative aspects of "sacred cows" like Bruce Lee, it's good for fans to have a balanced view of their idol, but you have to consider the source here: an apparently bitter ex hiding behind claims of good intentions. Regarding some of his allegations about Bruce Lee, I'd agree with another reader that Bruce Lee didn't look like he was on steroids, he wasn't puffy like bodybuilders. Bleeker says Bruce wore a tracksuit throughout the making of his "Game of Death" because he was off steroids at that time & had subsequently lost a lot of muscle; pictures on the set of Bruce without a shirt reveal nothing of the sort. Bruce looked just as muscular as he did in "Enter The Dragon". The author also suggested that Raymond Chow was unhappy because he knew Bruce would choose Hollywood over Hong Kong for making movies, leaving Chow & his production company behind; all Bleeker needed to do to realize this was false was to watch Bruce Lee's "Lost Interview" in which Bruce stated his intention of working in both places (Jackie Chan's done so, why couln't Bruce?). Bleeker implies sinister goings on in the apparent dissappearance of the Lee family butler, Wu Ngan; these implications might be more convincing if not for the fact that Wu Ngan has been present enough to willingly grant interviews for a couple publications over the last few years. The author also accuses Bruce's friend, student, & bodyguard, Bob Baker, of having been his drug supplier; I suppose that was pretty easy to do as he did so after Baker's death. Apparently you can't defame a deceased person (though Bleeker sure seems to be trying with Bruce throughout this book).
Bruce Lee, of course, was only human, with all the weaknesses & shortcomings that go along with it (his struggle for success in Hollywood then finding quick superstardom in Hong Kong followed by Tinseltown finally courting him probably didn't help to keep Bruce exactly grounded), no rational person would deny that. No one's perfect. But some of the implications in here just don't hold up under scrutiny. Overall "Unsettled Matters" seems meanspirited out of spite. Not worth the price sellers are asking for.
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
This book did little to convince me that there are any unset, September 5, 2000
This review is from: Unsettled Matters: The Life & Death of Bruce Lee (Paperback)
This book did little to convince me that there are any unsettled matters regarding Bruce Lee's death. There may be some truth to certain parts of the book but in general I found it to be a vindictive piece of story telling. The author has no solid proof of any foul play surrounding Lee's death and the last few chapters, especially, are written in a sensationalist fashion and read like an amateur whodunnit.
In my view the book is not a well-balanced account of Bruce Lee's life and gives an unfair portrayal of Lee's character. The author shows little respect for his subject (despite pleading the opposite), and seems intent on depicting a negative image of Lee. Though I'm sure he had his faults, I'm not convinced he was the arrogant, promiscuous, drug-addict, who was only interested in fame and fortune, that Mr Bleeker seeks to portray him here. The book has a distinct lack of quotes from Lee's friends and at no time is there any mention of Lee's acts of kindness towards his friends and colleagues, or his love for his family. His son and daughter barely even warrant a mention.
The fact remains that Bruce Lee isn't here to defend himself and, unfortunately, taking out civil actions against people merely prompts the reaction that there's no smoke without fire. Mr Bleeker takes the title Unsettled Matters from the saying that "the buried man will not live in peace. There are unsettled matters!". I do indeed doubt that Bruce Lee will live in peace, at least while books like this are being written about him. My opinion of Bruce Lee is still that he was basically an honourable, truthful man.
I'm not sure why Mr Bleeker should choose to "tell the truth" about the life and death of Bruce Lee after all these years, though I find it dubious that he has done so quite so soon after the break up of his short-lived marriage to Lee's widow, Linda.
I would recommend that genuine fans of Bruce Lee don't bother reading this book. To anybody else I'd say take what you read with a pinch of salt. For a fairer, more even-handed, unprejudiced account of Lee's life and death, I would recommend reading "Fighting Spirit" by Bruce Thomas. In my opinion, one of the few biographies which grants Bruce Lee the respect he deserves.
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