The Big Boss (1971)

A young man sworn to an oath of non-violence works with his cousins in an ice factory where they mysteriously begin to disappear.

Directors:

Wei Lo, Chia-Hsiang Wu (uncredited)

Writer:

Wei Lo (screenplay)

Stars:

Bruce Lee, Maria Yi, James Tien

Cast

Credited cast:
Bruce Lee	...	Cheng Chao-an
Maria Yi	...	Chow Mei
James Tien	...	Hsiu Chien
Marilyn Bautista	...	Miss Wuman (as Malalene)
Ying-Chieh Han	...	Hsiao Mi (The Boss)
Tony Liu	...	Hsiao Chiun (Mi's son)
Kun Li	...	Ah Kun (as Quin Lee)
Nora Miao	...	Drinkstand owner (as Mao Ke-hsiu)
Shan Chin	...	Hua Sze
Chia-Chen Tu	...	Uncle (as Chia-Cheng Tu)
Chih Chen	...	Ice Factory Manager
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Billy Chan	...	Ah Pei (as Hui-yi Chen)
Lung Chan	...	Gatekeeper / Blue Shirt Henchman
Stephen Chang	...	Disciple
Ching-Ying Lam	...	Ah Yen (Cheng's cousin)

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

jeet kune do | kung fu | cult film | martial arts | factory | 

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Taglines:

KARATE/KUNG-FU! The oriental sensation now gives America the action it's been waiting for!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States]

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin Cantonese

Release Date:

February 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fists of Fury

Filming Locations:

Pak Chong, Thailand

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 115 min (uncut) 87 min (original rejected english dubbed)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wei Lo was a compulsive gambler and was far more concerned with what was going on at the racetrack than what was happening on the film set. Because sound was not recorded at the same time as the action was filmed, he arranged to have the commentary of the horse races booming across the set while the actors were attempting to rehearse a scene. Bruce Lee was incensed by his lack of involvement in the film.

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Goofs

Malalene's (the prostitute) burn marks on her upper chest change position from the sex scene to the scene when she tells Cheng she was a maid.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Cheng Chao-an: Uncle, is this it?
Uncle: Yes, right over there. That's the town, Cheng. That's right. Not much further to go.

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Connections

Referenced in Scooby-Doo (2002)

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Soundtracks

Moontown
Performed by Peter Thomas
(Only in English dubbed versions)

User Reviews

Referred to here as THE BIG BOSS...

After years of trying to get into Hollywood, Bruce Lee returned to Hong Kong and began his efforts with this low-budget martial-arts thriller. The result - an Asian box-office smash which made Lee an overnight sensation in the East. Whilst its not a great film or Lee's best work, it is an definite film classic that really opened the door for the martial-arts genre, as well as kicking off Lee's career. The story sees Lee coming to work in Banghok with his cousins in an ice factory, where he soon discovers sinister operations taking place under the thumb of the title villain. Like Lee's other films, the action builds up through the film to impressively staged fight scenes, all topped by a dramatic, all-out climatic bout between Lee and the Big Boss. Breakthrough stuff but the best (and the West) was yet to come.