The film starts out with a kata being performed by a Kung-Fu expert. The narrator explains to us, the animal techniques that make up the different styles. He explains that there are a number of forms, two of the hardest being the Crane with it’s deadly beak strikes and the Snake with it’s stealthy maneuvers. What he wants us to understand is that out of all the animals, the mastery of these two alone would make a man near invincible. This is how the movie begins.
Although I wasn’t wowed by the Kung Fu in Snake & Crane Secret, it ended up being a pretty good movie to watch. Two brothers are separated by the brutal death of their father when his brother in arms switches sides and betrays his country for the Ching. A 3rd brother to the slain father escapes death himself to return 20 years later to try and find the two boys who each have pieces to the snake-crane secret. When he finds them, the trio join a gang of rebels in order to exact revenge on their father’s killer and simultaneously help free their countrymen from the clutches of the Ching. Coincidentally one brother has mastered the Crane style and the other, who remains hidden amidst the enemy until the end has mastered the Snake. The two find that even with their great skills, it is still near impossible to defeat their father’s killer who has mastered his own technique of the finger fist style. A style that has rewarded him with the status of Ching General and in his old age, he has matured into his own version of a Silver Fox.
Not the best kung fu movie I have seen but definitely not the worst. The only parts that annoyed me was the lack of translation whenever a note was read and also the lazy coreography on the large scale fights. Two females who lead the rebel gang are continuously thrust into battle and although they hold their own pretty well, the battle sequences seemed more like a dance than actual combat. The treacherous Hui San Yang (the murdering brother of the father) and the two revenge seeking brothers had the best kung-fu, and while this makes sense since they are the protagonists and main antagonist of the film, the supporting cast really dragged things down. One thing I did appreciate was a lack of any real downtime between the action and the way things stuck to the main point. I would not buy this title for my collection but if you are in wont of a nice bulk of Kung-Fu, you ought not miss this one.
Written by Greg Dragon – who has written 365 reviews on Spicy Movie Dogs.
Cinephile and opinion writer, Greg Dragon has been a fan of movies since the 80's when Kung Fu theater was all the rage and Roger Moore was James Bond. As an opinion writer that has reviewed Box Office releases on a number of prominent websites, Greg is the founder and lead critic of Spicy Movie Dogs.
Recent Comments