Fists of Fury
20th Century Fox (1971)
Action
In Collection
#839
6*
Seen It:  Yes
(6/13/2011)
024543018018
IMDB   6.2
103 mins USA/English
DVD  Region 1   R
Bruce Lee Cheng
Maria Yi Mei
Nora Miao Mi
Miao Ke Hsiu Yuan
Li Hua Sze Hua Sze
Paul Tien Chen
Li Quinn Prostitute
Tony Liu Mi's Son
Malalene Prostitute
James Tien Hsiu Chen
Yin-Chieh Han Mi
Quin Lee Li Quin
San Chin Hua Sze
Chao Chen Foreman
Chia Ching Tu Uncle
Ching-Ying Lam Cheng's cousin
Tso Chen
Hui-yi Chen
Cheng Ying Tu
Director Lo Wei
Wei Lo
Wu Chia Hsiang
Producer Raymond Chow
Writer Bruce Lee
Wei Lo

Martial arts master Bruce Lee solidifies his standing as one of the great action stars in Fists of Fury , the story of a Chinese country boy ( Lee ) sent to live in Thailand with his uncle and cousins. Around his neck is a charm representing his promise to his mother not to fight, a promise which is repeatedly tested when he goes to work in the local icehouse for an abusive overseer and prejudiced natives. When some of his cousins are killed after discovering the icehouse is actually a front for a heroin-smuggling operation, Lee sets out to exact revenge and eventually has a showdown with the Japanese crimelord behind the entire scheme ( Han Ying Chieh ). Lee 's physical gifts are undeniable; the blinding speed of his fists and feet must be seen to be believed. The film was originally released in Asia as The Big Boss . Bad guys beware when that charm comes off! — Jeremy Beday
Edition Details
Series Bruce Lee
Chapters 24
Release Date 7/3/2001
Packaging Keep Case
Screen Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles English
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Mono [CC]
Layers Single Side, Single Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes 1
Personal Details
Purchase Date 7/3/2001
Owner Thomas Eisenmann
Store Best Buy
Condition Excellent
Reviewed Widescreen Review
Bit Rate 192 KB
Anamophic No
Links IMDB

Features
A fifth disc is included in this set that contains the 88-minute documentary “Bruce Lee The Legend.” There are no extra features on the four movie discs.

Widescreen Review
Story Synopsis:
Fists of Fury tells the tale of Cheng (Lee), an innocent country boy who is sent to live in the city with his uncle and cousins. He has promised his mother that he will refrain from fighting, but he is repeatedly tested when he goes to work in a local icehouse with his cousins. Immediately he is suspicious of the tyrannical boss and after some of his cousins are killed, Cheng must exact revenge on the criminals running the business. The Bruce Lee Master Collection (from which this movie was viewed) contains five discs: the documentary, “Bruce Lee The Legend” and his four films: The Chinese Connection (which was originally released as Fist Of Fury), which is not to be confused with Fists Of Fury (originally entitled The Big Boss, but - stay with me - occasionally The Chinese Connection has been incorrectly distributed as The Big Boss), Return Of The Dragon and Game Of Death. Incidentally, “Bruce Lee The Legend” is a well-done 88 minute documentary that chronicles the life and career of a man who will live on in the hearts of martial arts movie fans forever.

DVD Picture:
All four non-anamorphic DVDs appear to use the same poor transfers created for the LaserDiscs that were released in the 1980s. Images are generally wanting in sharpness, appearing out-of-focus on anything but close-up shots and lacking fine detail. Colors are often nicely rendered, with generally natural fleshtones, though dated. Large artifacts, minor pixelization and aliasing problems are apparent throughout. Edge enhancement is also distracting. Contrast and shadow delineation are poorly rendered, and as well, damage from the source material such as print scratches and artifacts are apparent. The picture measures 2.30:1.

Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital 2.0 soundtrack is encoded in dual-channel big fat mono. When Dolby ProLogic®-decoded, the mono is properly placed in the center channel. The soundtrack is of poor quality, so much so that you probably would not be able to differentiate the sound characteristics of this film from one made in the 1950s. Distortion is prevalent throughout, and dialogue intelligibility is compromised.