Review of Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978) by David L — 01 Jan 2013

Worst Jackie Chan movie I've ever seen, yet it's supposed to be one of his best examples of Kung-Fu?! Ok, so the martial arts are fast paced and impressive at first glance but it's all too obviously staged to make Chan look super human.

One look at his aggressors and their attacking moves are nothing short of comical and pathetic. There's a vague plot surrounding clan leaders all attempting to get their hands on a secret book which Chan holds, a book that details how to master the art of the powerful 'Snake & Crane' martial arts technique, which will ultimately make them the most powerful clan in the land.

As the battles keep coming, and heads start to roll, the fighters soon start to realise that rather than pit themselves against one another, they should be teaming up to destroy the clan that murdered the 8 creators of the Snake & Crane book in the first place.

It's not pitted as a comedy, but should be in my eyes as some of the dubbing is horrendous and unnecessarily high pitched. There's no change in tempo, no variation, no real excitement, and ultimately not enough to make it worthwhile watching.

There's a lot of hand and leg waving, and lots of Chinese "hi-yaaaaa's", but sometimes it's just all too quick and a struggle to understand what exactly is going on. When this goes on for the full duration, it's a major problem!!!