The Big Boss (1971)
7/10
kung fu movie classic
2 July 2015
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.
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