Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978)

Jackie Chan's career began with some minor roles, before the studios attempted to turn him into the next Bruce Lee. This was unsuccessful, mainly due to his own insistence on being the first Jackie Chan. One of the first movies he made that really cemented his new status was 1978's Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin...

After developing a powerful new martial art technique, the Snake and the Crane, the 8 masters of the Shaolin temple mysteriously vanish, along with the new manual. Soon after, a man named Hsu Yin Fung wanders the land holding the book. This attracts all manner of bandits, martial artists, and competing houses, all determined to have the manual for themselves. But there's more to the situation than meets the eye, and Hsu has his own motivations...

Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin is a great example of Jackie's early career, and considered one of the high points amidst a sea of mediocrity. This is especially a surprise given it was a Lo Wei production! He was a known drunk, gambler, and lazy lump, who by sheer luck managed to crank out a few genre classics, usually thanks to the talents of everyone else involved. In some cases, Jackie often had to step into the director's chair himself, which would inform his own career, as directing became second nature.

The plot is fairly thin, but sustains itself well over the course of the runtime (even if it does stretch on a bit too long), and the central mystery is enough to keep you engaged. This leads to a reveal that pays off, answering the questions in a neat and satisfying manner.

The characters are the bigger highlight. Hsu is a fun hero, enigmatic and talented enough to keep out attention, and cheeky enough. He's also a bit of a sexist knob in places! Although in fairness he's probably only doing it to provoke a reaction. I like his behaviour in the final act, when he finally lets everyone else in on the truth.

The film's comic relief is scruffy ragamuffin Hong Tu. She could be either fun or obnoxious. I liked her, even if she is sneaky. One thing we can all agree on though is that she's a badass! She comes across the main villain, an unstoppable killing machine so powerful that he doesn't even notice most people, and she decides to piss him off into noticing her!

The remainder of the cast is made up of various different personalities, from beggar masters, to gorgeous heiress's, etc. The interplay between all these different clans is fun, if occasionally confusing, and it's nice seeing them all unite at the end, after a whole movie of duplicity.

The villain cuts an imposing figure, but mainly just shows up in the last 15 minutes, and doesn't get to leave much of an impression. The other villains are ok, but either die too quickly, disappear, or come out of nowhere.

The climax has plenty of great fighting and thrills on display. It is a bit weird when a random trio sent by the villain interrupt the final fight, but this does have a purpose. It felt unsatisfying that Hsu only wins the final fight after being given metal ball weapons, like even with his immense skill, the hero can't win without added enhancements.

As for a certain death that occurs, I have mixed feelings. On one hand it's the one thing that actually shakes the previously unflappable Hsu, and it acts greatly as the galvanising event to unite all the warring clans against this common enemy. On the other hand, it's bloody depressing! I mean, geez!

The ending itself is fairly satisfying, albeit pretty abrupt, as is common for most kung fu films of the era.

Snake and Crane has really good visuals, particularly when large groups are involved. This makes for a great image during the climax. Fight scenes are shot well too, whether close-up or wide and open.

Perhaps the best part of the film is the opening credits. Running at 6 minutes, they showcase various martial arts moves we'll be seeing, as the actors spar in front of a big red background and demonstrate weapons, all while...familiar music plays. I swear it took me a while to figure out. I KNEW this music, but just couldn't place it! Then a grin spread on my face as I realised what it was-The intro music to Monty Python and the Holy Grail! It's funny seeing it used in a sincere way, without any taking the piss. Apparently the tune did exist before Monty Python.

The cast here is a good one, with Jackie making for a perfect lead, in terms of action, and in charisma. Gam Ching Lan is a fun sidekick, Nora Miao is gorgeous, and the rest of the cast is full of beautiful, evil, comedic, and other over-the-top performances, doing their jobs well.

The version I've seen most is the subtitled one, but I have also watched the dubbed version (with comparatively less video quality!). It's typically goofy, and full of clunky dialogue. It streamlines the movie a little, trimming 10 whole minutes from the runtime. On the other hand though it removes some plot critical moments, as well as cutting down the awesome intro.

Ever since I first saw it over 10 years ago, I've had a soft spot for Snake and Crane: Arts of Shaolin. I definitely recommend it, especially if you're keen on Jackie Chan's early career, and especially if you're sick and tired of all the bait-and-switches in his early filmography. This is a great introduction...