Be Water, My Friend: The 10 Most Defining Bruce Lee Moments

Every once in a while, something very profound happens that changes life as we know it. One such occurrence took place in my life 20 years ago, and as such, shaped my ideals and passions into what they are today. At 8 years old through persuasion of my mother, I sat and watched for the first time probably what I consider to be the most influential movie of all time. The movie itself was very simple, but it was also one of the first of its kind and has spawned countless imitations since its release 40 years ago. The star is unmistakable and loved throughout the world, the man who opened up the door of martial arts in cinema to the West. The chiseled body, the lightning fast moves, the immovable fixed gaze, the animalistic scream, we all know who he is. The movie: Enter The Dragon; the man: Lee Jun Fan aka Bruce Lee.

Before long, I owned all of Bruce’s films and was fly-kicking every door in the house, walking around shirtless, flexing my puppy fat pecks in front of mirrors and family members, whacking myself constantly every which way with homemade rubber nunchaku, and attempting to mimic (horribly I might add) at the top of my voice the awesome scream that accompanied every strike Bruce would deliver to all the poor sods on the receiving end.

So what was it about the legend that inspired every aspect of my behaviour and personality so intensely? As time has passed, I’ve grown to love every aspect of Bruce as not only a movie star and martial artist, but as a human being, and one that was taken from this world far too soon. Every fan out there has their own moments that define Bruce Lee in their own eyes, but here’s my very own moments that defined him for me when I was a kid.

I’ve only included moments from his filmography and not his TV roles and appearances, because sadly, at the time back in the early 90’s, they weren’t readily available in Australia and I never had a chance to see them.

That being said, without any further delay, I present to you the 10 most defining Bruce Lee moments.