Brandon Lee: How a prop gun accident killed Bruce Lee's son on the set of 'The Crow'
The first memory of Brandon Lee was his role as Detective Johnny Murata, a fast-talking, ass-kicking partner to a steely-eyed Dolph Lundgren in 'Showdown in Little Tokyo'. While it was natural that Lundgren, with his bumper-plate pecs and huge guns for arms, stole the show, it was hard to ignore a young Brandon Lee who brought in some comic relief and the athleticism to his character and earning accolades for his performance. The film may have been roasted by critics, but for the young man, it was a role that won fans.
Forever in the shadow of his father, the legendary Bruce Lee, the son, destined to face the camera one day, always wanted to make a mark on his own. The reason why Brandon Lee is in focus is because of ESPN's upcoming film 'Be Water' by Bao Nguyen. To fill the sports void, the network has given fans a string of documentaries that have been stirring and gripping. Joining the list is Bruce Lee who brought in a new genre in itself called martial arts film in Hollywood.
Bruce Lee died of cerebral edema aged 32. If that wasn't tragic enough, his son Brandon died aged 28.
Much before 'Showdown in Little Tokyo,' he made is only Hong Kong film, 'Legacy of Rage.' This action-role piqued Hollywood's interest that cast him in 'Laser Mission' (1989) — a direct-to-video release but was a money-roller. This paved way for a leading role in Dwight H Little's 'Rapid Fire '(1992) and by then Lee had begun his steady rise to fame. However, the role that made him immortal was his chilling performance as Eric Draven — a man who rose from the grave to seek revenge on the men who killed his fiancee.
It comes across as a surprise when people heard that Lee wasn't the first choice to play Draven. The producers actually looked at casting a musician to play the murdered Indie rockstar, and finally, Lee, with the intense looks and martial arts expertise bagged the role. According to The Independent, Lee was quite seriously involved with the film and worked with Alexas Proyas, the director during pre-production, and there was enough to suggest Lee had put his heart and soul to play the character.
Nothing about 'The Crow' spelled good news. Call it a curse, a jinx, or just a series of unfortunate incidents, there were enough accidents on sets that led to some severe unrest. As the filming neared its end, Lee was accidentally shot on set in the abdomen. The accident occurred on March 31, 1993, when co-star Michael Massee used an improperly loaded prop gun. The tip of a dummy bullet was lodged in the barrel and when the blank was fired, the fragment buried itself in Lee's spine.
The bad news broke when it was revealed he passed away after six hours of surgery. The death of the actor was ruled as an accident by negligence. To add to this tragedy, Lee was all set to marry fiancee Eliza Hutton a few days after the filming of 'The Crow.' In a way, his death was an eerie callback to the film and the comic. It was saddening to not see Lee alive after The Crow's release. It received positive reactions from critics for its action and stylization. While the plot was a letdown, the Late Lee garnered rich plaudits for his performance.
Coming back to 'Be Water,' there's no idea if Lee will be featured in the documentary, however, if we're talking about Bruce Lee, it is doubly hard to not talk about his son. It surely feels like a Lee family curse, but what it didn't take away from them is the accomplishments in Hollywood.
'Be Water' premieres on Sunday, June 7, at 9 pm ET on ESPN.