Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits – The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1971 (The Big Boss), Hong Kong, 1972 (Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon), Hong Kong/USA, 1973 (Enter the Dragon), Hong Kong/USA, 1978 (Game of Death)
Directors: Wei Lo (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury), Bruce Lee (The Way of the Dragon, Game of Death), Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon, Game of Death)
Cast: Bruce Lee, Maria Yi, James Tien, Ying-Chieh Han, Nora Miao, Chuck Norris, Ping-Ou Wei, Chung-Hsin Huang, Robert Wall, John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Ahna Capri, Kien Shih, Bolo Yeung, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Gig Young, Dean Jagger, Hugh O'Brian, Colleen Camp, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Release Date: July 14th, 2020
Approximate Running Times: 100 Minutes 39 Seconds (The Big Boss), 107 Minutes 5 Seconds (Fist of Fury), 99 Minutes 38 Seconds (The Way of the Dragon), 99 Minutes 18 Seconds (Enter the Dragon theatrical cut), 102 Minutes 48 Seconds (Enter the Dragon cpecial edition), 101 Minutes 14 Seconds (Game of Death)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: R
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon), LPCM Mono English (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, Enter The Dragon 'Both Versions', Game of Death, Game of Death 'Japanese Release'), DTS-HD 5.1 English (Enter the Dragon special edition), Dolby Digital Mono Mandarin (The Big Boss, The Big Boss 'Peter Thomas score'), Dolby Digital Mono Cantonese (Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon), Dolby Digital Mono English (The Way of the Dragon 'Japanese Release')
Subtitles: English (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon Theatrical Cut), English SDH (Enter the Dragon theatrical cut, Game of Death)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $124.95

"In The Big Boss, he commands the screen with his gravitas and explosive physicality in the role of a Chinese immigrant working at a Thai ice factory and sworn to an oath of nonviolence. When he discovers that the factory’s ruthless higher-ups are running a secret heroin ring and offing their own workers, his commitment to pacifism is put to the test. 

Set in 1910s Shanghai, Fist of Fury casts Lee as a martial-arts student who, after his revered master is murdered by a rival dojo of Japanese imperialists, sets out to defend the honor of both his school and the Chinese people, with his fatal fists as his weapon of choice.

After the back-to-back triumphs of The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, Bruce Lee was given the chance to write, produce, and direct his third outing as a martial-arts superstar. He used the opportunity to add a touch of goofily entertaining comedy to the typically action-driven proceedings in The Way of the Dragon, which finds him playing a rigorously trained martial artist who travels from Hong Kong to Rome to help his cousin, whose restaurant is being threatened by a gang of thugs.

At the height of his stardom in Hong Kong, Bruce Lee was called to Hollywood to make the film that, perhaps more than any other, defines his legacy. His electrifying fighting style and the deeply personal philosophy that guided it received their fullest expression yet in this thrilling tale of a Shaolin fighter who goes undercover to infiltrate an island presided over by a renegade monk turned diabolical criminal mastermind. Released just days after Lee’s tragic death, Enter the Dragon went on to become his greatest international success and one of the most influential action movies ever made.

Using stand-ins, doubles, and archival footage to compensate for Lee’s absence, Game of Death follows a martial-arts movie star who, when he is threatened by a cutthroat crime syndicate intent on controlling his career, must take his skills from the soundstage to the streets. It all builds to an exhilarating climax that is pure Lee: a tour de force of martial-arts mastery in which the legend himself, clad in an iconic yellow jumpsuit, fights his way up a multilevel pagoda, with the towering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar among his formidable opponents." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon theatrical cut, Enter the Dragon Special Edition), 4/5 (Game of Death, Game of Death II, Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "4K digital restorations of The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, and Game of Death. New 2K digital restoration of the 99-minute 1973 theatrical version of Enter the Dragon. New 2K digital restoration of the 102-minute “special-edition” version of Enter the Dragon."

The Big Boss comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40 GB

Feature: 32.1 GB

Fist of Fury comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.1 GB

Feature: 33.7 GB

The Way of the Dragon comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.9 GB

Feature: 31.3 GB

Enter The Dragon comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.4 GB

Feature: 29 GB

Game of Death comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.9 GB

Feature: 31.5 GB

Game of Death II and Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.3 GB

Feature: 23.3 GB (Game of Death II), 21.7 GB (Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend)

Enter the Dragon special edition comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.3 GB

Feature: 33.4 GB

Over the years the films of Bruce Lee have had a less than stellar history when it comes to the various home video releases of his films. And though in recent years it looked like these films were finally getting released befitting of these iconic films. Even the Shout! Factory Blu-ray releases that preceded this release left plenty of room for improvement. That said, The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon and Game of Death, the four films that got brand new 4k transfers looked great and these new transfers are easily the best these four films have ever looked on home video. And though both versions of Enter the Dragon only received new 2K digital restoration. The result is two solid transfers that are on par quality wise with the other four transfers.

Audio: 4.25/5

All films included in Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits are given a variety of audio options and most of the films come with English and/or English SDH subtitles. Quality wise, all the audio mixes are in very good shape, dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced and action sequences sound robust. That said, I noticed some minor instances of background hiss on some of the English language tracks.

Extras:

Extras for The Big Boss include U.S. TV spot (32 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), three theatrical trailers (9 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital mono English & Chinese with English subtitles), a video essay about composer Peter Thomas’ The Big Boss score titled Bruce Lee vs. Peter Thomas (2 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with martial arts instructor Gene LeBell titled Bruce Lee: The Early Years (13 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate opening credits: The Big Boss (1 minute 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), Fists of Fury 1 (1 minute 29 seconds, Dolby Digital mono) and Fist of Fury 2 (1 minute 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), alternate ending (45 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), extended scenes (2 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a featurette with Bruce Lee biographer Matthew Polly titled On The Big Boss (10 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles) and two audio commentaries’, the first audio commentary is with film critic Brandon Bentley and the second audio commentary is with Hong Kong film expert Mike Leeder.

Extras for Fist of Fury include, four theatrical trailers (17 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Chinese and English with English subtitles), an interview with actor Yuen Wah (10 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with English subtitles), an interview with actor Jun Katsumura titled Master of Bushido (12 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Riki Hashimoto titled Blade of Fury (12 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Nora Miao titled The First Lady (17 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with non-removable English subtitles), alternate opening credits: The Chinese Connection (2 minutes 1 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), Fist of Fury Japanese version (5 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English with burnt in Japanese subtitles), a featurette with Matthew Polly titled On Fist of Fury (10 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder.

Extras for The Way of the Dragon include a radio spot (32 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), two theatrical trailers (8 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Jon. T. Benn titled Kung Fu? (21 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Bruce Lee Remembered (7 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English and Chinese with English subtitles), a documentary titled Legacy of The Dragon (46 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), alternate opening credits: Return of The Dragon version 1 (2 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono) and Return of The Dragon version 2 (2 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), a featurette with Matthew Polly titled On The Way of the Dragon (8 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder.

Extras for Enter The Dragon theatrical cut include a radio spot (58 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), seven TV spots (5 minutes 40 second, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), four theatrical trailers (9 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), electronic press kit (7 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Tung Wai (3 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Chinese with English subtitles), an interview with Linda Lee Cadwell (16 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Bruce Lee: In His Own Words (19 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a making featurette titled Blood and Steel (30 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and a featurette with Matthew Polly titled On The Way of the Dragon (9 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Extras for Game of Death include two theatrical trailers (5 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Robert Wall titled “Game of Death” Revisited (28 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate Chinese opening credits (1 minute 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), alternate ending 1 (1 minute, Dolby Digital mono Chinese with burnt in English subtitles), alternate ending 2 (1 minute 29 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Chinese with burnt in English subtitles), alternate ending 3 (1 minute 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Chinese with burnt in English subtitles), four deleted scenes: Fight (4 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Chinese with English subtitles), Phone Call (20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Chinese with English subtitles), Boating (30 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Chinese with English subtitles) and Arrested (1 minute 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Chinese with English subtitles), outtakes (3 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo), bloopers (2 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo), a new presentation of Bruce Lee’s original Game of Death footage, produced by Alan Canvan titled Game of Death Redux (34 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette with Matthew Polly titled On Game of Death (6 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Mike Leeder.

Also, included with this release are two discs with additional supplements.

Blu-ray disc six contains two feature films, Game of Death II (96 minutes 51 seconds, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles) and Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend (86 minutes 10 seconds, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Extras on disc six include a trailer for Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend (2 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), two trailers for Game of Death II (6 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Chinese and English with English subtitles) and an alternate opening for Game of Death II (2 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Chinese with burnt in English subtitles).

Blu-ray disc seven contains Enter the Dragon special edition (102 minutes 48 seconds, 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC, LPCM mono English, DTS-HD 5.1 English, no subtitles).

Extras in disc seven include an interview with producer Andre Morgan titled Risk and Reward (16 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with English language dubbing performers Michael Kaye (the English-speaking voice of Lee’s Chen Zhen and Vaughan Savidge titled Match the Lips (11 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English and Chinese with English subtitles), an interview with Wing Chun instructor/Bruce Lee mentor William Cheung titled The Grandmaster and The Dragon (54 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with author Grady Hendriz titled Bruceploitation (10 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Bruceploitation trailer galleries: Call Me Dragon - Black Samurai - Rage of the Dragon - Dragon on Fire - Bruce and the Iron Finger - Golden Dragon Silver Snake - Goodbye Bruce Lee His Last Game of Death (13 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with producer Paul Heller for Enter the Dragon special edition.

Other extras include a twenty-page magazine/booklet with cast & crew information for each film and an essay titled Water and Vessel: The Kung-Fu Movies of Bruce Lee written by Jeff Chang and information about the transfers/restorations. 

Summary:

The Big Boss is a nice introduction for Bruce Lee; there’re a few solid action sequences that showcase his talent as a martial artist. The first of his two standout fight scenes takes place at the ice factory, where some thugs who work for the big boss are looking to silence his character once and for all. The other standout fight scene is the finale, where Bruce Lee’s character Cheng Chao-an confronts Hsiao Mi (the big boss). Instead of immediately attacking each other, they stare each other down in a Sergio Leone slow buildup that even features an ultra-close-up of the two warriors’ eyes. The last moments of their battle serve as a perfect climax to the events that have unfolded.

The Big Boss also has a fair amount of lighthearted moments, like the scene where Cheng Chao-an makes faces when he’s introduced to his relatives. And a scene where the big boss’s men invite Cheng Chao-an to a night out with prostitutes During this sequence, Cheng Chao-an blacks out after drinking too much, and he wakes up next to a prostitute. The moments where Cheng Chao-an stumbles around drunk give Bruce Lee an opportunity to showcase his ability to deliver comedy.

The Big Boss, like many Hong Kong martial arts films from this era, features music that was not written for the film, and in most instances, it is music that was not cleared for use in the film. The Cantonese language track features three Pink Floyd songs: Obscured by Clouds, Time and The Grand Vizier's Garden Party, and King Crimson’s Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part 2.

From a production standpoint, though, Bruce Lee’s next films are all stronger than The Big Boss. The result is a solid martial arts film that holds up better than most martial arts films from this era.

At the heart of Fist of Fury is a tale about national pride. The villain's oppressors are the Japanese occupiers. The premise is a classic take on China vs. Japan.

The Big Boss began as a film that was to star someone else before Bruce Lee eventually became its star. From its opening moments, it's clear that Bruce Lee is the main attraction of Fist of Fury. That said, though Bruce Lee’s talents as a martial artist are undeniable, one must not overlook his ability to convey so much through his facial expressions and his eyes.

Though Fist of Fury features a stronger narrative than The Big Boss, there’s also much improvement when it comes to the action sequences, which Bruce Lee had more control over. A standout action sequence that occurs early on is a scene where Bruce Lee’s character Chen Zhen returns an insulting sign to a Japanese karate school that disrespected his master and his martial arts school. In this sequence, Bruce Lee showcases his lightning-fast fighting skills and his ability to land forceful blows. It is also in this sequence that Bruce Lee introduces a new weapon, the nunchakus, a weapon he would forever become linked with.

Not wanting to be one-dimensional and just known for his martial arts skills. Fist of Fury allows Bruce Lee to show a more tender side of himself in a scene where his character is hiding in a graveyard. His interactions in sequence humanize his character in a way that’s lacking in most martial arts films from this era. Also, Bruce Lee expands his comedic side in Fist of Fury; throughout, his character wears various humorous disguises.

Fist of Fury’s main action set piece is a scene where Chen Zhen faces off against an assassin named Petrov. It’s in this scene that Chen Zhen unleashes his fist of fury technique. That said, all around, the martial arts in Fist of Fury are simply outstanding, as each fight tops the next.

The Way of the Dragon would mark Bruce Lee’s debut as director. Unfortunately, because of his tragic death, The Way of the Dragon was the only film over which he had total control.

Bruce Lee, with each new film, would inject more humor. With The Way of the Dragon, he would find a perfect balance of action and comedy. Some of the funniest moments actually occur during the fight sequences.

Also, with The Way of the Dragon, Bruce Lee would add more weapons to his arsenal, like throwing darts, that he would use to disarm gunmen. Of course, his trademark nunchakus would be put to use in The Way of the Dragon.

The thing that becomes clear while watching The Way of the Dragon is Bruce Lee’s visionary fight choreography and his grace and power. Standout fight sequences include a scene in an alley where Bruce Lee’s character Tang Lung shows four thugs the ancient art of Chinese boxing and what it's like to be on the receiving end of nunchakus. The main attraction of The Way of the Dragon is Bruce Lee’s duel with Chuck Norris. This sequence is breathtaking in its execution, as the long build-up adds to the tension. It’s also right that they’re fighting in the Roman Colosseum, a place where gladiators once fought to the death. That said, neither man is willing to go down easy, as they both take a beating in what shapes up to be one of martial arts cinema's greatest duels.

Unsatisfied with the work of director Lo Wei, who had directed Bruce Lee’s first two films for Golden Harvest, Bruce Lee would insist on directing his next film, The Way of the Dragon, and the result is an exceptional film that foreshadows Bruce Lee’s greatness.

Bruce Lee would return to America with his landmark 1973 martial arts film Enter the Dragon, which also marked the first Hong Kong/U.S. collaboration on a martial arts film. Having trouble finding his place in Hollywood, Bruce Lee would go to Hong Kong and find instant fame and success. The three films he made before Enter the Dragon were not only successful; they all did better than their predecessors. Enter the Dragon is arguably Bruce Lee’s most famous film, and tragically, it would also become his last feature film that he would complete before his untimely death at the age of 32.

Though directed by Robert Clouse Enter the Dragon is clearly Bruce Lee’s creation, as he meticulously creates every fight to perfection, and the tone of the film is in line with Bruce Lee's philosophy. The scenes between the action scenes serve only to further the plot. These moments are mostly kept brief enough for the viewer to catch their breath before jumping back into the action.

Enter the Dragon is simply astounding. You have, in brief roles, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo in the film's opening fight with Bruce Lee and Bolo Yeung as one of Han’s henchmen. Other cast notables include Robert Wall, who worked with Bruce Lee before on The Way of the Dragon; Angela Mao, one of the première women of 1970’s Hong Kong action cinema; and Jim Kelly, who would go on to a successful career in martial arts cinema because of Enter the Dragon. If you blink, you might miss them, but Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao both appear in Enter the Dragon in uncredited roles.

Actor John Saxon, who's given co-top billing in the opening credits, plays Roper, a man who doesn’t know when to say 'no', when it comes to betting, and this often lands him in hot water. Saxon is surprisingly good in the role, with his martial arts skills exceeding all my expectations. Then there is Bruce Lee, the star of the show, who's in peak form. Enter the Dragon showcases Bruce Lee at the top of his game. Enter the Dragon's most memorable sequence is the fight scene in a hall of mirrors. Ultimately, Enter the Dragon is one of the best martial arts films ever made, and despite its many imitators, none have come close to capturing its magic.

Five years after his untimely death, Golden Harvest would jump into Bruceploitation with Game of Death. Though Game of Death has never seen footage from a project of the same name that Bruce Lee was making before he died, the result is a film that’s far removed from what Bruce Lee envisioned.

Though Robert Clouse, who directed Enter the Dragon, returns for Game of Death, It quickly becomes clear that Bruce Lee was the creative force behind Enter the Dragon.

From its opening moments, Game of Death is an abomination that’s lacking everything that made the film it actually starred in so special. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to the two actors hired to fill in for Bruce Lee: one actor does the exposition scenes, while the other actor does the fight scenes. Unfortunately, both actors lack charisma, and all the fight sequences are poorly executed.

There are so many things wrong with Game of Death, like the use of cardboard cutouts of Bruce Lee’s head and the fact that only 1/3 of his Game of Death footage gets used, while we have to sit through almost ninety minutes with a fake Bruce Lee lookalike. In a tragic twist of fate, Bruce’s son Brandon's death would strangely mirror Billy Lo’s death in Game of Death.

After sitting through the abomination known as the Game of Death, to my surprise, there’s a Game of Death II. And though Game of Death was bottom-of-the-barrel filmmaking, ultimately, it was a success at the box office and at money talks. That said, it was only a matter of time before someone made a sequel.

Prepared to be let down, I went into Game of Death II with extremely low expectations. And to my surprise, what I unfolded was a film that’s superior to Game of Death in every way.

Game of Death II’s premise is a fairly standard martial arts scenario. Like most of the stronger martial arts films, it delivers and then some when it comes to the action sequences. The action choreographer on Game of Death II is the legendary Woo-Ping Yuen, whose notable credits include Drunken Master, The Magnificent Butcher, Once Upon a Time in China, and Iron Monkey.

Also, Game of Death II, like so many Hong Kong martial arts films from the 1970s and 1980s, uses music composed for other films. In the original Hong Kong cut of the film titled Tower of Death, the music uses cues from Les Baxter's score for The Dunwich Horror.

Though Bruceploitation is most remembered for films featuring an actor who'resembled' Bruce Lee and/or whose name was a play on Bruce Lee’s name, to my surprise, there are actually several documentaries that are part of Bruceploitation. Case in point: Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend, a film released shortly after Bruce Lee’s death and one of the first films that exploited his death.

That said, Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend is a well-made documentary that features footage from Bruce Lee’s funeral. Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend also does a good job recapping Bruce Lee’s life, personal and professional.

Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend has some interesting music choices, including a pair of Pink Floyd songs, One of These Days and On the Run, and King Crimson’s Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Part 1.

Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits brings together Bruce Lee’s most celebrated films, give them solid audio/video presentations, and a wealth of extra content about Bruce Lee and his films, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer