Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

The Big Boss Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 30, 2009

Bruce Lee's first feature length martial arts film, "Tang shan da xiong" a.k.a "The Big Boss" (also distributed in the U.S. as "Fists of Fury") (1971), arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises. The disc contains the U.S. version of the film (99 min). On the supplemental feature on it is a short interview with director Tung Wai. With optional Simplified Chinese, Thai, and English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

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Bruce Lee’s first feature length martial arts film, The Big Boss (also distributed in the U.S. as Fists of Fury), tells a fairly straightforward story about a young man, Cheng Chao-an (Lee), who confronts a powerful drug lord, Hsiao Mi (Han Ying-Chieh, A Man Called Tiger), and his goons after they kill one of his relatives. Chao-an encounters Mi after he gets a job in his ice factory.

The story is awkwardly paced. The build up to the dramatic finale is done through a number of cliches that would surely annoy those who might be hoping to see in The Big Boss more than just a collection of good fights (ironically, the first fight featuring Lee comes well after the 40-minute mark). There really aren’t any attractive secondary plots to speak of either.

Lee himself looks notably stiff in front of the camera. Before he confronts his opponents, he suffers through a number of scenes that are extremely easy to forget. For the most part, his lines are just as frustrating.

There are a few scenes in The Big Boss, however that are worth mentioning. The first one occurs halfway through the film when Lee's character breaks the promise he has given his mother (apparently, she has requested from him not to fight and he has agreed). He literally explodes in front of the camera – this is the first time we see that marquee wild face twitching.

The second scene occurs a bit later on. It is slightly longer than the first one and better filmed. There are a few kicks Lee does (one of them preceded by a wild spin) that are absolutely terrific. I am no expert in martial arts, but even I can tell that these are brilliantly done.

The third and final scene is at the very end of The Big Boss. After the fight is over, the camera shows Lee standing still next to his victims. This is the one and only scene in the film where Lee exudes that familiar sense of superiority that would be prevalent in his later films.

Technically, The Big Boss has its fair share of problems. Cinematographer Chen Ching-Chu’s (Jackie Chan's Bloodpact) lensing is notably rough – some of the fights are captured from very unusual angles while others are marred by truly awkward cuts. I must also mention that nowadays the “gruesome killings” look quite amateurish.

The supporting cast is rather disappointing. Many of the actors do their best to look authoritative in front of the camera, but most of the time they are simply not succeeding. In fact, the ones who try too hard (Han Ying-Chieh quickly comes to mind) actually come off as very bad comedians.

Truth be told, however, The Big Boss is not a film that would attract viewers looking for an innovative plot and sophisticated acting. This is a film that, I assume, would appeal primarily to those who wish to familiarize themselves with the short cinematic legacy of a martial arts legend. Of course, there will probably be a few who would want to see it for purely nostalgic reasons as well.

The Big Boss Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Lo Wei's The Big Boss arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises.

It is fairly easy to tell that the Hong Kong distributors had access only to dated elements. As a result, the Blu-ray transfer suffers from a number of issues that would likely create mixed feelings amongst those who end up purchasing this disc. For example, clarity and detail are very inconsistent. Some of the close-ups look acceptable, but others are very problematic. Generally speaking, the color-scheme is decent, but there are a number of very awkward color pulsations that I noticed – mostly present around the edges – which I am fairly certain the more sensitive amongst you will be annoyed with. The overall condition of the transfer is also somewhat problematic. Though I did not spot any large debris or scratches, I saw plenty of tiny specks popping throughout the film. To sum it all up, while The Big Boss has never looked this good on DVD, this Blu-ray transfer certainly has its fair share of problems. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" disc. Therefore, unless you have a native Region-A or Region-Free player, you won't be able to access its content).

The Big Boss Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four different tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Mandarin Dolby Digital EX 6.1 and Thai Dolby Digital EX 6.1. I opted for the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the Cantonese Dolby TrueHD7.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital EX 6.1 tracks for the purpose of this review.

Different actors spoke different languages in The Big Boss (a mixture of Mandarin, Cantonese and Thai). As a result, if you select the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track, you would likely notice plenty of lip-sync issues. This said, the overall quality of the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track is quite good. The bass is rather strong (though not rich), the high frequencies not overdone, and the rear channels active primarily during the action scenes. Generally speaking, the dialog is clear, but I did notice quite a bit of background noise during the second half of the film. On the positive side, there are no serious balance issues. I also did not detect any disturbing pops or cracks to report in this review.

The Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track is identical to the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. I compared the two big fights and they sound exactly the same. Now, the Mandarin Dolby Digital EX 6.1 track is actually very strong. In fact, I would say that the dialog sounds substantially tighter on the Mandarin Dolby Digital EX 6.1 track – it is clearer and not as noisy. So, experiment with it!

For the record, Kam & Ronson Enterprises have provided optional traditional Chinese, Thai, and English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame. For the record, I noticed quite a few grammatical errors (English).

The Big Boss Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Interview - a very short interview with director Tung Wai who briefly talks about his encounter Bruce Lee (3 min, 480/60i).

The Big Boss Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have mixed feelings about this Blu-ray release. There are quite a few issues with the transfer that will likely bother the more sensitive amongst you. On the other hand, I do realize that the original elements for The Big Boss are, obviously, not in terrific shape, so Kam & Ronson Enterprises probably did a lot of head-scratching before they decided to release the film. What does this mean? Simply put, if you are a hardcore Bruce Lee fan, or film collector, a Blu-ray release of the The Big Boss is certainly terrific news. After all, the quality of this transfer is leaps and bounds better than the one found on the R3SDVD that came out three years ago. On the other hand, if you are one of those vociferous elitist "film enthusiasts", who as of late have been on a crusade to prove that if not perfect every Blu-ray transfer is a disaster, then you certainly won't appreciate Kam & Ronson Enterprises' efforts.