Shaolin contre les 8 serpents

A sacred treasure map is stolen by a group of thieves. They go underground and split the map into eight pieces between them all, agreeing to reconvene in three years and only then will they collectively seek out the treasure. Unfortunately for them, a kung fu fighting policemen pursues them and takes them out one by one.

Shaolin Deadly Kicks is a fairly typical Hong Kong action flick from back in the day. I quite liked the simple plot-line that set up a neat excuse for several martial arts encounters. Like most films of this type, the action scenes are pretty well delivered but it all gets a little monotonous after a while and by the end I was actively tired of it. There are some good things to be found here admittedly but it's ultimately one mainly for martial art nuts I reckon.

NOTE: This review is for the English-dubbed version of this film. Like most 70s dubbed martial arts films, the film condition on DVD was questionable and a few of the voice actors were poor. The film in its original form might be a lot better and the terrible plot might actually make a lot more sense. So consider this as you read on...

I've seen quite a few older martial arts film lately and I was happy to see that the star of this picture, Tao-liang Tan, could actually do martial arts! So many times, the cheesier films of the genre feature sub-par fighting and it's obvious that the average REAL black belt in anything cold kick the hero's butt! All too often, kicks and punches don't come close to landing and the technique is poor. But, this is NOT the case here, as the hero has excellent kicking skills which he demonstrates again and again. So the action scenes are indeed excellent if you ignore the fact that his enemies line up and attack him one at a time (a typical fighting style in martial arts films--not seen in real life, though). BUT, the rest of the film is a real mixed bag--sometimes interesting and often pretty lame. In particular, the ending of the film just made no sense at all and was a major disappointment. I really feel like the film is missing something. It is worth while for lovers of the genre, but otherwise it's easy to skip.

From the hackneyed plot to the mediocre fight choreography, "Shaolin Deadly Kicks" (aka "The Flash Legs") is a typical low-budget Taiwanese martial arts flick. There's a treasure map that's been cut into eight pieces by a gang of murderous thieves, a tediously righteous cop who pursues them, and various other clichés glued together into some vague semblance of a storyline. In the end, it's high-kicking Tan Tao-liang (the cop) and attractive Doris Lung versus Lo Lieh, who has a nasty facial scar and another one of those gimmicky weapons meant to underscore his status as the fearsome lead villain. (This time it's a hand-shaped hunk of metal that he swings around on a chain.)

Lots of fights, but they're as dull as they are numerous; the climactic battle is especially underwhelming, and that's the one thing I can't forgive in a martial arts film. This cast (which also includes Lung Fei, Tsai Hung and Kam Kang) deserved better.

Promising more boot than you could shake a kwan at, Flash Legs does almost everything it says on the tin: delivering the 'flash legs' of its title, Tan Tao Liang, in many high-kicking confrontations with the bootmaster showing off his whole repertoire of fancy leg work. The premise seems tedious enough - eight bandits are single-handedly bumped off by police chief Liang for stealing a sacred treasure map - and makes you wonder how it lasts the distance. It's probably got something to do with all those fight scenes, which fly in thick and fast in this relatively mediocre kung fu fest.

A gang of masked thieves known as the Eight Dragons bust into a wealthy man's home and steal a map, leaving no witnesses alive. Once the deed is done, the leader decides that this ordeal has gotten way out of hand, and orders his men to each take one piece of the map and go into hiding for three years before they regroup and finally reap the rewards of their newly obtained treasure. Dorian Tan plays a cop who uses deceit, disguises, and finds himself in a compromising situations on more than one occasion as he tracks down each member and attempts to regain the stolen treasure. This premise sounds very promising but unfortunately the movie falls short.

The movie flows along and holds one's attention pretty well as Tan finds each of the thieves but each resulting confrontation is plainly unsatisfying. Huang Lung's fight choreography here is stale and just plain boring. While I can certainly appreciate Dorian Tan's impressive kicking ability there is simply too much emphasis put on it. All too often do we see Mr. Tan hopping around on and attacking his opponent with one leg, which is all fine and dandy, but results in his kicks looking like they have no power behind them. Punches suffer similarly due to the slow speed at which they tend to be delivered, which is actually a fault I found with the kicking as well. The fight scenes get a bit more interesting towards the end, but regardless, I can honestly say that I enjoyed Tan's performance vs Yang Sze and Jim Kelly in The Tattoo Connection more than any fight in SDK. Even the talents of Lo Lieh, Gam Gong, and that of some other recognizable HK cinema stars are wasted here. The final fight where Tan and Doris Lung take on Lo Lieh is also quite bland and the ending itself is abrupt and like the rest of the film, extremely unsatisfying.

The meticulous and well-orchestrated soundtrack by Chow Fook Leung is one of the high-points of this film and the only thing I really liked about it besides the inclusion of Miss Doris Lung Chun-Erh, who played the daughter of the Eight Dragons' leader. The English dub, acting, and directing are all fine and passable. Unfortunately, the action isn't, and for a movie of this type that is not acceptable. I would recommend this only to Flash Legs completists.