Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Like Father Like Son: The Murder of Brandon Lee by Cece Ruben


   The death of Brandon Lee was no accident. The young Hollywood actor was fatally shot on set of his greatest film to come; a bullet placed in a gun instead of a dummy. If you are a conspiracy fanatic, you may have heard the theories that his father, Bruce Lee, was murdered by the Chinese Triads for not wanting protection or even Chinese Martial Art followers who taught him a lesson for teaching the ancient secret ways and techniques outside of their private culture. In one of his films (Game of Death), he is killed because of the same incident that took the life of his son...Coincidence, or were the unidentified men behind Bruce Lee’s death after his son, as well?
1.      Were the ancient Chinese martial art followers out to get him and planted the bullet which fatally took his life?
2.      Was their a Curse of death upon the Lee family which resulted in such an odd death?
3.      Did the Chinese Triads kill him because he was Bruce Lee’s son?

Let’s explore these theories and see what could have really happened! Beginning with the idea that ancient Chinese martial art followers were out for blood:


   Born to Bruce Lee, one of the most infamous martial artist to come to the United States, and  mother Linda Lee Caldwell, Brandon Lee was brought into this Earth on Monday, February 1st, 1965, in Oakland, California. He was a charming, handsome Chinese American actor and martial artist. Brandon lost his father at a very young age further creating the soft spoken man he grew to be; he was forever mourning the loss of this father.
   Externally feeling as if he had something to prove to the media in the beginning, being just another young actor trapped in his infamous fathers shadow as the public originally labeled him, he showed his own love and passion for the ancient Chinese ways and became his own individual in the Hollywood industry. Acting in roles that illustrated his own personal athletic, flair such as Showdown in Little Tokyo and Kung Fu: The Movie, he also played untraditional roles that made him stand out from the rest, like The Laser Mission and the critically acclaimed The Crow. The production of The Crow brought him to the forefront of the media's eye because he had what was called the "X- Factor" ("Bruce Lee dies at Age 32"). Brandon always showed immense admiration for his father his true role model, and he explained that in an interview,
  "When it comes to following in his footsteps, do I want to achieve the same level of accomplishments that he has? Yes. But do I want to imitate him in anyway shape or form? No, because that’s pale. Its not good" (Brandon Lee on Bruce Lee).
Pictures and snippets of him taken by paparazzi were filled with his half smile gleaming and his long black hair resting on his shoulders ( Attachment 1). If you were to meet him, you would fall in love instantly. He had a welcoming presence that made him very likeable to everyone around him.
   This soft spoken man found a fiancé, Eliza Hutton, who chose to keep her precious memories of him private by never speaking publicly of their beautiful romance. They were just shy of a wedding when Brandon tragically passed away. But, before he met her, he was dating  now best-selling author Shannon Bradley, and the relationship she endured with him for a year was engulfed with affection she has never experienced since. She has written many articles about him to let others who did not know him have insight into the short time they shared with one another, "These are the things I remember about the Gone Boy. Hazel eyes. Slippery black hair. Fluidity of motion. Chipped front teeth. Velvety skin. A goofy laugh. A whip smart brain. He seemed indestructibly alive" (Bradley-Colleary). Shannon described a night where she was working late at her diner, and Brandon called her in tears, asking her to come over as he was missing his father, Bruce Lee  (Bradley-Colleary).Once she arrived, he was crying, shaking whilst watching old footage of his father's funeral, describing the immense pain he feels in his chest, and foreseeing his own death(1). He spoke in a broken voice saying that he knew he would die soon (1). That his time to go was so near and could sense it (1). Then, she calmly reassured him that he was just upset, tightly cradling him throughout the night (1). To this day, just speaking of that night makes the hairs on her neck stand up.This incident happened only three years before the fatal "accident" that killed Lee onset of his biggest movie to come, The Crow, exactly twenty years after his fathers death. Internally, it was evident that the thoughts of his fathers' death haunted him more than consoled him.
   Brandon was very ambitious and wanted to be his own household name.  The passion for stardom wasn’t selfish but just who he was. You could look at him and see that he was his fathers' son, but also looking at him you could see the flame that burned inside of him because he genuinely cared for what he was doing. Acting was his love. Martial arts was his love (Brandon Lee Final Interview). He was a joy to be around, and you would have loved to meet him. By breaking the bonds to be your own person and not fitting into any stereotypes on what he should think or feel, he served as a respectable role model to his generation and those to come. Unfortunately, his life was cut short, and he was not able to grace the world with more of his kind words.
   In the suspicious death of Brandon Lee, three conspiracies are highlighted. One tells a foreseen unavoidable curse that created a series of misfortunate events. However, the other two show strong evidence of foul play.
Conspiracy 1
   The first conspiracy is that Chinese martial artists were upset with Lee's decision to broadcast ancient martial art skills so they executed him. In the Chinese culture, you must be very secretive with the Kung-Fu art form and once Brandon started gaining popularity in the acting world, it was evident that he was showing the American culture easily the practices that had taken centuries to be taught down from generation to generation (Chinese Culture). In Bruce Lee's famous movie Game of Death, we see him almost murdered by a real bullet being shot out of what was supposed to be a prop just like the incident that took his son’s life (Fun Conspiracies). The coincidences between the two are so similar that perhaps someone who was tired of their ancestry being shown to another country had to lash out against him (1)? Although this is the least likely of the conspiracies, it is still a plausible reason for them to take him out (1).
Conspiracy 2
   The second conspiracy is that a curse was placed upon the Lee family that resulted in both Brandon and his father’s deaths (Strangest Mysteries of the World and beyond). Although there is no origin of the curse, Bruce Lee said that he himself had personal demons and that he knew he would die half of his father’s age (his father was 64 and he passed away at 32) (1). Coincidentally, Brandon said that he also knew he would die soon and even younger than his father, which he did. He passed away at the young age of 29 years old, only a year after he told his then girlfriend, Shannon Bradley-Colleary, that he knew his time was near (Remembering Former Love Brandon). He called her shaking with fear that he physically felt that he was dying soon, and many claim these visions are what can be called the “Lee Curse.”
Conspiracy 3
   The final conspiracy is that the Chinese Triads executed Brandon just because of his father’s past decisions (Fun Conspiracies). The mafia group originally helped finance and produce Bruce Lee's original films, and once he chose to partner into the Hollywood industry and cut off his ties with them, they became enraged thus murdering him (1). The night that Brandon was murdered, a dummy bullet was shot out of a gun that punctured his lower abdomen resulting in a very painful death (1). Numerous reenactments have been conducted, and all of which came to the same result that this is absolutely impossible. One of America's most experienced weapons' experts, Webb Birdsong, said, “It makes assumptions that can’t hold up. You have a better chance of winning the Irish Sweepstakes than of the firing of a blank forcing out a projectile left in a barrel with such force as to cause that kind of damage" (Theories on their Mysterious Deaths). In the trial tested, a .44 magnum just like the one Michael Masse, the actor who fired the weapon that shot Brandon in the stomach with, was lodged with a dummy bullet followed by a loaded blank (1). Once fired, the bullet only traveled four feet away. Brandon was approximately 20 feet away when he was murdered in cold blood (1). The Mafia is known for taking out whoever causes an issue with them, and it would have been very easy for them to find an apprentice to appear on the set of Brandon's The Crow rehearsal set and plant a real bullet without being detected.
   The connection between Brandon Lee and his father are very prominent in all conspiracies listed above because it is impossible to talk about one without the other. Brandon's death was practically chosen from a movie scene in which his father acted in. Not only did his father die before his biggest film to come, but so did Brandon. Bruce's death was at random, and Brandon became the first person in movie making history to be fatally shot on a movie set during recording. Who Brandon had enemies with was not the case but more so who his father had enemies with, therefore going after him.
Survey
   In a survey conducted at College of the Mainland, twenty individuals were asked whether they thought that their was any evidence of foul play and 80% of people said yes. Even to someone who may not know the total background of Brandon Lee, it is still clear that this man was purposefully killed in a manner that was meant to show a message. Instead of being killed at home, he was shot doing what he loved to do in front of people who will be emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives.
   In conclusion, devoting fans and conspiracy fanatics are still trying to find clues twenty years after Brandon has passed but no new answers have yet surfaced. Whoever was responsible for his death could be long gone by now, and justice will never be served. The people who were close to him continue to mourn the loss of a very great up and coming star that was taken away when he had so much to still show the world.
   In conclusion, the murder of Brandon Lee still remains a mystery. All that is left is a conspiracy that may never be solved.
1.      Were the ancient Chinese martial arts followers out to get him and planted the bullet which fatally took his life?
2.      Was their a Curse of death upon the Lee family which resulted in such an odd death?
3.      Did the Chinese Triads kill him because he was Bruce Lee's son?
 He will forever be remembered by many adoring fans and fellow actors. Even though he passed away at the young age of 28, his potential to explode further into the Hollywood industry was very evident. His handsome, and soft-spoken nature will be missed, and his martial artist abilities will live on his movies forever.




Works Cited
"Bruce Lee Dies at Age 32." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2016. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

Brandon Lee- Talking about Bruce Lee. Perf. Brandon Lee. Brandon Lee- Talking about Bruce Lee. Leonardo Muce, 31 Nov. 2009. Web.

Bradley-Colleary, Shannon. ""I See You've Made a New Friend" & Other Memories of a Boy Gone Too Soon - Shannon Bradley-Colleary." Shannon Bradley-Colleary. N.p., 05 May 2016. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

Bradley-Colleary, Shannon. "Remembering Former Love Brandon Lee." Shannon Bradley-Colleary. N.p., 23 Aug. 2015. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

Brandon Lee Final Interview with Rare Clips. Perf. Brandon Lee. Brandon Lee Final Interview with Rare Clips. Darkmvz1, 13 May 2013. Web.

KHAndAnime. "Fun Conspiracies - Brandon Lee's Death - Off-Topic Discussion - GameSpot."
GameSpot. GameSpot, 09 July 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.  
                                              
Scepcop. "Theories on Their Mysterious Deaths." Theories on Their Mysterious Deaths:
Conspiracies / Cover Ups • SCEPCOP Forum. Debunking Skeptics, 09 Aug. 2011. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.                  

Zimmerman, Kim Ann. "Chinese Culture: Customs & Traditions of China." LiveScience. Purch,
15 Jan. 2015. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.                                                                               






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