7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.6 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
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 | 30% |
Action | 16% |
Thriller | 7% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Cantonese: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Mandarin (Traditional), English, Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
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".
Showtime
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).
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).
Interview - a very short interview with director Tung Wai who briefly talks about his encounter Bruce Lee (3 min, 480/60i).
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.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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