Snake in the Cranes Shadow (1978)

[SMK]

DESCRIPTION
Here is a special trailer for the widescreen version of this film, as presented by FlashlegsRare.

POINT OF INTEREST
1:35

 

 

[MarsHarmony]

This looks very fun, and must be added to the "must get" list!

[DrNgor]

Snake in the Crane's Shadow (Taiwan, 1978: Pan Lei) - aka Adventure of Heaven Mouse; Force 3 from Shanghai; Snake in the Eagle's Shadow 3 - Let's get this out of the way: Does this film deserve its monikers that peg it as a copy (or sequel) to Snake in the Eagle's Shadow? Well, three of the protagonists catch a snake early on with the intention of eating it. And one of them fakes knowing the crane style. And the villain does perform the Eagle style and has a lackey trained in falconry. So...no, not really. And may I point out here that this is a film where comic antichrist Dean Shek is given top billing, so we assume he plays one of the heroes, despite a scene early on where he impersonates one of the villains so that his cronies can rape a woman*...and this is a comedy.

So there are these two jade pendants that, when put together, can open some cave leading to a lost treasure that we never see. One of them is in the hands of Master Shiu (Ko Yu-Min, who spent the late 70s playing Shaolin abbots in various films), the other is with a blind female fighter (Doris Lung Jun Er, Shaolin Invincibles and The Stomp). Meanwhile, a number of people are looking for a man named Unicorn, the Lame Dragon, who has supposedly massacred the inhabitants of a neighboring city or something. Unicorn (Wen Chiang-Long, from a whole bunch of late 70s Taiwanese wuxia films) is a cripple who's a master at fighting with a crutch. Unicorn is interested in the jade pendant, as is Master San (Barry Chan, The Swift Shaolin Boxer). Along the way for the ride are a trio of three con-men, led by Dean Shek, who end up helping Dragon Lady and her allies, but make the film hard to watch.

There are lots of double-crosses and MacGuffins and fake MacGuffins and humorous fights that add up to nothing. Some of the action involving Doris Lung, who wields a baton similar to a hard whip, and Wen Chiang-Long, who fights with a crutch, is pretty decent. There is some okay hand-to-hand combat once in a while. But much of the action is played for laughts, especially whenever it involves Dean Shek and his cohorts. That also applies to the finale, that's a five-on-one, but undercranked for comic effect because three combatants are odious comic relief. The main villain uses a variation on the flying guillotine that's cape covered with metal coins (or sequins) that has hidden sickle blades and can tossed  at the victim and then pulled back with a string. It doesn't work very well, but it's there. That about describes this movie: it doesn't work very well, but it exists.

* - There's also a scene where Dean Shek gives Doris Lung a foot massage while she's in a bathtub. He uses it as an opportunity to peer down her snatch, which she doesn't notice, because she's blind. Ladies and gentlemen...our hero!

[DrNgor]

And a second opinion from @ShawAngela: