Le Chinois se déchaîne

One of the greatest of all Jackie's early period kung fu comedies, SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW is a textbook example of the genre directed by the renowned Yuen Woo-ping. While the simple storyline is nothing to write home about, the movie offers up a relentless onslaught of gags and fights, all of which are handled with aplomb by a willing team.

Inevitably, the standout thing about the film is Chan himself, and he's in his element here with a role which is both physically strenuous and highly comedic in equal measure. Chan displays the winning formula that would go on to make him a huge worldwide star over the next couple of decades, and watching him larking about on screen is a real delight.

The comedy is often lowbrow and involves sight gags, slapstick and silly humour, but somehow it all works. The fight scenes are inventive and fun to watch, and the arduous training sequences are particularly well staged. There's also some solid support from Sam Seed (Yuen Woo-ping's dad, no less) as the funny old man and Hwang Jang Lee as the villain. Both actors were typecast in their respective parts, but when they fit them so well you can see why.

I believe this was Jackie Chan's first widely successful movie freed from the constraints of Lo Wei and working with a different director allowed Jackie to move into a different direction and stop trying to be the new Bruce Lee (as if anyone ever could be!).

Surprisingly the humour translates pretty well and both Jackies cruel martial arts school employer and the kindly martial artist he meets and befriends are well drawn comedic characters. The sometimes bizarre fighting styles all named after animals are a joy to behold and Jackie and all the other martial artists involved show just how skillful they are with some truly memorable twists on the old school kung-fu style fighting. Many of those in this film came together again a year later to make the equally excellent Drunken Master.

I would recommend this film to any martial arts fan as a must see, it's also an excellent entry point if your interested in looking into martial arts action films in general. 8/10

If you've got a couple hours to spare, and you like light hearted hong kong kung fu, then watch this film. The music and sound effects are really hilarious, and the action never lets up. The final fight scene is somewhat memorable as well.

This is Jackie Chan's best film I have seen so far! Miles better than Drunken Master. The guy is supremely fit, which you see in this film, and the skill this guy possesses is second-to-none. There is tons of fighting from absolutely loads of Hong Kong's top martial artists. Apart from Jackie Chan, it's "Thunder Legs" Hwang Jang Lee who stands out, this guy is a supreme kicking machine! If you want to see a classic, then this is it! 10/10

Jackie's first big hit. It's easy to see why it was so popular when it was first released. Nobody had ever seen comedy and kung fu mixed together before. And if it wasn't for Jackie, we might have never have. Good and plentiful fights easily make this a kung fu classic that still entertains over 20 years later.