Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978)
Reviewed by: cal42 on 2006-05-03
Summary: Laying the foundations
In 1978, with his career going nowhere, Jackie Chan was loaned to Seasonal films for a two picture deal. The company wanted Fu Sheng, but due to other commitments, he was unavailable. The company begged the producer (Ng See Yuen) not to hire Jackie, stating that no film of his had ever been a hit, but Ng See Yuen liked what he saw, and a legend was born…

The film does not open promisingly. Hwang Jang Lee talks to Fong Haak-On (in the only good-guy role I can recall seeing him in) and they spend the first two minutes of the film hurling every chop-socky cliché imaginable to each other (you know the sort – “so…you must be tired of living!” etc etc). However, from there, it picks up tremendously (Fong Haak-On gets killed horribly, by the way. Seems that playing a good guy doesn’t agree with him).

Although not every element works well (the humour can sometimes grate), what you have here is the blueprint for virtually all of Jackie Chan’s films ever since. Along with Hwang Jang Lee (or “Korean Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee”, to give him his full name) as the bad guy (a role he would reprise in the sublime Drunken Master), Yuen Siu-Tien plays the beggarly mentor (who also reprises his role in Drunken Master) and Dean Shek plays the moderately villainous Kung Fu school teacher (who also…you get the idea). In fact, the whole film seems like a dry run for Drunken Master!

The synth score is actually quite memorable. I’m not a fan of 70’s synth music, but I believe strongly that it was performed by Jean Michel Jarre. I have no doubt that all the correct permissions for its inclusion in this film were granted in the correct manner *winks conspiratorially*.

Also in attendance is Roy Horan as the Christian Missionary. He’s a good guy, and there’s nothing funny about him whatsoever, honest. While I’m on the subject, this film really does showcase the three rules of Kung Fu cinema:
1. Never trust a man with facial hair.
2. Never trust a foreigner.
3. NEVER, EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TRUST A FOREIGNER WITH FACIAL HAIR.

In seriousness, though, Roy Horan gives a good account of himself, and even spends the entirety of his final scenes fighting with a dislocated shoulder (for real).

The showdown is just what you’d expect from a film such as this – long and bloody (although it should be pointed out that Jackie apparently used a double for a couple of shots). Also, rumour has it that Hwang Jang Lee accidentally knocked a cap out of one of Jackie’s teeth in this scene, leading Hwang Jang Lee to be excluded from any of Jackie’s future projects after he gained more control of his destiny. If this is true, then it really is a shame.

Finally, a small note on animal violence. As a cat lover, I cannot condone the use in this film of a real live cat to be pulled about on strings to simulate a fight against a cobra. It’s sick and disgusting, even if the cat wins in the end. This is one of the few times I’ve been grateful for a cut version of a film.

If you can get past that, there’s a lot of fun to be had in this very important film. If it wasn’t for this film, we probably wouldn’t have heard about Jackie Chan at all.
Reviewer Score: 6