This review is based on the English dubbed version of FISTS OF FURY. This film COULD easily merit a 7 but his hampered by awful dubbing into English--something very common in early kung fu movies. While this isn't the worst dubbing I have seen (RETURN OF THE DRAGON, another Bruce Lee movie, is much worse),it isn't good either and definitely detracts from the film. Why the idiots who marketed it abroad didn't trust the audience to be able to read subtitles is beyond me.
The film has a relatively simple plot about some dirt bags at an ice factory in Thailand who are smuggling drugs in the middle of these huge blocks of ice. When the simple workers start to catch on, they are killed off until their friends know that SOMETHING is definitely amiss. Of the friends, Bruce Lee is the most patient and tries to avoid fighting through much of the film due to some promise he made before the movie began to stop fighting. But eventually, of course, he has no choice but to fight and kicks HUGE amounts of drug dealing butt!! Unlike later and more polished Lee movies, this one is very bloody and the action is more intense and violent--with more crotch smashing and stabbing than all his other films put together. I actually liked this, as in most of the Bruce Lee films, our hero just uses his fists and doesn't seem as pragmatic as he did here! In FISTS OF FURY, he often stabs his opponents so he doesn't need to fight them again later!!! Good thinking, Bruce! About the only negative about the extraordinary fights are the two usual observations--why do the bad guys tend to attack him one at a time AND why didn't they just use guns---after all, they ARE bad guys!!! Provided you can ignore some of the minor plot problems you'll enjoy this film a lot if you are a kung fu movie fan. Otherwise, it's a tough call. Most guys will probably at least respect the quality of the action but I assume that most ladies won't enjoy all the violence--though this is of course a generalization and may not apply to you.
A final note--Aside from lots of blood, there's a small amount of nudity in this one as well--something parents may want to consider.
Keywords: martial artsfamilydrugsprostitutekung fu
Plot summary
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.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Tech specs
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You watch this one less for the plot and acting and more for the action
Bruce Lee's best film!
A thoroughly entertaining martial arts adventure from start to finish. At least that's my opinion, which certainly seems to be in the minority here on the web; I think the problem with most people is that they watched this film too seriously and thus were dismayed by the bad acting and shoddy production values instead of viewing them as part of the fun. THE BIG BOSS is an undeniably light film, and even when blood is splattering across the screen, things never become too serious for a second.
The story is so very simple that it frequently borders on the laughable; also, there are gaping plot holes throughout (if Lee and his pals are causing so much trouble, why doesn't the boss just sack them?),but this doesn't detract from the fun. At least it's easy to understand what's going on. The acting is of variable quality, from average to poor, and in a lot of the minor roles the actors and actresses are hopeless. Thankfully, when you've got Bruce Lee as your leading man, the rest of the cast don't really matter. Lee shows himself to be a surprisingly likable and charismatic actor here, and I actually liked the fact that he starts the movie off with a vow of non-violence - a plot device which Steven Seagal saw fit to "borrow" for a number of his movies.
There is much to enjoy in this movie, not least the wealth of martial arts battles which take up its running time. The two best action scenes are the night-time ice factory battle and the finale, bloody showdowns which offer up loads of violence and fake fighting to great effect. The other, non-violent fight scenes can get kind of tiresome but I found that if you stick with this film, it gets better as it goes along. Another thing is that a high reliance on weapons is shown in this film, with frequent scenes of Bruce turning the weapons on those brandishing them; thus setting the scene for maximum bloody carnage. The finale is jaw-droppingly gruesome and has to be seen to be believed, and is definitely one of the best deaths for a chief baddie I've seen in a film.
Until then we have loads of things taking up the running time; some gratuitous nudity doesn't go amiss, there's a young cute boy to lend some sentimentality to the proceedings, while the dubbing actors have a field day with the monkey noises that Lee supposedly makes whilst fighting - absolutely hilarious moments. With a fast pace and a high death toll, THE BIG BOSS is a shoddy yet enjoyable movie, not a classic but one that more than satisfies where it counts and proves to be a fine display of Lee's fighting abilities.
kung fu movie classic
Cheng Chao-an (Bruce Lee) leaves his Chinese village to join relatives in Thailand. He is greeted by cousin Hsiu Chien who readily fights for others while Cheng promised his mother never to fight again. He joins his relatives at an ice factory owned by drug-lord big boss Hsiao Mi. When two of his cousins find drugs hidden in the ice, they are offered money but they politely refuse. They are killed and their bodies chopped up. Hsu Chien and Ah Pei go to ask questions but then they disappear. The men riot and Cheng is made foreman to appease them. Chiao Mei berates them for forgetting her brother. The boss throws him a party to get him drunk. Chiao Mei runs into him sneaking out of the brothel and the men are not happy that he forgot about Hsu Chien once again. Eventually, the hooker Sun reveals the truth and is killed. The boss's henchmen attack Chiao Mei and the family while Cheng is breaking into the factory. He finds drugs and the hidden bodies. He's confronted by the boss's son and numerous henchmen.
It's a functional kung fu story. The idea that he promised not to fight is great one. It allows him to be on another level when he actually does fight. It also allows him to be human. He gets tricked by the boss. He falls for a hooker. He's restrained by his promise. That makes the fights so much better. It's like he had saved all of his energy for his big fights. The movie is also more brutal and bloodier than I expected. The main thing is that this is a Bruce Lee movie and he shows that he's obviously a superstar. He's burning with charisma and it comes across on the screen.