Story: Sheng Kuan, master of the Eagle Claw clan, is on raving rampage of destruction against the Snake-Fist clan. Fortunately, for the Snake-Fist clan, there are still two of their best members left to avenge their clan. While they are well hidden, however, Sheng Kuan plans to do everything he can to find and kill them so his Eagle Claw clan will be the most powerful and feared kung fu clan.

Meanwhile, Chien Fu would like to learn kung fu, but is reduced to only cleaning floors or being harassed by other school members. One day, he runs into an old beggar and decides to give him shelter and food. In exchange for his generosity, the old man decides to teach Chien Fu the unique style of the Snake-Fist, as the old man is, in fact, one of the last students of the Snake-Fist clan.

Review: Considerate by many to be an important film in Jackie Chan’s career, SNAKE IN THE EAGLE SHADOW has literally put the Chan’s name on the map as one of the best martial artists in Hong Kong cinema. Even if the film has a rather retro-stereotypical plot, the great kung fu performance, directed by no other than the master Yuen Woo-Ping, has put the movie on the classic level.

If you are familiar with old school kung fu movies, you know what to expect as a storyline. Like most kung fu films, it doesn’t feature a very surprising plot. At least, it never fails to entertain the viewer, but don’t except any intrigue as everything has been kept to a mindless level.

The movie also features an early Jackie Chan performance. If you never had chance to catch an old Jackie Chan movie, SNAKE IN THE EAGLE SHADOW is an excellent choice to start with. His athletic and kung fu ability are very well presented and with Yuen Woo-Ping behind the action, you can expect excellent fighting choreography. Simon Yuen, actual father of Yuen Woo-Ping, also gives a classic performance in the role of the old beggar. He will later, in the same year, reprise a similar role in the classic Drunken Master again in duo with Jackie Chan.

Action wise, the movie is great and the different fighting styles are very well portrayed. The animal style includes the snake fist, eagle claw, cat paw and also a few excellent kung fu training sequences. The fighting scenes are long and well shot and as good as you can expect from an old school kung fu movie.

The movie might not be as spectacular as other Jackie Chan classics such as DRUNKEN MASTER or THE YOUNG MASTER, but it is defiantly a movie to watch. Fans of traditional kung fu should definitely catch this film; the fights alone will be enough to satisfy any fan of the genre.