THE PLOT THUS FAR
Witness the films of a man that would become a legend… an icon…Bruce Lee!
This box set includes four of the films that would make Bruce Lee one of the most important martial artists ever to grace the screen. The set includes The Big Boss, Fist Of Fury, Way Of The Dragon and Game Of Death. Also included are two documentaries Bruce Lee: The Legend (and the original version Bruce Lee: The Man, The Legend) and I Am Bruce Lee plus a bonus disc with over two hours of bonus content exclusive to this set.
Get ready to witness the legend of the dragon…
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“The Big Boss” is about a young Chinese man named Cheng Chao-an who travels to Thailand looking for a job. Living with his distant cousins, he finds a job in the ice factory where his cousins work and soon he finds a family in them, developing a close friendship with Hsiu Chien and a big affection for Chow Mei. Although he is a skilled fighter Cheng sworn an Oath of non-violence to his mother, promising that he would not be a get in fights. However, things get complicated when two of his cousins disappear and is discovered that the ice factory has a dark secret. Cheng will have to break his Oath in order to unveil the mystery behind the disappearance of his new family.
There is one giant problem with “Fist of Fury” that was shown in the later adaptation “Fist of Legend”. The movie is pretty racist towards the Japanese. Set in 1908, the film is loosely based on the story of the Chin Woo Athletic Association, and the mysterious death of it’s founder, the legendary Martial Artist Huo Yuanjia. Located in Shanghai, China, the Chin Woo school faces big problems now that their leader has died, as the Japanese occupation of Shanghai makes life very difficult for the Chinese. This makes Chen Zhen furious, as he suspects the Japanese are behind the death of his master. As his investigation proves him right, Chen goes on a murder spree in order to avenge the death of Huo Yuanjia.
The one and only Bruce Lee made his directing debut with “Way of the Dragon”. Not only the movie showed the world why he is the greatest martial artist to ever live, it showed that he is way ahead of his time. This film showcased his astounding skills, agility, and charm much more so than the brilliant classic “Enter the Dragon”, and this film will show how truly fast and nimble Bruce Lee is with his fists and feet. The fight scenes are unbelievable, and it is already widely regarded that the final Colloseum battle between Tang Long and Colt is the best fighting sequence ever filmed for a movie.
Despite some awful dubbing and a poor script, ‘Game of Death’ is still watchable for it’s action. Fight choreographer Sammo Hung makes the non-Lee fight scenes entertaining even if the doubles don’t match Bruce Lee’s speed or technique. However, they do capture some traits of Lee’s fights including the slow motion finishing move. Also, the film’s budget allows for a number of locations ensuring that Billy’s quest for revenge keeps moving. In this regard, the Hollywood frills that are added give the film a degree of watchability, especially the classy score which appears throughout and heightens the final scenes.
The Blu-Ray comes with almost everything available about Bruce Lee. You get everything from commentaries, featurettes, alternate footage, interviews, trailers and image galleries across all of the films. If that wasn’t enough, you get a repackage of choice documentaries such as I Am Bruce Lee and Bruce Lee The Legend & its follow-up. The A/V Quality sports dynamic DTS-HD 5.1 master audio tracks that blow away anything I’ve ever heard.
Plus, the 1080p transfers have led me to retire my old FOX sets. Shout Factory has delivered one of the best sets of the year, if not this decade so far. I think they know this, as the guys in charge have become so comfortable at dropping the best in genre entertainment on our collective asses on a monthly basis. You’ve done it again, Shout Factory! In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!