7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A Chinese immigrant working at a Thai ice factory has 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.
Starring: Bruce Lee, Maria Yi, James Tien, Marilyn Bautista, Ying-Chieh HanForeign | 100% |
Martial arts | 50% |
Drama | 36% |
Crime | 29% |
Action | 16% |
Thriller | 7% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Mandarin: LPCM Mono
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Cantonese: Dolby Digital Mono
Mandarin: Dolby Digital Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Wei Lo's "The Big Boss" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; new program with biographer Matthew Polly; vintage audio commentaries by Hong Kong-film expert Mike Leeder and critic Brandon Bentley; and more. In Mandarin or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Big Boss arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
I still have the Kam & Ronson Enterprises release in my library and was able to do some direct comparisons with this release, which is sourced from a brand new 4K master. So, the film now looks a lot healthier. Density and fluidity are also dramatically improved and this makes such a big difference that a lot of the outdoor visuals actually have a completely new filmic appearance. Generally speaking, the color grading job is convincing. I compared a number of indoor and outdoor sequences on both release and I can assure you that the overall balance is better on the 4K master. There are some sporadic nuances that perhaps could have been managed better, but I like how this film looks a lot more than Game of Death. Some light black crush is again visible. Image stability is outstanding, but I don't think that it ever becomes distracting. All in all, while again some minor adjustments could have been made in the color scheme, I think that this is a strong technical presentation of The Big Boss. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its cont5ent).
There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Mandarin: LPCM 1.0, English: LPCM 1.0, Cantonese: Dolby Digital 1.0, and Mandarin: Dolby Digital 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The original Mandarin track is the best one. Some of the other restored films in the box set come with pretty good English tracks, but the English track is offered here is quite awful. So, the Mandarin track is clean and stable, plus dynamic intensity and balance are very good. Yes, some unevenness remains, but overall it is a solid lossless track. The Cantonese and second Mandarin tracks are definitely worth checking out. There is different music there that impacts the tone of the film in a pretty dramatic fashion. Do not ignore them.
While it has a few entertaining moments, I think that The Big Boss is the weakest Bruce Lee film. He looks very, very stiff in it and the story is quite average. To be honest, I think that it is only for completists. The new 4K master that was created is very good, though again there are a few areas of it that I find slightly unconvincing. This release is included in Criterion's Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits box set, which will be available for purchase on July 14.
Tang shan da xiong / Fists of Fury
1971
The Big Boss | 唐山大兄 | Collector's Edition
1971
(Still not reliable for this title)
Fist of Fury | 精武門 | Collector's Edition
1972
The Way of the Dragon | 猛龍過江 | Collector's Edition
1972
死亡遊戲 | Collector's Edition
1978
死亡塔 / Si wang ta / Tower of Death
1981
Ging chaat goo si
1985
Dou fo sin
2007
Police Story II / Ging chaat goo si juk jaap
1988
Sun King Chaat Gu Si
2004
その男、凶暴につき
1989
Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken / 激突!殺人拳
1974
殺破狼 | SPL: Kill Zone | Saat po long | Ultimate Edition
2005
In the Line of Duty II | Huáng jiā shī jiě | Wong ka si jie | 皇家師姐 | 2K Remastered
1985
用心棒 / Yôjinbô
1961
龍爭虎鬥
1973
Dak ging to lung / Te jing tu long / 特警屠龍
1988
1984
給爸爸的信 / The Enforcer
1995
精武英雄
1994
アウトレイジ / Way of the Yakuza
2010
Gyakushű! Satsujin ken / 逆襲!殺人拳 / Street Fighter Counterattacks! / Revenge! The Killing Fist
1974