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:

A Long Awaited Film... ...IS COMING!!!

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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

Bruce Lee sprained his ankle badly while landing awkwardly from a jump. He couldn't move properly and was also racked with aches and fever and was having difficulty keeping food down. Even so, filming continued. His twisted ankle meant that he had to drag his injured leg, so in several scenes he had to be filmed in closeup. He also broke a glass in his hand, resulting in a gash that required ten stitches. While at the hospital in Bangkok, he caught flu and rapidly lost ten pounds.

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Goofs

The knife in the villain's chest disappears after Cheng punches him multiple times on the ground.

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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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Alternate Versions

When the film was released in the United States, the death of Hsiao Mi, "The Boss", was cut down to him simply being stabbed in the chest with a knife in order to receive an "R" rating. The original version of his death, which not only shows an explicit close-up of the knife in his chest but Cheng Chao-an's fingers piercing his rib cage and blood flowing from under his shirt, would have given the film an "X" rating. This scene has since been restored for the Bruce Lee Ultimate Collection DVD released by Fox, and the Shout Factory DVD/Bluray releases.

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Connections

Featured in Game of Death II (1981)

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Soundtracks

Obscured by Clouds
Written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters
Performed by Pink Floyd
(Only in Cantonese version)

User Reviews

Very impressive

After seeing and admiring Enter The Dragon, I knew Bruce Lee wasn't just a name but a man with remarkable skills. Better than Jackie Chan and Jet Li. I figured the next Bruce Lee movies I'd see would have lousy plots but good action. That's how every Jackie Chan movie goes. Well, I was thrown a curveball. Fists of Fury has a very cool plot. It involves a company that smuggles heroin in blocks of ice and does away with employees who find out. An action movie with a plot. It's almost unheard of. The action is pretty good too. I'm always afraid when starting out a bruce lee movie that because it is so dated, the action will seem fake. Up until Lee starts fighting it ussually does. But once the man gets into it, the intensity is unquestionable. This movie was not quite as cool as Enter The Dragon, but it was very good. Much better than I would have ever thought. Its got a better plot than any of Chan's films and I've seen them all. Lucky me. At least Lee doesn't do corny humor. This guy is the real deal and this movie is dam good.