Jackie's Lo Wei pictures...anyone like any of them?

[Guest The Running Man]

Generally all of these pictures that Jackie did during his Lo Wei era are totally dismissed in books and "experts" of the genre with dubious and ridiculous claims that they were just Bruce Lee-rip offs and totally forgettable films. But for the most part, I enjoy these titles. Dragon Fist, Fearless Hyena, Snake and Crane, Spiritual Kung Fu I think are all fine films.

Anyone else here like any of those titles from that era of Jackie's career?

[Guest killer meteor]

These were my initiation to old school kung fu, so I admit some bias in the form of nostalgia, but on the whole I really like them, with the exception of Fearless Hyena I, which was disapointing, and Fearless Hyena II, for obvious reasons

I'd rank them as

Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin

Dragon Fist

Shaolin Wooden Men

Magnificent Bodyguards

To Kill With Intrigue

New Fist Of Fury

Spiritual Kung Fu

Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu

The Killer Meteors

Fearless Hyena

Fearless Hyena II

Most of the Jackie books I've read shamelessy reuse "facts" and opinions from the "autobiography" It's quite clear these writers haven't seen the films. None of them have Jackie portraying a Bruce Lee-type - even New Fist feels like it was meant to be a Nora Miao film, and Jackie got shoved into the foreground at short notice

[Guest Chia Ling AKA Judy Lee]

These are my favourite of Jackie's films.

[Guest gfanikf]

I was actually just watching Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin and loved it. I can't wait for the DD release.

Actually all of the films (minus say Mag Bodyguards which I never had) were the first real Kung Fu movies I ever saw. When Rumble in the Bronx hit it big and my aunt was trying to get my a gift with Jackie Chan all she could find was a 10 pack of his Lo Wei movies put out by Simitar on VHS. I loved watching them as a kid even with the @#%$ prints and awful tracking. In fact as I turn my head, I see at my bed frame them still sitting there, and it puts a large smile on my face.

I remember all of these movies getting assed in reviews when I first started looking them on the net. The more I think about it though, I think fans gave them the short change (as I first did) thinking they were "Jackie Chan" movies. As regular kung fu there actually a lot of fun. I love the Killer Meteors

[Guest Chen Zhen]

i love shaolin wooden men.....most of the lo wei flix were quite good

[Guest gfanikf]

I agree I think if it was any but Jackie on the cover (say Beardy,Jimmy Wang Yu, Chen Singh, etc) they would be in much higher regard. Heck, maybe thats why I bonded to Killer Meteors the most when realized the JC was NOT the JWY character (yes I know I'm officially a goofball)

I know one thing, Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin will look great remastered as it has some gorgeous scenery and makes great use of snow and winter locations (that are real for once). The fight near the freezing lakek is wonderful to watch.

[Guest ironfistedmonk2003]

Some of them are pretty good, my favourites being Dragon Fist and Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin. I agree they do get dismissed alot, gfanikf makes a good point when he says if anyone else starred in them they would get alot more hype.

[Guest theportlykicker]

I still don't get why people like Snake and Crane so much. I agree, the fight next to the lake at the beginning was wonderful, and so was the intro, but everything after that was CRAP.

Dragon Fist is much better IMO.

[Guest thundered mantis]

I like Fearless Hyena, Dragon Fist, Shaolin Wooden Men, Spiritual Kung Fu, Magnificent Bodyguards and Snake & Crane Arts. This one, I only like the fights ´cause I can´t bear the two beggar clan characters. I find them irritating...

The others, I enjoy them as a whole. Some very good action in them, nice landscapes, funny humour etc

[Guest morgoth]

I am not a fan of Dragon fist, but I loved Shaolin Wooden Men. Even To Kill With Intrique I liked. Jackie is a good actor in that one.

[Guest Chinatown Kid]

Of Jackie's Lo Wei films, these are the ones I liked: Fearless Hyena, Dragon Fist, Snake and Crane Arts of Kung Fu, and Spiritual Kung Fu. The rest I didn't really care for, I prefer Jackie's oldschool kung fu films he made for Seasonal and Golden Harvest alot better.

[Guest Yi Long]

I remember liking Shaolin Wooden Man. The bearded bad guy in the cave, the female monk learning Jackie the soft art of wing chun or whatever it was... sliding over some gelly... and Jackie as a mute with a secret... Great simple nice story...

Dont remember much about Dragonfist, except that there was a very very long battle at the end, and my tape ended prematurely, before the movie was over...

Also dont remember much about Snake and Crane arts, except that I believe it was about some transcripts/scrolls or whatever you call it, which had secret kung fu styles on it... and was badly wanted. Not sure if I liked it.

I think one of the reasons a bunch of these movies have a bad rep, is because most of us have only been able to see them in horrible pan&scan version, with lousy dubs and bad transfers....

Release these same movies in widescreen, remastered and with original sounds (and uncut obviously), and we would have a slightly more positive and objective look on them...

[Guest stormybman]

Shaolin Wooden Men, To Kill With Intrigue, Spiritual Kung Fu, and Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin, were typical fare outside of what Shaws were doing, and Jackie fought decently in them all. I kinda wished he did a few more before going Buster Keaton on us.

"Will you tell me what teacher died of?....."

[Guest chen lung]

I think they were far better than the other overrated @#%$ Shaws turned out. Everyone disses them just because Lo Wei made them and they were box office poison.

I agree about 'Snake And Crane', it's intro and a few fights were good. It did have the potential to be a remembered classic, but there was just so much junk in it.

'Fearless Hyena' is mainly awful (except the tranny bit). I started disliking his wildman routine too - a fresh and entertaining idea for the finale of YM, but he kept on relying on it for the likes of 'Dragon Lord' and it got boring and desperate.

I never thought of 'New Fist of Fury' as a Bruceploitation movie, it wasn't too bad either!

I do love 'Spiritual Kung Fu'. I also have a soft spot for 'Shaolin Wooden Men', but it's too sloppy. 'Dragon Fist' was very good indeed.

[Guest the dirty tiger]

I rather like them or at least many parts of them too. Some of them are far from classic but Jackie's talent shines through from time to time ( probably the parts he shot when Lo Wei was asleep :lol ) I rank them as follows :

Snake & Crane Arts Of Shaolin

Fearless Hyena

Shaolin Wooden Men

Half A Loaf Of Kung Fu

Spiritual Kung Fu

New Fist Of Fury

Dragon Fist

The Killer Meteors

Magnificent Bodyguards

To Kill With Intrigue

Fearless Hyena II

[Guest monwobobbo]

not bad films as far as kung fu films go. jackie wouldn't have the fame he has based on them but probably would at least enjoy the cult status that some of the other lesser guys have.

[Guest carl douglas]

I like these films rather than his modern period films with trainers and guns. Yes, I'm abit old school.

[Guest Egocentrik1]

Fearless Hyeana is the one I like most out of them...

[inframan]

Does anyone have any favorite Lo Wei/Jackie Chan movies? I remember enjoying parts of Fearless Hyena. I know these aren't his best work but it seems that some of them have thier moments.

I remember renting a lot of them on VHS years ago. A lot of the movies seem to get mixed reivews.

[falkor]

[Killer Meteor]

I love most of em, especially Snake & Crane

[inframan]

I love most of em, especially Snake & Crane

I would have guessed a different title as your favorite.

But thanks I have noticed thats one seems to be a little more highly regarded, isn't there a columbia tristar DVD?

[lightning hopkins]

While he'll still never be considered among the greatest auteurs in the history of Hong Kong action cinema, Lo Wei's reputation around here seems to have been rehabilitated sufficiently that the mere mention of his name no longer garners the automatic "crappy hack director" response of years past. If nothing else, he's at least achieved the status of "crappy hack director who managed to make a few vaguely entertaining films."

Having said that, though, the collaborations between Lo Wei and Jackie Chan that I like most both featured him in different roles, as either producer and/or co-director instead...go figure. SHAOLIN WOODEN MEN is the best low-brow old-school kung fu movie the two made together, though I've always thought that Kam Kong was the stronger performer and stole every scene he was in with Jackie. HALF A LOAF OF KUNG FU has the best nascent Jackie Chan comedy, including the opening sequence, which includes some of the funniest gags in any of his films.

[Killer Meteor]

I would have guessed a different title as your favorite.

But thanks I have noticed thats one seems to be a little more highly regarded, isn't there a columbia tristar DVD?

Yes but its cut by five minutes. The HKL is uncut but awful sound. We can't win!

[falkor]

While he'll still never be considered among the greatest auteurs in the history of Hong Kong action cinema, Lo Wei's reputation around here seems to have been rehabilitated sufficiently that the mere mention of his name no longer garners the automatic "crappy hack director" response of years past. If nothing else, he's at least achieved the status of "crappy hack director who managed to make a few vaguely entertaining films."

Only the mainstream "accademics" who write books, articles and review JC's older films say that about Lo Wei, and then the rest of society automatically agrees. I've always thought Dragon Fist and SITES were two of JCs greatest films and never once thought Lo Wei's output was crappy in any way--only low budget like most Kungs of the era. Real Kung fans appreciate JC/Lo Wei's early stuff a lot more than JCs modern productions because of the styles Jackie used against a traditional backdrop. Jackie hasn't really pulled any shapes since those early days....