Guide to Monkey Style Kung Fu Flicks (Classic Era)

[paimeifist]

A few months back I was reading the brilliant book "The Nightdragon 3: Simian" where one of the titular characters discusses his favorite monkey kung fu flicks. This caused me to go on a monkey kung fu movie marathon, aiming to find the best movie based around the style and the best depiction of the style in those movies. I also have to shout out another book written by another forum member "Its All About the Style" for helping me learn more about the monkey style, and some fun facts about it and its depiction in these films. The main take away is that there is more than one actual "monkey style" and most of what you see in film is not an actual style, but people just doing their thing and adding some monkeyness to it. There are a few exceptions to this, but it seems to me that its generally true. 

Here are my reviews of the movies I watched, the "body" of the reviews is inside of the spoiler box to save room. I only watched films thematically based around the style, so some films that feature great monkey style such as Knockabout are not included.

 

7. Monkey Fist, Floating Snake

Director: Law Chi, Lead Action Director: Chen Mu-Chuan

Young Martial Arts student (Chen Mu-Chuan) is bullied by his teacher and classmates. One day while getting beat up he is saved by an unsuspecting barber (Sun Jung Chi) who ends up training him. There is a bad guy (Chang Yi) who wants to take over the town and prove his dominance by whipping all the kung fu masters around.

Spoiler

Yup, you read it right. The lame plot of about ¾ of the kung fu movies you have ever seen, with nothing to make it stand out or memorable in any degree. This plot is so generic and lame, there isn’t even anything particularly bad about it to make it entertaining in that way. My comments on the plot could actually stand for the whole movie, and I’d end the review here. For the sake of making a more “complete” review, I’ll offer some more of my thoughts…

 

So hey, its got Sun Jung Chi in it, the fights had to at least be pretty good right? Wrong. The fights are abysmal, and the reason they are bad is like the worst crime in fight direction… Poor editing, 90% of the fights are simply too zoomed in to be able to tell what the heck is going on. To make this even more disappointing, when you could actually see the action it looked like the choreography was decent. Sadly those times were few and far between. I can’t really comment on the depiction of monkey style in this film, because I could barely see it.

 

 

The Bottom Line: This movie sucks. Usually, when a kung fu movie sucks I can at least say “if you’re a fan of X actor or director, it's worth a watch”. That is not the case with this one, just avoid it.

Banana Peel/5 Bananas

 

6. Lady Iron Monkey

Director: Chen Chi-Hwa, Lead Action Director: Wang Tai-Lang

A girl (Gam Fung Ling) is raised by monkeys who resemble brown Teletubbies. One day, a midget and a big fat guy are passing by, and the monkey Teletubbies and monkey lady begin harassing them and throwing stuff at them. They tell their teacher (Miao Tian), who seeks the monkey lady out. He trains her in kung fu, and she then gets out on her own into the civilized world. She gets in league with a prince (Chan Sing) as his bodyguard, after defending him from an assassin. She eventually becomes jealous when he has an eye for other women who do not look like apes. Distraught and self-conscious about her ape like appearance, she returns to her teacher and his family. There the teachers mistress helps her clean up, so she can hopefully catch the princes eye, and become his love….

Spoiler

           Lady Iron Monkey has a ridiculous plot and story, and its kind of fun because of it. To start, apparently being raised by monkeys caused her to look like an ape, and even grow a tail. She even looks more like a monkey than the actual “monkeys” do, who really do look like Teletubbies. You can barely tell that the teacher actually trained her, as that portion of the movie lasts about 4 minutes, yet is seemingly important to the story. Later in the story the teacher doesn’t approve of her trying to look like a normal woman, and is like an overprotective father about it. So at some point they developed a great relationship. Then there is the weird and very sudden romance plot. It goes like this: She wanders into some royal family meeting, beats up a bunch of people, then falls in love with a prince who just shows up to the dinner party. There is a big twist that I’ll spoil here though, the prince played by Chan Sing ends up being a bad guy, and doesn’t want to marry a monkey woman…

 

 

The action was decent, but surprisingly there wasn’t enough of it. Gam Fung Ling looked to be a pretty talented screen fighter as the ape girl. Sadly it was mostly silly acrobatics that wasn’t really fighting til’ the last portion of the movie. When Chen Sing gets in on the action he turns in a memorable performance. His powerful and explosive style coupled with his overall presence was one of the main factors that made this movie enjoyable. I often forget that he was pretty buff and this movie puts that on display. There was a cameo by Lo Lieh whom I didn’t know was in the movie, and he puts in some good work near the end as well. There was a bit of monkey style involved here but the movie seemed to be more concerned with using Ape Girls tail, and her scratching her butt than displaying monkey style kung fu. The fact that the actress looked to be a solid fighter made this more disappointing.

3

The Bottom Line: Lady Iron Monkey is not a good movie, even in a “bad” way. There all plenty of “good-bad” movies, with films like Master of the Flying Guillotine or Against the Drunken Cats Paws being great examples (with the latter being more comparable to this one, with the female lead and animal styles). With that said, this isn’t one of them. It isn’t horrible, and is somewhat entertaining, and will give you some laughs. The things that are entertaining about it get old fairly quickly, and it takes too long for the action to get going. Chen Sings performance is one good part about the movie, as he really is a bad ass here. Skip this one unless you’re a huge fan of Chen Sing, or a fan of comically bad movies.

2/5 Bananas

 

5. The Iron Monkey

Director: Chen Kuan-Tai, Lead Action Director: Chen Mu-Chuan

A Ching general (Kam Kong) sends his men, headed by Hu Yen (Wilson Tong) , Captain Pa (Shih Chung-Tien) , and Captain Yi (Leung Kar Yan) to destroy a group of Ming rebels. While they are taking out all of the rebels, the rebel leader's son “Iron” (Chen Kuan Tai) is out gambling, and narrowly escapes capture and death. When Iron learns the news, he immediately wants to seek revenge, but his girlfriend prevents him from doing so. He eventually meets and befriends a monk (Chi Kuan-Chun), and joins the Shaolin Temple to improve his fighting skills. As he advances in skill he is sent to learn from a monk who specializes in monkey style. The monks don’t think highly of his quest for revenge, and the other disciples are jealous that an outsider seemed to join their training so easily. Meanwhile, the Ching group is on the lookout for the surviving rebel, and aware that the Shaolin Temple has a reputation of aiding the rebels…

Spoiler

              Ching government officials hunting down Ming rebels and opposing the temple is certainly not an inventive story. For about the first half of the film, Iron Monkey felt like the most generic martial arts movie; Devoid of any real character development or unique plot point to help separate itself to any degree. Right as I was getting very disappointed, there are a couple of things thrown into the story to get your attention, and give the characters a LITTLE more life than the average chop-socky. I try to avoid fully spoiling the plot, so I’ll just say while its nothing special, it does enough to elevate it above being wholly generic. “Iron” has a couple of decisions to make that add some depth to the story and characters, even though its all fairly predictable.

 

              Chen Mu-Chuan who is probably best known for “The Crippled Masters” headed the action of “Iron Monkey”. It takes a while to get to the good stuff, and even longer for monkey style to make an appearance; Unless you count the shots in the opening of an actual monkey and eagle having some kind of physical altercation. With that said, the talented cast does not disappoint. Nothing in particular stands out about the action, but if you’ve been a fan of the genre for a while you will recognize the names of some of the cast. In general, they’re reliable performers who almost always put on good fight scenes, and that’s no different here. Chen Kuan Tai was an actual monkey style practitioner, and the monkey style in this film is very grounded. The Iron Monkey easily features the least monkey imitating of any movie monkey style, and very little acrobatics. This makes the style a bit less appealing than in other movies, but it’s interesting to see the contrast.

The Bottom Line: The Iron Monkey is a fairly standard genre affair, with a solid and reliable cast who do not disappoint. It takes a while to get going, but I’d say it’s worth sitting through the very generic first half to get to some good action. It’s interesting to see what I assume is among the most “realistic” and accurate rendition of monkey style on film, although it isn’t as entertaining as the more acrobatic portrayals. It also gets some points for the actual “animal on animal” action in the opening scenes, which I found to be pretty memorable.

3/5 Bananas

 

4. Monkey Kung Fu (The Stroke of Death)

Director: John Law Ma, Lead Action Director: Tony Ching Siu-Ting

Wei Chung (Tony Ching Siu-Ting) is imprisoned for murder, although he claims it was necessary and his victim was a bad man. Note: This doesn’t have any bearing on the story. He is locked up with a crazy man, Ma Siu Tien (Chiang Cheng) who acts like a wild monkey, and gives the other inmates hell. Ma Siu Tien is soon called for execution. Prior to his execution he gives half of a talisman to Wei Chung, telling him to seek the other half, and that he will be granted with secret knowledge and skills if he pairs them. Wei Chung quickly gets a new cellmate named Zhou (Hau Chiu-Sing). One day while out working for the prison, they cause a ruckus with the guards, and flee together. Attached by shackle and chain at the ankle, they seek to separate from one another following their successful prison break. Meanwhile, a mysterious group of men led by Tung (Kwan Fung) arrive at the prison looking for Ma Siu Tien, asking if he had any belongings. The guards explain to him that he had something he gave to his cellmate, who has broken out and is now on the run. The hunt is on for Tung and his men as they seek Wei Chung and the talisman, and Wei Chung seeks to separate from his cellmate and learn the secret of the talisman himself.

Spoiler

There isn’t much to say about the plot for this one. It works well for what it is, clearly it could be a lot better, but it could also be a lot worse. I expected them to involve more of the back story of the lead character, but he actually gets virtually none. There isn’t really a mystery involved here, or any character development. Everything is basically expected and revealed fairly quickly. There are even some scenes and characters that are thrown in just to keep the fights rolling, with no story development what so ever. This isn’t a complaint, but helps to point out that the story is really just a vehicle for the action. It seems like the movie flirted with being a kung fu comedy, but never really commits to it. This is probably a good thing, and keeps it from getting into that somewhat annoying territory of many kung fu comedies of the time.

 

The heavy use of outdoor locations and overall style of the film is very reminiscent of the kung fu comedies produced by less famous studios. Even the choreography seems more similar to a Joseph Kuo film than most of what you’d get out of Shaw Brothers. These things mixed with Shaw production values and sets made for a pretty interesting and unique feel to me.

 

The action in this film is very entertaining and everyone involved looks good. Standout performances are Tony Ching Siu-Tung, Hau Chiu-Sing, and Kwan Fung, who displays some vicious staff skills. Tony Ching Siu-Tung uses a very acrobatic monkey style, and Hau Chiu-Sing displays a more grounded drunken monkey style for a nice contrast. Over the top ape-like mannerisms actually aren’t used much in this movie. The brawny Lee Chun Wah gets some awesome action as a hammer wielding blacksmith, there is also a solid kicker and a back-bending woman featured as well, making for plenty of variety in the action. The overall style of the fights is very “dancey” looking, and features a lot of impressive acrobatics. It can be sped up a bit too much at times, but I’ve seen far worse. The training portion of the movie is entertaining, and the actors pull off some impressive physical feats.

The Bottom Line: Monkey Kung Fu is a good ol' fight-fest, and it feels like what some of the independent kung fu comedy movies would be if they had the resources of Shaw studios. The fights are very good, featuring lots of impressive acrobatics, and more “dancey” looking shapes-style choreography. Monkey style isn’t featured all that much till the last act of the movie, but it is very entertaining when it is used. The story works well enough to keep the action coming, and the comedy isn’t great but it isn’t overdone either.

3.5/5 Bananas

 

3. Snake in the Monkeys Shadow

Director: Cheung Sum, Lead Action Director: Wilson Tong

Sa (Wilson Tong) is hunting down kung fu masters. After failing and being beaten by Koo (Pomson Shi), a monkey fist master, he vows to one day take revenge.

Meanwhile, Lung (John Cheung), a delivery man who hopes to one day learn kung fu, gets into trouble with the Yan family after being late with their seafood delivery. After being bullied and beaten by them, he pleads with the local kung fu master Ho (Hau Chiu-Sing) to teach him. Teacher Ho lets him join the school as a cleaner, where he gets bullied more by the students there. (Apparently, he is better than all of the students from spectating and practicing on his own…). Eventually, the master agrees to teach him, and he teaches Lung “Hook style” which appears to be drunken boxing. After training with teacher Ho one day, he runs into Koo practicing by himself, and asks him to teach him. Soon, his masters are slain by old enemies, and Lung hopes to avenge them.

Spoiler

              The plot is pretty routine for a kung fu comedy of the time. Goofy guy gets bullied, wants to learn to fight; A teacher accepts him as more of a slave than an actual student. He is bullied more at the school, and eventually weasels his way into learning one way or another. Eventually the teachers get murdered, and then it’s a revenge tale. The comedy was decent, I giggled a couple of times. The English dub in this one is pretty entertaining, with some of the characters making ridiculous sounds while they fight. Moans and groans rather than your usual grunts. They also say some funny stuff “Tiger style? Looks more like a crippled duck!” Really though, the movie is just a fight fest, even if a couple of the fights earlier in the movie are more comedy acts than actual fights.

              I really enjoyed the fights in this film. There was a lot of variation in the styles used in the movie, featuring drunken style, several animal styles (snake, monkey, eagle, etc.), as well as some weapons work. The overall feel of the film was harder hitting than most independent shapes films, which I really appreciate. This can be hard to find even in some of the greatest classic kung fu films. All of the fights in the movie are pretty good, and the stand outs of the cast are Hau Chiu-Sing, Pomson Shi and Wilson Tong. Hau Chiu-Sing displays some of the best drunken style you will see, without relying on too much silliness. Pomson Shi is the main monkey stylist of the movie, and I really enjoyed his portrayal of the monkey style. He managed to mix the monkeying around into the actual combat more than most others. In other films, people will just kind of fight and stop to scratch their arm pits between moves. Onto the masterful Wilson Tong… The fights are pretty good throughout the movie, but when he comes into the picture, the fights immediately become sharper and more explosive. Wilson Tong definitely makes the snake style look deadly.

The Bottom Line: Snake in the Monkeys Shadow is among the best monkey style films, and probably one of the better kung fu comedies. It is fairly generic, so it doesn’t really do enough to separate itself from the crowd for me to call it great; But it is solid entertainment. It features some great fighting performances from guys we didn’t see enough of like Pomson Shi and Hau Chiu-Sing, as well as the always impressive Wilson Tong. 

4/5 Bananas

 

2. Monkey Fist

Director: Suen Ga-Man, Lead Action Director: Chan Siu-Pang, Chan Sau Chung

Synopsis/Plot Summary from Amazon:

This is a true story about a Chinese patriot and martial arts instructor Chan (Chan Sau Chung) who is arrested by a corrupt government official named Chow Li Ming (Shih Kien) for not wanting to join the army. While Chan is locked down in jail, he watches out of his window a “monkey show”, how interesting? Chan then decides to teach himself monkey kung fu.

Spoiler

Disclaimer: I watched this in its original language with no subtitles. So my comments on the story, plot, and acting should be seen in this context, or with this lack of context, rather.

          The story actually seemed fairly interesting from what I could tell. I actually didn’t realize Chan was imprisoned for not joining the army. Throughout the film the military is seen harassing townsfolk, and at some point they confront him, and he whoops a group of them, and then goes into hiding. I assumed they were just harassing him for no reason, and he ended up in prison for kicking their butts! He takes refuge in a martial arts school, and develops an allegiance with the teacher (Tien Feng) and his family. The acting in this film seemed to be pretty good, which isn’t too surprising with guys like Tien Feng and Shih Kien involved, who were some of the better actors of the genre. I am also interested at what period this film was supposed to take place in, as the setting is a bit different than most films of the era. The military men had revolvers and wore military uniforms, rather than traditional Chinese clothing.

 

          Now onto the good stuff, and ultimately why I continued watching a movie in a language I don't understand with no subtitles… For a film made in 1974, it features some of the best fighting and choreography of its time, standing with films choreographed by the likes of Lau Kar Leung. Sadly, there really wasn’t a whole lot of fighting, because the fighting was really good. The actions directors credited are Chan Siu Pang, Chan Sau Chung, and Shih Kien. I’ve seen some of Chan Siu Pangs later films, and don’t recall being as impressed by the action, so I’m guessing the other two had more to do with it. Chan Sau Chung, the star of the film, apparently was Chen Kuan Tais real-life master and an actual monkey style practitioner. He was the stand out performer in the fights, and I really enjoyed the portrayal of monkey style in this film. There are no impractical monkey mannerisms that seem to “stop” the fights, but you can still easily tell you are seeing “monkey style”, yet in a seemingly more realistic manner. Shih Kien was another stand out, who I mainly associate with a less than stellar action performance in Enter the Dragon. He does some great work with a three section staff here, and is much more impressive than he was in Bruce Lees magnum opus. All of the fights in the film are pretty good, and feature the “hard hitting shapes” style of choreography popularized by Pops himself during this time. Another interesting observation was that it seemed to feature more competent kicking, and more of it than most other movies from the first half of the 70s.

The Bottom Line: Monkey Fist is a very good kung fu movie from the first half of the 70s.. The only thing stopping me from saying its among the best is the fact that I couldn’t understand any of the dialogue. The story and acting are good for the genre, and the fights are great, especially considering its time. Chan Sau Chung did a heck of a job in front of and behind the camera, and I’ll be eager to check out the few other films he was involved in. I’d love to get my hands on a copy of this one with an English dub or subtitles. Definitely some of the best "monkey style" you'll see in classic kung fu.

4/5 Bananas

 

1. Mad Monkey Kung Fu

Director: Lau Kar Leung, Lead Action Director: Lau Kar Leung

Uncle Chan (Lau Kar Leung) and his sister Chan Tsuei Hung (Kara Hui) are theatre performers, one night they catch the eye of Duan (Lo Lieh), a rich brothel owner. Duan sets Chan and his sister up, crippling Uncle Chan’s hands, and conning them into agreeing to have Tsuei Hung become his slave. Uncle Chan is now a crippled street performer with a pet monkey, and is often bullied by local gangsters. One day a poor man who goes by Little Monkey (Hsiao Hou) helps him fend off the bullies, and they develop a friendship. Little Monkey helps Chan perform, and eventually Chan teaches him kung fu, and they seek to avenge his shame.

Spoiler

Mad Monkey Kung Fu has a really good story and characters. The fall and redemption of Lau Kar Leung is well done, and they do a good job showing he is haunted by his past. The movie isn’t without its darkness and melodrama, as some pretty bad things happen, but it is balanced out with positive scenes and light comedy. Lo Lieh is probably the most unlikable bastard he ever was, and that’s saying something! Lau Kar Lung gives a good acting performance as a man troubled by his past, and a bit beaten down by life. The relationship between LKL and Monkey was enjoyable and somewhat touching. All around the story and acting was pretty good. Most of the comedy comes from Hsiao Hou in his physical performance, which I actually enjoy.

I really enjoyed the action in this film. I assumed since it is from Lau Kar Leung, the monkey style seen here is fairly “accurate” to the way it was actually practiced. That actually isn't the case, and its basically hung gar with some monkeyness thrown in. While there is a lot of acrobatics involved courtesy of the talented Hsiao Hou, the action is fairly grounded. It is the typical “hard-hitting” shapes style choreography you would expect from this crew. There is a bit of weapons work mixed in with swords and fans, but its mostly hand to hand. The action gets a little reliant on flips and tricks in the middle of the movie, but it actually fits the narrative and works well. At that point Monkey is only a street performer who hasn’t yet learned kung fu. Lau Kar Leung and Hsiao Hou definitely steal the show here, but Lo Lieh turns in one of his best fighting performances, and Kara Hui shows out with the little fighting time she has in this one.

The Bottom Line: Mad Monkey Kung Fu is a great movie, with an interesting story and solid character development for a kung fu flick. It features great fighting and acting performances from all of the cast, and is quite possibly the most you will see the talented Hsiao Hou in a single film. The monkey style isn’t quite as “showy” as it is in other films featuring the style, but I enjoy that as it makes the fights hit a bit harder. While it did take me a couple viewings to appreciate it, I’d consider this a must see for fans of the genre.

5/5 Bananas

 

 

Edited June 27, 2020 by paimeifist

[ShawAngela]

If I'm not mistaken, pour friend @NoKUNGFUforYU did the subtitles for Monkey fist.

Nice comments, Thanks for sharing.

[ShaOW!linDude]

This is a great comparison!!! 

Always wondered if Lady Iron Monkey was worth watching. Glad I never bothered. I may have to revisit The Iron Monkey at some point. I watched it once and was disappointed, thinking I was going to be seeing the same title starring Donnie Yen. And now, based on what you've said about Monkey Fist, I'm gonna have to run that one down.

(Oh, and I'm glad the NightDragon story inspired you to do this. Thanks for the plug.)

Edited June 28, 2020 by ShaOW!linDude

[Cognoscente]

1980 was the year of the monkey according to the Chinese zodiac. Ironically, most of the movies (including the best ones) about the monkey style were released in 1979 i.e. Snake in the Monkey’s Shadow was released in February, Knockabout was released in April, Monkey Kung Fu was released in May, Ape Girl was released the day after (on the sixth) whereas Mad Monkey Kung Fu was released in October. Monkey Fist, Floating Snake, which was actually released in the year of the monkey, didn’t do all that well at the box office.

Edited June 23, 2021 by Cognoscente

[FightingFool]

On 6/27/2020 at 3:53 PM, paimeifist said:

 

2. Monkey Fist

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Disclaimer: I watched this in its original language with no subtitles. So my comments on the story, plot, and acting should be seen in this context, or with this lack of context, rather.

          The story actually seemed fairly interesting from what I could tell. I actually didn’t realize Chan was imprisoned for not joining the army. Throughout the film the military is seen harassing townsfolk, and at some point they confront him, and he whoops a group of them, and then goes into hiding. I assumed they were just harassing him for no reason, and he ended up in prison for kicking their butts! He takes refuge in a martial arts school, and develops an allegiance with the teacher (Tien Feng) and his family. The acting in this film seemed to be pretty good, which isn’t too surprising with guys like Tien Feng and Shih Kien involved, who were some of the better actors of the genre. I am also interested at what period this film was supposed to take place in, as the setting is a bit different than most films of the era. The military men had revolvers and wore military uniforms, rather than traditional Chinese clothing.

 

          Now onto the good stuff, and ultimately why I continued watching a movie in a language I don't understand with no subtitles… For a film made in 1974, it features some of the best fighting and choreography of its time, standing with films choreographed by the likes of Lau Kar Leung. Sadly, there really wasn’t a whole lot of fighting, because the fighting was really good. The actions directors credited are Chan Siu Pang, Chan Sau Chung, and Shih Kien. I’ve seen some of Chan Siu Pangs later films, and don’t recall being as impressed by the action, so I’m guessing the other two had more to do with it. Chan Sau Chung, the star of the film, apparently was Chen Kuan Tais real-life master and an actual monkey style practitioner. He was the stand out performer in the fights, and I really enjoyed the portrayal of monkey style in this film. There are no impractical monkey mannerisms that seem to “stop” the fights, but you can still easily tell you are seeing “monkey style”, yet in a seemingly more realistic manner. Shih Kien was another stand out, who I mainly associate with a less than stellar action performance in Enter the Dragon. He does some great work with a three section staff here, and is much more impressive than he was in Bruce Lees magnum opus. All of the fights in the film are pretty good, and feature the “hard hitting shapes” style of choreography popularized by Pops himself during this time. Another interesting observation was that it seemed to feature more competent kicking, and more of it than most other movies from the first half of the 70s.

The Bottom Line: Monkey Fist is a very good kung fu movie from the first half of the 70s.. The only thing stopping me from saying its among the best is the fact that I couldn’t understand any of the dialogue. The story and acting are good for the genre, and the fights are great, especially considering its time. Chan Sau Chung did a heck of a job in front of and behind the camera, and I’ll be eager to check out the few other films he was involved in. I’d love to get my hands on a copy of this one with an English dub or subtitles. Definitely some of the best "monkey style" you'll see in classic kung fu.

4/5 Bananas

 

 

 

 

Was this the one with lead actor being really short? Not midget but still...If same, recall it being good one and it likely has english dub version on (bootleg) dvd or vhs...been ages since saw it tho..

[DrNgor]

Thanks for this write-up, @paimeifist. You did great work with all these movies!

On 6/27/2020 at 9:53 AM, paimeifist said:

The Bottom Line: Snake in the Monkeys Shadow is among the best monkey style films, and probably one of the better kung fu comedies. It is fairly generic, so it doesn’t really do enough to separate itself from the crowd for me to call it great; But it is solid entertainment. It features some great fighting performances from guys we didn’t see enough of like Pomson Shi and Hau Chiu-Sing, as well as the always impressive Wilson Tong. 

My thoughts are fairly similar:

Snake in the Monkey's Shadow (Hong Kong, 1979: Cheung Sum) - I see the "Seasonal Formula" as having two variations: one in which the hero is a put-upon loser who learns kung, suffers a tragedy, and then learns a new style to defeat the villain; and one in which the hero is an arrogant prick who already knows kung fu, suffers a tragedy (or humiliation), and then learns a new style to defeat the villain. I tend to prefer the latter to the former, if only because it guarantees more action throughout the running time. Snake in the Monkey's Shadow belongs to the former group, and is practically a shot-for-shot remake of the film that inspired its name.

John Chang, who had worked with director Cheung on the loopy Mantis Fists and Tiger Claws of Shaolin, plays Lung, a fishmonger who yearns to learn kung fu at the local school, whose style happens to be Drunken boxing. He ends up getting a job as a cleaner at the school after getting humiliated by the local family of rich snobs, including Cheng Kang-Yeh (Gordon Liu's friend in Heroes of the East). He has a natural talent for kung fu, learning the drunken forms by observing the students, and then practicing by himself at night. The teacher (Hau Chiu-Sing, of Stroke of Death) is impressed and teaches him more drunken techniques outside of school. After Lung humiliates the local rich boys, they retaliate by hiring a pair of snake fist fighters (Charlie Chan and Wilson Tong) to tear up the school. Lung swears revenge and develops his own drunken monkey style after watching a monkey kill a cobra.

As Seasonal Film cash-ins go, this one isn't so bad. The fighting is generally pretty good, especially in the last act when two Snake Fist killers show up. Wilson Tong and Charlie Chan steal the show here, and there snake fist is a sight to behold. Some of the best I've seen on film. The monkey and drunken styles are pretty solid, although we've definitely seen better from the likes of Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan. I understand Pompson Shi, who plays the monkey fist master, studied under real-life grandmaster Chan Sau-Chung--also Chen Kuan-Tai's teacher--and he does a good job, especially in the opening fight. The training isn't anything great, but it's done well and impressive in that John Chang's character creates his own regimen now that the two masters in his life are dead. The comedy in the middle isn't too grating, so while it doesn't quite reach the levels of Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, it's a pretty good example of the late 70s kung fu comedy.

 

On 6/27/2020 at 9:53 AM, paimeifist said:

The Bottom Line: This movie sucks. Usually, when a kung fu movie sucks I can at least say “if you’re a fan of X actor or director, it's worth a watch”. That is not the case with this one, just avoid it.

Banana Peel/5 Bananas

My thoughts were basically same here, too:

Monkey Fist, Floating Snake (Taiwan, 1980: Law Kei) - aka Monkey Kung Fu - Built in the same mold as Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, this film was meant to be a showcase for Chan Muk-Chuen, best known for his work behind the camera as a choreographer on films like Iron Monkey and Crippled Masters. Unfortunately, Chan ranks very low on the charisma scale, which is important in these kung fu comedies, and this cheap, chopsockey programmer ends up being a chore to watch. 

We've all seen it before: Chan Muk-Chuen plays a food delivery boy and a punching bag at the local kung fu school, run by the giant Cheng Fu-Hung (which is who you got in Taiwan when you needed a big hulking guy). Meanwhile, Yuen Shi-Kai, a real-life Qing official who briefly became "emperor" of China during the Republic Era, has sent his death squads, led by Snake Fist Master Hai Yun (Chang Yi, of Challenge of Death and The Victim) to eliminate a monkey fist expert. That monkey fist expert is now working in town as a barber. Chan discovers that he's a kung fu expert, and begs him to be his teacher. After a while--too long, to be honest--the barber agrees and starts teaching Chan monkey kung fu. Meanwhile, Hai Yun is taking over the kung fu schools in town, and ultimately, the town itself.

The only thing this film does different from the other dozens of films of its ilk is that it gives us a fight scene where the villain is bested by the master, and the villain is given a moment of introspection at a lake, pondering his loss. After that, the villain sets up a rigorous training regimen in order to get his skills up to snuff for the inevitable rematch. Usually in these films, it's the other way around. But that's about it. Chan Muk-Chuen is a complete charisma vacuum, and the "toilet lid" haircut makes him look dopier. His kung fu isn't bad, but whether it was for a lack of talent or time, his choreography is often questionable. The only bright spot here is Chang Yi, who steals what show there is with his snake style. Not even mediocre choreography can put a lid on his natural martial talent, and he makes everybody look bad here.