This review is the first one to be written in 2024, first written Jan 01.
Directed by
Lo Wei Wu Chia Hsiang Produced by Raymond Chow
STARRING
Bruce Lee Maria Yi James Tien Han Ying-chieh Cinematography Chen Ching-chu Edited by Sung Ming Music by Wang Fu-ling Distributed by Golden Harvest Release date (Australia): April 1974
Synopsis
Cheng is a city boy who moves with his cousins to work at a ice factory.
He does this with a family promise never to get involved in any fight.
However, when members of his family begin disappearing after meeting the
management of the factor, the resulting mystery and pressures forces
him to break that vow and take on the villainy of the Big Boss.
Review
This movie is unrealistic. Cheng Chao An gets arrested for defeating the Big Boss, police officers are beat up and nothing is done about it, Cheng gets drunk and sees a woman at a dinner as his crush, and one of the Big Boss' men are killed with a saw put in their head.
Regardless this movie is awesome.
This movie has tons of violence, which is what I was looking for. Sometimes it's really really bloody and violent, but not enough to get it banned in May 1973, but too much to get an M rating.Cheng is a can of whup-butt the whole way through the movie. Thank god he broke the oath he sweared to his mother. Before watching The Big Boss / Fists of Fury, I would defend Jackie Chan and say he was a million times better then Bruce Lee. And while Chan is still my favourite action star, Lee is amazing too and they both are in their both ways. I highly recommend this movie, no matter which version of it you have.
Hopefully I get to see more Lo Wei films. I have a way of watching Fist of Fury, Shaolin Wooden Men and Fearless Hyena now!
Rating: 7/10
Watch the 1983 Cantonese dub of "The Big Boss" at SBS On Demand
