Spirit of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School (Maljukgeori janhoksa) (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Arash X

  
  An overlooked gem which manages to be impressive without falling into trite sentimentalism and I actually loved the incidents near the ending & the ending itself, Imo they were pretty realistic & that's the main reason I'm giving this such a high rating

• Tsubaki S

  
  A honest and well told coming-of-age story, with beliavable written characters and situations. No cheap sentimental bullshit or any other stuff like that. Even when the movie takes some huge risks in the final act it keeps itself very well grounded. Some predictable plot devices never… More
  A honest and well told coming-of-age story, with beliavable written characters and situations. No cheap sentimental bullshit or any other stuff like that. Even when the movie takes some huge risks in the final act it keeps itself very well grounded. Some predictable plot devices never feel forced either thanks to the solid script. Sad that this one went under the radar of many. Love doesn't "conquer all", sometimes it just screws you, but it can also help you mature in ways you wouldn't expect. Note: This is NOT a martial arts movie, it's part of the theme of the film, but it's not a movie of that genre.

• Luke B

  
  Despite the title and posters/DVD covers advertising this to the contrary, it certainly isn't a martial arts movie. This is more Stand By Me than Bruce Lee. It's a coming of age drama about friendship, honour, respect and just trying to save face in an inner city school.… More
  Despite the title and posters/DVD covers advertising this to the contrary, it certainly isn't a martial arts movie. This is more Stand By Me than Bruce Lee. It's a coming of age drama about friendship, honour, respect and just trying to save face in an inner city school. It's wonderfully filmed with a sense of gentle honesty you find in coming of age dramas. When martial arts does appear it seems real, being scruffier than the perfectly choreographed dances Jackie Chan performs.

• Jojo S

  
  A quiet Bruce Lee aficionado trying to survive high school without making a fuss. But when he's fed up with the entire malfunctioned educational system and school bullies, He turned out becoming the high school legend by becoming his hero and shocked the entire school.