Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14998 in VHS
• Released on: 2002-11-05
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.com
Along with Drunken Master, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow launched a new fusion of comedy and kung fu. And it's easy to see why Snake has been so popular--it's easily the most engaging of Jackie Chan's early films. Everyone abuses and humiliates a downtrodden orphan (Chan) until he befriends an old man, who turns out to be the last master of the "snake fist" fighting style. Jackie becomes the old man's student and finds himself in battle with the master of the "eagle's claw" style, who has vowed to destroy the snake fist clan. Though these plot elements are familiar stuff, they're all executed with outstanding verve; the performances, the fight choreography, and even the obligatory training sequence are unusually complex and well filmed. Jackie is in top form and coming into his own as a star. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

If you've seen Drunken Master 1, watch this now!
This film has Jackie and Simon Yuen Siu Tien (Su Huan Chi from DM)teaming together again. Jackie plays an orphan who is indentured at a kung fu school. At the school he does chores and gets used as a punching bag. One day in the street, he runs into an old beggar who teaches him the Snake Fist style. The Eagle Claw clan wishes to wipe out the weaker Snake Fist style users, so Jackie develops his own style of Cat's Claw. Simon Yuen Siu Tien is great in this movie, possibly better than he was in Drunken Master. There is an incredible scene at the beginning where he balances a bowl on his hands, feet, and head while Jackie tries to grab it. The action in this is great, as well as the plot. Do yourself a favor and watch this. (But don't watch Snake in the Eagle's Shadow II, Jackie's not even in it).

The Ultimate Jackie Chan Movie
Before I go on I must say that my score is based on a heavy tilt. As a DVD this has nothing to really merit 5 stars in the way of features, extras and the ilk. But you're not buying this movie for features are you? You're buying it because this happens to be one of the finest Kung Fu movies ever made.

There is a plot that revolves around two feuding kung fu schools, the snakefist and the eagle's claw. The eagle's claw has all but won, having successfully killed most of the members of the snakefist. Jackie Chan plays an errand boy working in a small kung-fu school and he happens to come across the last remaining master of the snake fist and provides him out with food and shelter.

That's the plot. Its full of holes but at the same time it is dotted with some hilarious moments, highlighted by excellent fighting scenes, and carried by jackie chan's irresistable charm.

This is old school jackie chan. If you've only seen his new films you will most likely not like this. For people who really enjoy his older work or want to see a classic jackie chan film, this is amongst the best. I also recommend police story which is another jackie chan classic.

Chan's first flick that boost him to stardom
This is a decent flick of Jackie Chan's early stuff. Jackie had a good share of unsuccessful films with Lo Wei, because he didn't use Jackie Chan to the fullest. Lo also tried to make Jackie Chan another Bruce Lee. But this is his Jackie's first collaboration with Yuen Woo Ping (the choreographer from The Matrix triology, Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Unleased), and he introduced Jackie to the genre of kung-fu comedy.

This DVD (the Columbian Tristar version) is the second-best version out there. This version, however, cuts out a brief fight between a cat and a snake (this fight scene is important to the plot). To get the full story, buy the Mei Ah version, or the Hong Kong version.