In his short career Bruce Lee left his mark on martial arts and film like no other. Now thanks to Shout Factory they are bringing some of his classics to DVD double feature featuring The Big Boss/Fist of Fury. American audiences may be a bit confused as these movies were originally released under different names in the US. The Big Boss was actually released as Fist of Fury and Fist of Fury was released as The Chinese Connection.
The Big Boss was Bruce Lee’s first film and follows a young man who moves to Bangkok to take a job at a factory. When two workers discover something stored inside a block of ice, they suddenly disappear forcing him to investigate their disappearance and bring down the Big Boss once and for all. There is no one out there that doesn’t know Bruce Lee, but more often than not those outside the martial arts world have only seen Enter The Dragon. The Big Boss offers all of Lee’s charisma, but is a bit toned down and showcases a more inexperienced Lee as an actor. With that being said, it is no surprise he became the star he did when you see him on screen. He doesn’t throw a punch for the first half of the film, but when he finally does his intensity explodes on screen like no other. The films finale features well executed fight, but then it does kind of leaving you hanging with the outcome of Lee’s character. Sure you know what happened to him there, but will never know if he was justified in the eyes of the law.
Fist of Fury follows a man who arrives in Shanghai to attend the funeral of his teacher and vows to uncover what happened. All signs point to a Japanese Martial Arts School, but since the police refuse to help it will be up to him to restore honor to his school and teacher through vengeance. With The Big Boss, Lee was a more peaceful character who is forced into a situation he never intended to be in. With Fist of Fury everything is stepped up a notch. Here he is more meticulous with his quest for vengeance sporting disguises and unleashing rage like only he can. Lee is not a flashy fighter, but every move is effective and has purpose. Here he adds to the ability a clear more violent nature creating much more powerful and believable fight sequences. Of all his films, this film sports easily one of, if not his best with him facing off against an entire Japanese school, which might just be one of the best ever filmed. This film continued to surprise right up to the end going a direction surely most people never thought and adds more depth to the overall delivery. In addition to this being arguably Lee’s best film, it also spawned numerous sequels and remakes following the exploits of the character Chen Zhen featuring Jet Li and Donnie Yen. Watch closely as a young Jackie Chan appeared in both this film and Enter the Dragon doing stunts at the beginning of his career.
These are clearly must haves for any fan of the genre, these iconic martial artists or classic action cinema. Lee changed the face of martial arts in both cinema and tradition like no other, but more importantly lived the life that all should aspire towards. If you have never had the joy of witnessing Lee at his best, then this is the perfect chance for you to not only see two of the greatest martial arts films ever made, but also add them to your collection.
Be sure to pick up your copy when they hit the stores in April and head over to www.shoutfactory.com to pre-order.
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