Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978)

 Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978) ****/***** (Review copy was the 2019 edition of the 88 films blu-ray)

As far as these things go, this one isn't overly complicated, 

Jackie Chan has a book everyone wants and they will stop at nothing to get it. However Jackie is actually looking a murderer and is using the book as bait. 

This was a fun typical martial arts adventure utilizing the old "secret technique book" trope, it's a tried and true plot device that provides intrigue and lots  of opportunities for fights. All of which are extremely well done.

The supporting characters were all likeable, although once again Wu Te-shan (Who I also liked as the Drunk Monk in "Shaolin Wooden Men") steals the show as Oddball Lu and is my favorite supporting character here.

Oddball Lu

.

Followed up by by Kim Jeong-ran as Huang Zhu who manages to play an entertaining dual role type of part. I loved the energy she brought to the role, she approached it with gusto.

And in third place the graceful Nora Miao

Though to be fair, I really did love the entire cast, good guy or bad guy, the actors made this an enjoyable romp despite the well worn plot device. There is never really a lull in the action once it begins, the movie is constantly on the move, either through constant battles or the simple act of walking from one place to the next.


Of course there are betrayals, shocking reveals, and forced alliance, but would it truly be a Lo Wei production without a few twists here and there? Aside from that, this bears almost no trace of the producer. It's a well constructed action/adventure movie that features the steady hand of Chen Chi-hwa in the director's chair. And stunning fights put together by To Wai-Wo and Jackie Chan.


All of the fights were just amazing, and in them you get to see early glimpses of the comic touches that would eventually make Jackie Chan an international superstar. The movie is well worth viewing for the nearly endless fights alone.

Again Jackie Chan is in his element here, and as result comes across quite relaxed and is able to let his natural charm shine. 

In addition to being well choreographed, the fights are also beautifully filmed as well. In fact the whole production is nearly flawless. Only being let down by rather poor wigs/hairpieces/bald caps and poorly mixed music that is apparently just layed haphazardly on top of the scenes that it is used in. The mix is just terrible and almost like an afterthought.


The hairpieces aren't well blended into the actors makeup and becomes particularly jarring during the final showdown. That aside, the costuming is well done, nowhere as extravagant as the Wuxia inspired films prior to this, but still filled with nice textures and colors.

I like the architecture and overall set design of these movies, they are very interesting and I really just want to explore it in person. It's endlessly fascinating to me.


At this point, I think I am just in love with the overall aesthetics of the genre, the wise master is also so cool to me.

Anyway, if you want to watch it, it's available through Shout Factory's streaming channels, but only in a dubbed format. Which is a no go for me, but I know some people love cheezy dubs. Or here's the TUBI link, still just the English dub.


In conclusion, this is my favorite Jackie Chan effort from his early years so far. Up till now, Spiritual Kung Fu was my favorite 70's era Chan effort. It was entertaining and made me laugh.

The Cast (Courtesy of HKMDB)

Jackie Chan...Hsu Yin-Fung 

Nora Miao Ke-Hsiu...Tang Ping-Er 

Chin Kang...Master Chin the Black Dragon Gang 

Kim Jeong-Ran...Hung Chu / Yellow Pearl 

Lee Yeong-Guk...Shi Ping-Fang 

Lau Nga-Ying...Lady Sun 

Miao Tian...Leader Gu 

Lee Man-Tai...Old Beggar 

Wu Te-Shan...Oddball Lu 

Tung Lin...Master Huang of Fort Tiger 

Wang Quen...Lady Sun double 

Lu Ping...Hung Chu's uncle 

Ho Kang...Restaurant owner 

Lin Chao-Hsiung...Ping-Er's guard 

Li Min-Lang...Lady Sun's guard 

To Wai-Wo...Ting brother

Before I started these reviews, I had already curated what I felt were the most essential Jackie Chan movies. As a result there will be several titles skipped over. "The Hand of Death" is the most notable from the 70's . I have never seen it, nor do I wish to comment on its quality, but doing some preliminary research led me to conclude it wasn't exactly the type of Jackie Chan showcase I was looking for.

Though I probably should've kept that one in and tossed out "Killer Meteors" and "To Kill With Intrigue" instead. 

Jackie Chan will return in "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow"

Shout out to Hong Kong Movie Database 

. 

and the Internet Movie Database

As well as Wikipedia