Plot Details: This opinion reveals everything about the movie's plot.

It should come as no surprise to you that Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin is little more than a vehicle for Kung Fu mahem. In most ways it's standard Chinese Kung Fu cinema, not that such a thing is bad if that's what you enjoy. The biggest plus is that it's Jackie's first real shot at controlling the fight choreography (he calls it his first "dream project." I also like the fact that it's not the standard you-killed-my-teacher-now-I'll-have revenge flick, this one has a little mystery to it. The biggest minus is that this was before Jackie's comedy style became his calling card.

**MEGA SPOILERS**
The 8 Kung Fu masters of the land have combined techniques to create the most dangerous style of Snake & Crane. Shortly thereafter the masters and their book disappear. Later a boy named Su Yin Fong (Jackie) is revealed as having possession of thh book, and everybody wants it. Clan after clan tries to get it, some by force, others by finess, and others by deception. He befriends a kid wandering the streets who watches Su take on multiple attackers with his skill. Hong Tu reveals himself to be female and Su gives her a hard time about her looks. He realizes that she's the daughter of the Flying Tiger chief but feigns ignorance. Meanwhile the Black Dragon clan begins to conspire against him. Lady Suon lures him to her & springs a trap. A man has been watching Su and steps in to help by killing Suon. Su and Hong Tu later find this same man being attacked. They help then tend to his injuries. It's all still part of the trap. Black Dragon attacks again and the friend becomes foe litterally stabbing Su in the back. Su had met Tang (Nora Miao)earlier and flattered her she and her bodyguard save Su (hoping to get the book in return, of course). Hong Tu shows up at the Tang house to demand Su be released to her as she does not trust the intentions of Tang. The Beggar clan also shows up. Hong's intentions are honorable, and she trusts her dad to help. He, however, is perfectly willing to starve Su to death to get the treasure. Hong defys her father inan attempt to help, but she is ultimately if reluctantly loyal to her family. Tang and the beggars mount a rescue but are beaten. One of the beggars is imprisoned with Su. They make friends and work together to escape. Flying Tiger bands with the others to find the fugitives. Meanwhile, Black Dragon is working hard on another trap. They lure Su to a caravan ambush; when he tries to help he finds the lot of them at his throat. Su's new and trrue friend challenges the Black Dragon chief in an effort to reveal that the man is exactly who Su has been looking for all this time. The clans looking for Su have also shown up and challenge the rest of Black Dragon. If anyone there is pure of heart it's Hong Tu. She bravely attacks the chief and is killed infuriating everyone. United against the man and his students Su reveals to the others the secret of the disappearing masters. A man had poisoned the masters then slaughtered them. Only one escaped after scarring the attacker (the identifying mark Su was searching for). Su found the man in the woods and helped. In return the master taught him the Snake and Crane arts then devised a plan to draw out the mysterous attacker by pretending that Su had the book. Thus discovered Su and the chief duel. The villain is beaten even though he cheats.

**END THE MOST REVEALING SPOILERS**

I said it had some mystery, I didn't say it was a Sherlock Holmes story. Though it's pretty easy to figure out before the end of the movie I enjoyed a plot I couldn't dissect in the first 5 minutes. None of the fight sequences jumped out at me as being particularly amazing, but then I'm comparing them to other Jackie battles. Jackie's talent at creating fluid, beautiful choreography is evident even if he has done better work since then. I said that in many ways it's standard, well, this is where the bar really starts going up and what makes this movie better than its peers. It's also a landmark because this was the first time he was allowed to use common objects as weapons which has become one of his primary trademarks. He impressed enough people that he was allowed to make "Half a Loaf of Kuung Fu" next (my favorite of the pre-Drunken Master AKA pre star-status films). A lot of people will find such a movie boring, but I enjoyed it well enough. I do wish they had made Tang's father more of a sub plot. He was one of the slain masters. When she learns of his fate she has no reaction.

Content:
More cussing than usual for this era and genre. We're not talking Robocop level or anything, just a little more than usual. There is, of course, plenty of violence, but it's not particularly bloody or brutal. Some light sexual references is the last thing to mention. It's unrated, but I would probably give it a PG, PG13 at most.

DVD:
A pleasing enough package for the likes of me. Oh, sure I'd love to see it in a 2 disc set with lots of additional material.. like that's ever going to happen. I'm just happy to have the movie. I have no doubt that there are multiple DVD releases of the movie. I'm discussing the Columbia Tristar release. It comes in a plastic case with nice looking, earth toned cover art of Jackie's face and him fighting. This version is presented in widescreen (2.35) probably anamorphic though I can't confirm it. An element I appreciate more and more as I collect these films is the original audio track with English subtitles. These are easy to read and match the English dubbing (decent enough if that's what you prefer). There are 28 chapters making it extremely easy to get to any particular point in time. I particularly like the menu background image, but other than that the menu is bland.

The only extra is a Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon trailer.

If you like the old non-comical Jackie Chan movies or Kung Fu cinema in general, check this one out. Even if you didn't care for "New Fist of Fury" or "To Kill With Intrigue" you might like this one. It doesn't have the comedy of "Half A Loaf of Kung Fu," but it's among the best of his pre-superstar (as in before Drunken Master) movies, way better than those earlier two. If you're a Chan completist like myself, you might want to research a little, but I doubt you're going to find a better quality version than this. But if you do, let me know!

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older