The Big Boss
| The Big Boss | |
|---|---|
Hong Kong film poster
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| Traditional | 唐山大兄 |
| Simplified | 唐山大兄 |
| Mandarin | Táng Shān Dà Xiōng |
| Cantonese | Tong4 Saan1 Daai6 Hing1 |
| Directed by | Lo Wei |
| Produced by | Raymond Chow |
| Written by |
Bruce Lee Lo Wei |
| Starring |
Bruce Lee Maria Yi James Tien Nora Miao |
| Music by | Wang Fu-ling |
| Cinematography | Chan Ching-kui |
| Edited by | Sung Ming |
| Distributed by | Golden Harvest |
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Release date
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Running time
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110 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Mandarin Cantonese |
| Box office |
HK$3,197,417 US$2,800,000 (US/ Canada rentals) |
The Big Boss (Chinese: 唐山大兄) is a 1971 Hong Kong martial arts action film written and directed by Lo Wei, with assistance from Bruce Lee. It stars Lee, Maria Yi, James Tien and Tony Liu. Lee's first major film, it was written for James Tien. However, when the film's original director, Ng Kar-seung, was replaced by Lo, Lee was given the leading role instead. Lee's strong performance overshadowed Tien, already a star in Hong Kong, and made Bruce Lee famous across Asia.
Cheng Chao-an (Bruce Lee) is a Chinese man from mainland China who moves to Thailand to live with his cousins and work in an ice factory. He meets his cousin Hsu Chien (James Tien) and Hsu's younger brother by accident when Hsu Chien stands up to local street thugs - Cheng Chao-an had largely stayed out of the fracas as he swore to his mother he would resist participating in any fighting.
Cheng begins work at the ice factory. When a block of ice is accidentally broken, a bag of white powder falls out. Two of Cheng's cousins pick up the bag, and are asked to see the manager. The factory is really a front for a drug smuggling ring led by Hsiao Mi, also known as the Big Boss. When Cheng's cousins refuse to cooperate, they are killed and their bodies disposed of.
Hsu Chien and another cousin go to Hsiao's compound to find out what happened to the two cousins. Hsu doubts Hsiao's claims he does not know what happened to them and threatens to go to the police. Hsiao has the duo killed before they can leave. When the workers at the ice factory learn that Hsu is missing as well, they start to riot. To ease tensions, Hsiao makes Cheng a foreman, providing him with alcohol and prostitutes.
Cheng gets drunk at Hsiao's dinner party and is seduced by Sun Wuman one of the prostitutes. She later warns Cheng that his life is in danger if he goes after Hsiao, and that Hsiao is running a drug trafficking operation. Immediately after Cheng leaves, Hsiao's son, Hsiao Chiun, sneaks in and kills Sun by throwing a knife at her heart. Sun's body is disposed of in the ice factory, just as Cheng's cousins were. Cheng breaks into the factory and finds the bodies, and is discovered by the gangsters.
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Wikipedia