Hou hsing kou shou (1979)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Sum Cheung

Release Date:

May 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

A snake style expert travels the lands, imposing his mastery on others, until he runs into a monkey expert living on the edge of a small town...

Plot Keywords:

Martial Arts | Kung Fu | Fighting

Cast

Kang-Yeh Cheng
John Cheung	...	Liang
Tien Hsi Tang	...	Master Yan (as Tang Tien Si)
Wilson Tong	...	Hired killer

Directed by
Sum Cheung

Distributors

• 21st Century Distribution (1980) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Prism Leisure Corporation (2002) (UK) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Snake Fist vs. the Dragon
Snake in the Monkey's Shadow
Cuore di leone, palma d'acciaio (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

USA:100 min (DVD)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I Am Nick Robinson (2007)

best kung fu movie of all time

first saw this movie when i was about 5 or 6 when my uncle gave me the VHS.

this was the uncut version, all the DVD's of this film to be released that i know of have the most important scene taken out of it for animal rights reasons - there is a 2-3 minute long clip of a monkey killing a snake in an actual fight between the 2 animals (who knows how many animals they went through to get the shot of a monkey crushing the snakes head with his mouth?!?). this is the scene where the title character finally understands the power of the monkey style, and its effectiveness against the snake style - the style it was designed to combat.

anyway, at that age i was easily impressed, but this was just ridiculous. i don't think i have EVER been so impressed by anything in my entire life. i must have watched this film 5 times a day for a good 4 months over the summer (note, maybe a slight exaggeration).

i didn't then see it for the best part of 10 years until i finally unearthed the gem again and sat down to watch it - AND OH DEAR, if its possible i think i was more impressed this time round. probably due to sentimental reasons, but still, i was blown away by the acrobatics and greatly accurate portrayal of both the fighting styles and ancient china.

if you dare to call yourself a martial arts fan, or, well - even a SLIGHT fan of films - then i would challenge your integrity if you were to say you hadnt seen this movie, this 'shrine to everything good about life'! THATS how much i rate this film.