#1036a: WEI, Lo: The Big Boss (1971)

WEI, Lo (Hong Kong)
The Big Boss [1971]
Spine #1036a
Blu-ray


Enter a legend. Bruce Lee's return to the Hong Kong film industry after a decade in America proved to be his big breakthrough, launching him to superstardom and setting a new standard for kung-fu heroics. In The Big Boss, he commands the screen with his gravitas and explosive physicality in the role of a Chinese immigrant working at a Thai ice factory and sworn to an oath of nonviolence. When he discovers that the factory's ruthless higher-ups are running a secret heroin ring and offing their own workers, his commitment to pacifism is put to the test. With his undeniable charisma and fluid, lightning-fast martial-arts style, Lee is a revelation, blazing across the screen with a speed and power the likes of which had never been seen before.

100 minutes
Color
Monaural
in Mandarin
2:35:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2020
Director/Writers


Lo Wei was 53 when he wrote and directed The Big Boss.

Other Lo Wei films in the Collection:

#1036b: Fist Of Fury (1972)

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twenty-four page paper magazine with poster featuring an essay by Jeff Chang.

Commentary
  1. By Lee expert Brandon Bentley; and
  2. By Hong-Kong film expert Mike Leeder.
Alternate English-language soundtrack

Interview 1

With Lee biographer Matthew Polly.

Interview 2

With producer Andrew Morgan about Golden Harvest, the company behind Hong Kong’s top martial-arts stars, including Lee.

Interview 3

With author Grady Hendrix about the “Bruceploitation” subgenre that followed Lee’s death, and a selection of Bruceploitation trailers.

Multiple programs and documentaries

About Lee’s life and philosophies, including Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend (1973) and Bruce Lee: In His Own Words (1998).

Interviews

With Linda Lee Caldwell, Lee’s widow, and many of Lee’s collaborators and admirers, including actors Jon T. Benn, Riki Hashimoto, Nora Miao, Robert Wall, Yuen Wah, and Simon Yam and directors Clarence Fok, Sammo Hung, and Wong Jing.

Promotional materials

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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