Fists of Fury (1971) Review

Rating: 5 out of 5

Director: Lo Wei

Year: 1971

Plot:

“Fists of Fury” is a 1971 film that is really “The Big Boss”. Bruce Lee stars as a man who seeks revenge for the death of his family members. He discovers that the ice factory he was working at is trafficking drugs, and as a result caused the death of his family members. That’s about as simple as you can make the movie’s plot, although there is some side action, and a little more information that you’ll glean from the movie overall. However, at the crux of the film, it’s a revenge plot. This is explored through various plot points, including our main hero’s family starting to go missing, and the revelation that the ice factory he works at is trafficking drugs. It tightens up, before leading to a major showdown to close the film out.

Thoughts:

First, the transfer and audio are top notch for this movie. You can get it on blu ray, and you can stream it in high definition as well. The transfers on this are great, and well worth your time to seek out. This is somewhat unusual for the genre, and you can tell through the reviews that I have. It’s a nice thing to see up front, a nice overall transfer, excellent even.

There is a lot of story to this movie. It is driven by plot, and you are introduced to the characters through different scenarios. It is not a straightforward fight film, so don’t expect all out brawls throughout every quarter of the film, it’s just not that type of movie. If you’re used to kung fu films that keep brawling throughout this is not it. That’s not bad, it’s just an observation that I made while watching the film. Plot heavy, the movie takes time to build the story, and you are not in for a frenetic style. That’s where this stands out, making it a crime drama at times, more than a kung fu movie.

Due to the nature of the story, “Fists of Fury” ‘becomes more than just a fight film. It gets serious, and while there is some fighting, it doesn’t feel like your traditional kung fu movie. It feels more important, especially in that our main hero doesn’t get involved in every brawl until he is provoked. Once provoked he jumps into the fray. When we do see Bruce Lee fight, he does so with grace and poise, fast and to the point.

“Fists of Fury” is a good movie. It stands tall amongst fight movies, because it’s not just about that. In fact, there’s far more to it than fighting, and really holds a good candle to cinema in general. At the core it’s simple, but as you unravel it a bit, you have crime, drama, and action, making it a great one to watch. It has something for everyone, and that’s rare in the genre. I give it a 5 out of 5.

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