The Big Boss (1971) on Netflix
Cheng Chao-an leaves mainland China for Pak Chong, Thailand, to join his family and work at an ice factory. He has sworn to his mother never to fight.
- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb6.9/1032,059 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes65%
Trailer
Plot summary
Out of work in rural mainland China, Cheng Chao-an travels to Pak Chong, Thailand, to live with his cousins and take a job at an ice factory. Before he left, he swore to his mother not to fight, and he wears her jade amulet as a reminder. Cheng's cousin Hsu Chien stands up to thugs who beat Hsu's younger brother, and Cheng holds back. At the factory, a broken ice block spills out a bag of white powder.
Cast
- Kam Shanas Ah Shan
- Chia-Cheng Tuas Uncle
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Big Boss (1971)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The lead role of Cheng Chao-an was written for James Tien, but Bruce Lee got it instead when the film's original director, Wu Chia-hsiang, was replaced by Lo Wei.
- One night's filming of the big fight in the ice house had to stop for an hour when Bruce Lee lost a contact lens, and dozens of people searched on hands and knees among thousands of ice chips until he found it himself; Lo Wei wondered whether he had had it in his pocket all along.
- Bruce Lee badly cut his right hand while washing a thin glass; the wound needed ten stitches and a large plaster, which stayed visible throughout the film, especially in the scenes shot at the Thamrongthai ice factory in Pak Chong.
- After replacing the original director in late July 1971, Lo Wei re-wrote the script without Bruce Lee's knowledge, saying he hid it for fear of affecting Lee's morale and worked at night once Lee left his hotel room.
- The climactic fight between Bruce Lee and the boss, played by fight choreographer Han Ying Chieh, was the last scene shot in Pak Chong: Lee endured two days of hell when he sprained his ankle from a high jump on a slipped mattress, then caught a virus after being driven to Bangkok to see a doctor.
- The video game usage of the term "boss" has been traced back to The Big Boss in a claim reported by both Kotaku and The Guardian.
- The villain's mansion and gardens in The Big Boss were a Buddhist temple, Wat Siri Samphan, built in 1963 on the main road in Pak Chong; it is still there today and remains largely unchanged, drawing fans on pilgrimages to the film's Thai locations.
SPOILER
For its United States release, the death of Hsiao Mi, "The Boss", was cut down to him being stabbed in the chest with a knife to secure an "R" rating; the original close-up of the knife and Cheng Chao-an's fingers piercing his rib cage would have brought an "X" rating.
