With Bruce Lee and famed director, Lee Tso Nam, listed as assistant directors, this early 70's Lo Wei classic was considered to be the little dragon's breakout role to audiences of Hong Kong, and more importantly, the world...
Bruce plays Cheng, a young man sent to Thailand to work with family friends at an ice factory, that unknowingly to him, is trading in heroin. He has sworn an oath of non-violence, something we are constantly reminded off anytime he touches his chest and pulls out a jade necklace to look at, backed by a tedious melodramatic jingle. Honestly, it takes about 44 minutes before he gets into his first fight, and only because the necklace is cut from him!
Until Bruce gets going, the fighting isn't amazing. I mean, its certainly passable and old school courtesy of the big boss himself, and veteran actor & action director Han Ying Chieh. Even though the great James Tien carries the first half of the film and most of its fight scenes respectively, everyone involved just seems stiff, unless leaping through the air with the aid of a trampoline. Perhaps this was so Bruce would look even better once he got started having taken control of choreography when it came to his own fight scenes.
Supposedly based on the true story of a Chinese immigrant called Cheng Chiu On, who now has a statue dedicated to him, The Big Boss was the highest grossing movie of all time in Hong Kong upon release. As one of Golden Harvest studios first movies,the film impressed with a great cast, including a young Lam Ching Ying, skinny Chan Lung, Lee kwan, Billy Chan Nora Miao, and the handsome Tony Liu as the big boss' son. I'm not the biggest Bruce Lee fan in the world, but I have to say I did really enjoy him in this. There's a more natural, fun approach to his acting; I guess having not yet reached that stardom that brought forth a cockiness and confidence to him in the roles that followed. He probably looks his healthiest here also...
I know Bruce was against the gravity defying moves of the movie, taking away from the realism he wanted to show. One such case is the stupid guard dog attack, where the German shepherd's are literally being thrown at him from behind the camera as Bruce leaps through the air to get away. Another is the famed flying kick between him and villain, Han Ying Chieh at the end, a move director Lo Wei made a point of keeping. Wei has never been the greatest director in the world, but he certainly isn't the worst either. His films are often played safe, often with a crude and uneven plot or technical issues that are glaringly obvious. His direction in the cinematography would often make for many boring scenes, with few bringing any excitement to viewers if there was no action on screen.
Although starting off as a regular kung-fu film in a modern day setting, The Big Boss gets better as it rolls on, allowing for a much better second half and some dark moments of bodies in ice, violence and an incredible last half hour that really showed what Bruce Lee was capable off. Unfortunately still presented uncut, with the famed axe-to-the-head scene missing, Lee's first Hong Kong action flick may have its flaws, but is still a fantastic thriller worthy of a watch!
Overall: While marred by Lo Wei's approach, The Big Boss highly entertains and more-so because of Bruce Lee!
Bruce plays Cheng, a young man sent to Thailand to work with family friends at an ice factory, that unknowingly to him, is trading in heroin. He has sworn an oath of non-violence, something we are constantly reminded off anytime he touches his chest and pulls out a jade necklace to look at, backed by a tedious melodramatic jingle. Honestly, it takes about 44 minutes before he gets into his first fight, and only because the necklace is cut from him!
Until Bruce gets going, the fighting isn't amazing. I mean, its certainly passable and old school courtesy of the big boss himself, and veteran actor & action director Han Ying Chieh. Even though the great James Tien carries the first half of the film and most of its fight scenes respectively, everyone involved just seems stiff, unless leaping through the air with the aid of a trampoline. Perhaps this was so Bruce would look even better once he got started having taken control of choreography when it came to his own fight scenes.
Supposedly based on the true story of a Chinese immigrant called Cheng Chiu On, who now has a statue dedicated to him, The Big Boss was the highest grossing movie of all time in Hong Kong upon release. As one of Golden Harvest studios first movies,the film impressed with a great cast, including a young Lam Ching Ying, skinny Chan Lung, Lee kwan, Billy Chan Nora Miao, and the handsome Tony Liu as the big boss' son. I'm not the biggest Bruce Lee fan in the world, but I have to say I did really enjoy him in this. There's a more natural, fun approach to his acting; I guess having not yet reached that stardom that brought forth a cockiness and confidence to him in the roles that followed. He probably looks his healthiest here also...
I know Bruce was against the gravity defying moves of the movie, taking away from the realism he wanted to show. One such case is the stupid guard dog attack, where the German shepherd's are literally being thrown at him from behind the camera as Bruce leaps through the air to get away. Another is the famed flying kick between him and villain, Han Ying Chieh at the end, a move director Lo Wei made a point of keeping. Wei has never been the greatest director in the world, but he certainly isn't the worst either. His films are often played safe, often with a crude and uneven plot or technical issues that are glaringly obvious. His direction in the cinematography would often make for many boring scenes, with few bringing any excitement to viewers if there was no action on screen.
Although starting off as a regular kung-fu film in a modern day setting, The Big Boss gets better as it rolls on, allowing for a much better second half and some dark moments of bodies in ice, violence and an incredible last half hour that really showed what Bruce Lee was capable off. Unfortunately still presented uncut, with the famed axe-to-the-head scene missing, Lee's first Hong Kong action flick may have its flaws, but is still a fantastic thriller worthy of a watch!
Overall: While marred by Lo Wei's approach, The Big Boss highly entertains and more-so because of Bruce Lee!