Ang Lee says he will not shoot his Bruce Lee movie at a high-frame-rate

Last Updated on February 8, 2023

Most of the movies we’ve enjoyed over the last hundred years consist of 24 frames per second, but we’ve seen directors experiment with a high-frame-rate more and more. One director who has pushed HFR to its limits is Ang Lee, who shot his last two movies, Billy Lynn’s Halftime Walk and Gemini Man, at 120fps. When it was announced that Ang Lee would be directing a Bruce Lee movie, many expected that he would once again shoot the film at 120fps; after all, Bruce Lee was known for his lightning-fast moves, which a traditional camera could barely pick up. Our own Chris Bumbray recently spoke with Ang Lee about the upcoming re-release of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, where the director revealed that he will not be shooting the Bruce Lee movie in HFR.

“Bruce Lee, because he’s so fast, he was laughed at when he shot the Green Hornet in the beginning, because you couldn’t see a thing, and he started hurting people too,” Ang Lee said. “He had to slow down and really learn how to sell a fight. They shot 36 frames and projected it at 24. If you had high frame rate you would see the real speed of Bruce Lee, but I can’t do that on this movie.” Lee added that he believes audiences are used to 24fps. “Its takes awhile before people get used to it (high frame rate) without taking them out of the movie,” Lee said. “So, this movie I’m doing has a lot to offer, I believe, so I’ll repress that need and make a great Bruce Lee movie.” You’ll be able to check out our full interview with Ang Lee next week, in which he discusses Michelle Yeoh’s role in Everything Everywhere All At Once and whether he would ever make a sequel or prequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Ang Lee will direct the Bruce Lee movie, which Dan Futterman has scripted. Previous versions of the story were penned by Jean Castelli, Alex Law, Mabel Cheung, and Wells Tower. Mason Lee, son of Ang Lee, will star as Bruce Lee. “Accepted as neither fully American nor fully Chinese, Bruce Lee was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Kung Fu to the world, a scientist of combat and an iconic performing artist who revolutionized both the martial arts and action cinema,” Ang Lee said in a statement last year. “I feel compelled to tell the story of this brilliant, unique human being who yearned for belonging, possessed tremendous power in a 135-pound-frame, and who, through tireless hard work, made impossible dreams into reality.“

While movies shot at a high-frame-rate are definitely an experience, Ang Lee is correct in saying that it does take a while to get used to, no matter how engaging the movie might be. Perhaps we’ll see more movies play with higher frame rates in future, but the Bruce Lee movie won’t be one of them.

What are your thoughts on HFR? Is it a gimmick or the future or cinema?