This is a rough, ready showcase for Bruce Lee. Being his first martial arts film, we are left waiting (and waiting) for Bruce, as Cheng Chao-an to start kicking ass. He can’t kiss ass (in the storyline) due to a vague promise he made to his mum about non-violence. Lee is the shining star amongst a sea of melodrama, over-acting, awkward editing and a meandering storyline (perhaps the poor editing is a result of the many cuts the film has received over the years). This would have been forgotten in the sands of time had it not been for Bruce Lee. He captures the viewer’s attention immediately and even though his acting sometimes leaves a lot to be desired, his fight scenes push ‘The Big Boss’ into a higher realm. It’s worth the long wait to see Cheng Chao-an break his promise and finally start kicking some ass.

the big boss promise — You have offended my fam…oh no, wrong Bruce Lee film!

And boy, does he kick ass in a unique, beautiful, breath-taking way. Unfortunately, some of these fight scenes are marred by moments of silliness (i.e. Cheng Chao-an punching a man through a wall, leaving a man-shaped hole in the wall) and plenty of gravity-defying leaps. There are also plenty of unintentionally hilarious moments.
But you watch Bruce Lee films for the fight scenes, don’t you? And Bruce provides some of his most underrated fight scenes in his first martial arts film.