An instant box office sensation upon its release in 1971, The Big Boss is the film that catapulted former child actor and Hollywood TV sidekick Bruce Lee to cinematic superstardom.
Cheng Chao-on (Lee) moves to Thailand to work at a factory alongside his uncle and cousins. However, a ruthless crime boss (Han Ying-chieh, Come Drink with Me) and his gang are using the factory to smuggle heroin; anyone who stumbles upon this unfortunate secret promptly meets a grisly end. When some of Cheng’s friends and cousins disappear, he is forced to set aside the vow of pacifism he made to his mother and unleash his fists of fury in order to bring those responsible to bloody justice.
Directed by Lo Wei, The Big Boss forever changed the landscape of Hong Kong action cinema, signalling kung fu’s dominance over the genre for years to come. Lee’s big breakthrough now looks more glorious than ever in a brand new 4K restoration.
For decades, The Big Boss has only been available on home video in a version 10 minutes shorter than the one that first stunned audiences in 1971. Now, at long last, the missing material has been reintegrated into the film, scanned from the last-known surviving 35mm print of the original theatrical version. You’ve never seen The Big Boss like this before!
Screening in 4K