Sassy Cat I've watched a lot of kung fu movies and a lot of Jackie Chan movies. This one is a cut above. The theme of the physically and mentally abused young man is a classic one and commonly used, but it's illustrated in this movie much better than in many others. You really feel Jackie's mental anguish. One particularly charming and clever scene is when his new friend, the 'old man' tries to cheer Chien Fu (Jackie) up after he's had a pretty nasty beating with his clever agility with a tea bowl. This not only amuses Chien Fu and cheers him up, but makes him curious about learning the skills himself. A delightful scene brilliantly executed. You can't take your eyes off of them.This movie is full of fight sequences that are just riveting. Don't blink! There are also multiple little plots going on, and a variety of characters, which make this movie much more interesting in the kung fu genre. Yet it is still a very simple theme and the action is the star, which is what you want. Jackie took a lot of actual physical punishment in this one. According to his autobiography, when his arm gets cut in the scene involving the sword, it was supposed to be staged with a blunt sword but the sword was still sharp and he gets cut for real. Jackie also lost a tooth when he got kicked in the final fight scene, which you can see missing at the end of the fight.

les6969 Have to give this film 10 out of 10 because it one of the great classic Kung Fu films that I can watch over and over again, along with the Bruce Lee films and Secret Rival films.Jackie Chan is at his peak physically and for the first time is allowed to break the mould and introduce his comedy character into a martial arts film. His comedy does not take away from the phenomenal skills shown by Jackie and the great Hwang Jang Lee ( who went on to become the white haired man and silver fox of the Secret rival films. The kicking skills alone are worth watching this film for.The skill and physical abilities displayed in this film are easy to overlook as Jackie hams it up but make no mistake these are REAL skills, not the wire effects type kung fu or many other and more recent Martial Arts films.There are a few negatives but none that distract to much. The priest is a bit useless and even out over acts the Chinese ( which is saying something ) The cat technique is silly in the extreme and the cat sound effects really stupid! Also some of the old man's fight scenes are very obviously being done by stunt doubles.But over all if you like good 'real' martial arts action do not miss this film. It would also be a good edition to any kung fu fans DVD collection.

lemon_magic There's "old school" and then there's "OLD SCHOOL", and this is pure chop-socky Spaghetti Eastern film making at its best. Fans of the old Golden Harvest/Shaw Brothers films will find all the proper clichés included, but there is enough original plotting, fight choreography and actual acting going on here to distinguish it from the 999 other films the Shaws released during the same period. Add the charm, humor, and likability of Jackie Chan into the mix, and you've got the perfect "Kung Fu Theater" experience.I've watched a reasonable number of kung fu flicks (enough to qualify as a fan, not enough to qualify as a devoted fanatic), and the plot to this one strikes me as reasonably fresh; instead of using classic "vengeance", "rebellion" or "gangster" motifs, "Snake" revolves around Jackie's growth as a man and as a fighter as he tries to help and protect a friend who Jackie doesn't know is the last master of a nearly extinct style of Kung Fu. It's a nice change of pace that allows elements of humor and friendship into the relationship between Chan's character and his teacher. And somehow the humor in this one works even for a Western sensibility - the director, fight director and the stunt men and the actors manage to include some involving, funny, moments in Chan's training that nevertheless impress.Plus, you've can't have an old school Kung Fu film without montages of the hero training in the secret forms and techniques of his style accompanied by the Chinese equivalent to the theme music from "Rocky", and "Snake" delivers these. Newer viewers may dismiss Chan (now in his 40-50s) in favor of someone like Jaa or Li, and because of the emphasis nowadays on humor and acrobatics; but "Snake" shows that Chan in his prime was in AWESOME shape. It's a real pleasure to watch him go at it. There is genuine artistry at work here. And the scene where Chan discovers/invents the missing application that fixes the weakness in the Snake style is well done (for this kind of movie).So if you like old school Kung Fu movies, seek this one out; and if you are a fan of Jackie Chan, seek this one out. I liked it a lot, and bought it on VHS - if I can find it somewhere on DVD for a reasonable price, I will probably buy it again.

marlborodeldesierto this is the best Jackie Chan movie, and probably the best kung fu action registered ever in film. a kung fu movie is simple, and this director knew it, because he never tries to out shine Jackie, fights where you see the character evolve in his skills, a couple of scenes where he plays with some elements such as a saucer or a rag, and fights where the only answer to what you see is that the action happens a bit faster then it was recorded, because there's no human way to do those choreographs without someone getting killed. a sword fight and some history about the kung fu techniques based upon animals. if you are looking for a good history, i don't know, this one is not the greatest but it wont bore you. lets not forget about an old man who steals the movie. the only problem about this movie is that after you see it you'll start to feel this voice that tells you "go practice kungfu", be careful, it's not as easy as Jackie shows it.