‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ slammed over racist portrayal of Bruce Lee

As the latest release around the globe, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ has wreaked havoc and taken the world by storm, there are some people who cannot help but notice some major problems with portrayals of some characters.

The Quentin Tarantino-directorial came under fire after the character of Bruce Lee did not sit well with his daughter Shannon Lee who was unamused with the idea of his father being depicted as a laughing stock for the audience.

Apart from Shannon, another one of Lee’s co-stars and close friends, from the shelved film ‘The Game of Death’ [1973], Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also bashed the acclaimed Oscar-award winning director.

"Filmmakers have a responsibility when playing with people’s perceptions of admired historic people to maintain a basic truth about the content of their character," said Jabbar in an op-ed piece for The Hollywood Reporter.

"Of course, Tarantino has the artistic right to portray Bruce any way he wants. But to do so in such a sloppy and somewhat racist way is a failure both as an artist and as a human being," Jabbar added.

The actor came to Lee’s defense on Tarantino’s claims alleging him as ‘arrogant’ saying: “First rule of Bruce’s fight club was don’t fight — unless there is no other option.”

"He felt no need to prove himself. He knew who he was and that the real fight wasn’t on the mat, it was on the screen in creating opportunities for Asians to be seen as more than grinning stereotypes. Unfortunately, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood prefers the good old ways,” he continued.