Chien Tse, le dragon noir

Nora Miao and Jackie Chan stars again since New Fist of Fury (1976) in this classic martial arts movie.

Eight masters of snake and crane combined their skills and wrote the book containing all their secrets. They entrusted it to master Lin along with the Dragon Spear, and disappeared. Hsu (Jackie Chan) is carrying that book. Everyone seems to know that and wants the book. Unfortunately Hsu turns out to be very well learned in the techniques, and nobody is able to take the book away from him. He's letting everyone know he has the book, because he's looking for a man.

Three different clans, Tang, Black Dragon, and Flying Tiger are after his book. Leader of the Tang clan Tang Sei-Chun (Nora Miao) is looking to get the book to find her father. It turns out that man Hsu is looking for is Chan, the leader of the Black Dragon clan and he's after the book also. Wong, head of Flying Tiger clan who's daughter Un-Chu has been stalking Hsu is interested in the book. They feel that with that book, they can rule the kung fu world.

Sei Chun, and Un Chu has feelings for Hsu, and sides with him. When Hsu gets caught by Wong, Sei Chun gathers her troops to free Hsu. But Hsu escapes on his own, and Chan hearing about this, goes after Hsu. The end result is all three clans converging on location where Hsu shows up. Chan wants to wipe out the other two clans, and full battle between the clans including Hsu ensues. Then surprising secret about the Shaolin masters and Chan is revealed.

Surprisingly entertaining movie featuring Jackie Chan. This movie has real plot to the story.

Few months after this movie was shot, Jackie will be filming his crowning achievement from the '70s, the Drunken Master. The two characters he played couldn't have been more apart. In this, he plays dead strait character, and there's no comic element in this story.

This is one of the better Jackie Chan movie from the '70s, and also a very decent kung fu movie.

When the Eight Steps of the Snake and Crane manual disappears along with the Shaolin masters who devised it, the martial arts world is said to be in disarray. Hsu (Jackie), a pigtailed wanderer (you know the sort), claims he possesses the coveted book and summarily every goddamn scoundrel wants a piece of it, and a piece of Hsu. That's more than enough to go on in this rather tame yet fulfilling chopsocky. The most redeeming factor: a straight Chan performance that's convincing and barely pretentious, featuring some of his best traditional choreography ever put on celluloid. Back in reality, though, the movie proved yet another major flop for the Lo Wei Motion Picture Co.

This movie's actually really good, especially considering how old it is... There's a wonderful cast of characters, each with their own particular weapon/style, and it doesn't dwell too much on plot like some earlier pics. Jackie Chan refers to this in his book as his "First Dream Project", and it shows, because it really looks like he's in control with the action and story. Not bad at all.

At first glance this movie is just another one of those old chan movies with the slightly irritating, forgettable title, and equally forgettable movie, but this one's content is pretty good.

It only drags occasionally, and the action (and even plot!) is very good, great to see jackie in control! It does make a change seeing him play someone other then the lovable underdog as well, but although this movies isn't humerous as far as i could tell, it's not deadly serious either.

Snake & Crane is horribly edited, and critisising the dubbing of a jackie chan movie is hardly an original notion, but it is very watchable, and while not a 'must-see' it is definatly one of Jackie's old ones that fans shouldn't be afraid to take a look at!

This film is one of Jackie's best old movies!! People say "Jackie Chan's" old films suck, well they are wrong about this one!!! In this film Jackie kicks people from left to right till the end!!! This film has the usual story were everyone want's to find the stolen book with some style in it!! When I brought the film I wasn't expecting much, but I got too much after all. This film has like 11 action scenes!!!! I haven't seen any old Jackie film with soo much action!! I like how Jackie uses the thing around him as props. Also there are no real stunt's in this film but the action is good. The action is sometimes slow and sometimes fast. Like for example when there was a sword fight, you can call that a fast action scene. But when there was hand to hand action that's slow but not alway's. And the story itself is pretty good. Because in other Jackie film the story is the same and it just get's boring after a while. So I think I sad enough about this great action packed film. So go rent or buy it today!!!!!