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Avg. Rating: 4.5
a variety of kung fu techniques makes for a fun watch
I've seen an enormous amount of old-school kung fu in my day, and a lot of the enjoyment I get from it depends directly on whether or not I'm watching the same bad comedy I've seen a million times before. I would've liked this a lot more had it been within the first couple of dozen fu flicks I'd ever seen. However, just as it started being cliche, it started to weave a little spell on me and I ended up liking it quite a bit. There's some originality waiting to surprise patient viewers.
We begin with a Monkey stylist (Pomson Shi, "Star Runner") fighting a Snake stylist (Charlie Chan, "Legend of a Fighter")! Not too shabby. The Monkey fighter is not only victorious, but virtuous and refuses to kill his opponent. It then cuts to a young man (John Chang, "Project A") who delivers fish but neglects his work to sneak to the roof of the local school and watch them practice Drunken Boxing. He eventually talks the master (Hau Chiu Sing, "Sun Dragon") into taking him as a student. Around the same time he meets the Monkey master who saves him from a potential attack by a cobra. Soon afterward, two Snake fighters (Chan again, accompanied by the always awesome Wilson Tong, "Daggers 8") kill both his masters and he must come up with his own hybrid style to defeat them.
I knew when I purchased this that the infamous "baboon fighting the cobra" scene was deleted, which is the entire basis for Chang's climactic style. There are uncut versions available, but I'm told that they have terrible picture quality. This was cheaper and I figured if I liked it enough, I would eventually get it uncut. Not sure if I will or not. It's good, but not quite a classic. I will say that the final fight is pretty good, and the way Chang takes out the two snakes (Chan especially) is awesome. I also like the way the story unfolds. Now this ain't a Thomas Harris novel, but it's a little more structured and confident than much of its breed.
This version from Xenon is full-screen and English dubbed only. Though there is no mention of remastering, the picture quality looks better than many of their releases that actually claim to be remastered. There is only one special feature but it's interesting. I'm not sure why, but there are major fight scenes (not trailers) from "Invincible Obsessed Fighter", "Fearless Dragons", "Jade Claw", and "Fighting Ace", respectively. Not what I would've put for special features, but hell yeah! Recommended for collectors and animal-style-enthusiasts, though you may want to wait for a better, complete version.
1979. aka: Snakefist vs The Dragon
1 of the best snake styles yet
It's really a 5* flick a lot of missing scenes, you will be hard press to find the orginal copy even the vhs copy has the same missing scenes will almost the same missing scenes buy the flick anyway the kung-fu is the best the villian uses the snake style
I love watching kung fu flicks for the langh because of the english dub, but most of all the fighting styles, snake, tiger, buddha fist, crane, monkey, eagle, drunken fist boxing... I just like clear cut choreograph moves I've seen flicks after training and when it's time for that "REVENGE" they are still bad fighters. 9 times out 10 if the actors are good in one flick you like they may be good in another so check the names, anyway I really like the snake style in most movies everybody can't use this style with precise technique.
Holla at dubose123@veriozn.net tell me your best flicks and I will share minds "Were u just using the wu tang style against me?" Forgive me I've learned so many styles...Shaolon vs Lama
LAST REVIEWR WAS RIGHT, YOU HAVE TO SEEK OUT THE UNCUT VERSION
How you are going to find it beats the heck out of me.
The version they are showing is cut by 20 FREAKING MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is actually pretty standard for the transfers for american dvd players, but you can see plenty of things being left out.
There is a great comedy scene where the master tells the student that if he wants to learn he has to learn from his master, just like he did.
So later in the movie this comes in to play where his master his dead and he has no way to learn kungfu. So just like snake in eagle's shadow he watches the bamboo and a snake comes to challenge the monkey but right before they make contact, it cuts away.
There are just too many scenes like this where it gets you closer and closer to your tv and then just cuts away.
So this dvd has some really cool kung fu and some pretty original scenes, but I still cuss everytime I see that dvd on my shelves. It always changes positions, right now it's in the box with all my old school vhs tapes.
Almost 5 Stars
the fight scene between the actual monkey and cobra deserves two stars by itself. without that original scene the movie lacks big tyme, if anyone knows where i can get the original movie(un-cut) please hit me at cjmartin7@yahoo.com.
A classic...
Snake in the Monkey's Shadow is one great martial arts flick. I would have liked the addition of the monkey killing the snake, but it's a minor omission. This movie is one of the classics and should be a part of your martial arts collection.
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