Joel’s review of The Big Boss (1971)

Looking for something different on Netflix this week, I came across The Big Boss (1971) starring Bruce Lee. Originally released in the U.S. back in the early 1970s as “Fists of Fury”, I guess it can be found under it’s original title.

Cheng Chao-an is a city boy who moves with his cousins in Thailand to work at an…. ice factory? Hmmm, let’s go with it. He does this with a family promise never to get involved in any fight, but the film stars Bruce Lee, so he’s probably going to break his promise and then kick butt. It turns out this ice factory is a front for a drug smuggling operation. When members of his family begin disappearing after meeting the management of the factory, the resulting mystery and pressures forces him to break that vow and take on the “Big Boss” and his crew of hired thugs.

It’s an okay film with so-so martial arts action. The story is extremely basic, and the acting is pretty atrocious, but you have to forgive a lot considering it’s an Asian martial arts film from 1971. I did enjoy the 70’s-era music and the multitude of thugs dressed in 70’s clothes. I expected more fighting in a Bruce Lee flick from the man himself, but there is a reasonable number of action scenes. If you’re going to watch this with the kids, be forewarned that there are two separate scenes in a brothel with female nudity. So don’t be watching this with the family on Thanksgiving.

The Big Boss (1971)

The Big Boss (1971)

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