Review of Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978) by Heinz U — 01 Jun 2008

This Kung Fu film has some really good ingredients. The thing that doesn't quite come through for it are the production values. The action sequences, the plot, the characters, the settings are all interesting and worth filming, but the actual cinematography and audio quality are quite poor, and so I found it unusually difficult to watch.

If you can put these issues aside, the film is great for it's time. Jackie Chan really begins to show his immense talents for what is probably the first respectable time. His acrobatics are great, as are the Snake & Crane styles he employs further on in the film.

Interestingly, his character is a little bit cocky, and his body language is a little unusual for him, as if he was told to act a little more American or something. Also, his back-hand strikes seem a little odd and over-used. One of the other great things is the appearance of all the different clans in the film. Th Black Dragons, the Flying Tigers etc really add some colour and interesting rivalry - not to mention the opportunities for various back-stabbings and double-dealings.

I would give everything in this movie an A, but the production values a C.