Snake-Crane Secret (1978)

Wow, this is a REALLY bad movie!

Highly Overrated But Still Good

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

This film is for the English dub of SNAKE CRANE SECRET--and in this case, the dubbing is rather poor. Keep this in mind, as the original Chinese movie might differ or be significantly better or worse.I think I've finally seen so many martial arts films that many of them are starting to merge into one. Now this isn't to say I am tired of the genre, as I love one of these films if it has something new and unusual that sets it apart. But SNAKE CRANE SECRET is so full of derivative plot elements and clichés that I couldn't help but repeatedly think that I'd seen it all before. For example, the films begins with (what else?) a betrayal. And, of course, family members of the betrayed (two boys) are somehow spared and eventually grow up to vow revenge for their father's death (in many other films, it's their sensei or clan leader). Along the way, they meet a couple of kick-butt lady kung fu experts and the film is filled with celery-snapping special effects every time a kick or punch is delivered--even if it doesn't connect. And, in the end, there are also no surprises--NONE! About the only real positive for the film is that the martial arts are decent. While very few of their punches and kicks really connect, at least they generally come close (unlike some really BAD martial arts films). And, while it may get some getting used to compared to Japanese karate films and those of Bruce Lee, the ballet-style choreography of the fighting sequences is impressive. In other words, instead of looking like a real all-out fight, the scenes are extremely planned out and choreographed so it looks almost like a dance or work of art. It's a style I've seen in many other films and while not exactly realistic, I appreciate the care and effort going into the fights.If you've seen only a few martial arts films, this one is well worth seeing. If you want something innovative or unique, I suggest you look elsewhere.

It has a couple of saving graces but generally is just bad. It begins with some reasonably well done flashbacks that show the background of the current situation. There is some treachery, some decent fighting and the sudden appearance of a monk to save the day--or at least saves the lives of the protagonists when they were children. The next acceptable scene features Fang Fang, showing some kung fu and spear moves to a not very enthusiastic audience—she really sells the moves. I know that the Shaw Brothers studio had training courses for actors and actresses in fighting for the camera. They didn't learn kung fu as such but how not look ridiculous when imitating it on film. She was able to wield her spear, the short staff and a few other weapons without embarrassing herself during fights.Elsa Yeung Wai San was a different story. Perhaps she was having a bad couple of weeks, but she always looked out of place during the fights. Her work with the jointed staff reminded me of a housewife with a flyswatter. A fight with Elsa and Fang taking on a bunch of bad guys is one of the dullest I have ever seen.The reunion between the brothers who had been separated for 20 years was lame--it was as emotional as if one of them was returning from lunch.Mang Fei was an almost totally unlikable protagonist. His ambition was to kill a Ching Dynasty official who had killed his father but he came across as petulant and spoiled. And Yu Tien Lung as the Ching official was an extremely bland bad guy. Until the end of the movie he was simply an ambitious local bureaucrat looking for promotion. In the last reel, however, he became a kung fu master. It took Mang Fei, played by his brother Hang Kuei, played by Tung Li, and their uncle Shao Ting San, played by Dean Shek, to defeat Yu. and he was still able to injure Erh Lang and kill Hang Kuei. He went from a petty timeserver to a martial arts killer in the blink of an eye.Not recommended.

Version: English dub 'Snake & Crane Secret' is on the better old-school kung-fu movies I've seen. It may still only be worthy of a 5/10, but for essentially $2.50, it is worth it.The plot is fairly simple - two brothers are separated as children after their father is killed protecting the secret Snake & Crane kung-fu book from a bad guy. Twenty years later, the same bad guy is a top man within the Ching-dynasty leadership. A group of rebels (good-guys) need the brothers and their kung-fu skills to stop the bad-guy and free their people.The dubbed dialog is great, and some of the fights (especially the final one) are enjoyable, otherwise it is still pretty still pretty silly: good-guys and bad-guys alike randomly turn up halfway through a fight and join in, and watch out the bad-guy's weakness at the end.5/10

i have seen this movie many times, and each time i watch it, it gets better and better. if you have the opportunity to purchase this movie, i highly suggest it. the plot is very simple to follow, the kung fu is great, and the end fight seen is bad ace.