THE BIG BOSS (1971) was an instant box office sensation upon its original release in Hong Kong, and 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 dope, and whoever 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 with this Arrow Video 4K restored, 2-disc blu ray release, with hours of insightful bonus features, including the restored 110 Mandarin Cut of the film that first stunned audiences in Hong Kong back in 1971.
Illustrated collector's booklet featuring writing on the film by Walter Chaw
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
DISC 1: THE BIG BOSS
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the 99-minute 1983 version of The Big Boss, restored by Arrow Films from the original negative
Original restored Mandarin, English and Cantonese mono audio
Two English mono options, the standard mix and a Japanese mix with alternate score
English subtitles, plus optional subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing for the English dubs
Two feature commentaries, one by David Desser and one by Brandon Bentley
Two alternate versions with lossless mono audio: the English Export Cut, featuring a rare alternate English dub track (some scenes in Mandarin); and the 100-min US Theatrical Cut
Return to Thailand, a documentary produced and presented by Matt Routledge exploring the original filming locations
Recently uncovered deleted and extended scenes, with optional commentary by Bentley
The Not-Quite-Biggest Boss, a video essay by Bentley investigating the scenes still lost, such as the 'saw-in-the-head' scene
Archive interviews with co-star Lau Wing and stuntman Tung Wai
Bruce Lee Vs. Peter Thomas, a short video essay about the music for the English version
Alternate credits sequences
Trailer gallery, including a 'Before The Big Boss' reel and the trailer for lost sequel The Big Boss Part II
Image gallery
DISC 2: THE BIG BOSS - THE MANDARIN CUT
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the 110-min Mandarin Cut of The Big Boss, restored by Arrow Films
Original lossless mono audio
English subtitles for the Mandarin Cut
Axis of English, a video essay by Will Offutt profiling the English dubbing actors for The Big Boss, Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon
