Release Year: 1978

‘Snake And Crane Arts Of Shaolin’ starts with a stunning martial arts display by Jackie Chan and ends with one of the most complicated pieces of choreography ever seen on screen.

‘Snake In The Eagle’s Shadow’ gave Jackie his first chance to shine outside the reigns of Lo Wei, and under the expert guidance of Woo Ping and Ng See Yuen delivers a classic of the genre.

Of course, it is far from perfect and lacks the polish that was applied to Chan’s later vehicles, but it’s still a solid effort that has a distinctly old school charm.

While I normally find myself quite happy to suspend disbelief for a Gu Long/Chor Yuen collaboration, ‘Swordsman And Enchantress’ is a real test of my patience.

Liu Chia Liang’s ‘The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin’ is an important cinematic moment and remains influential not just in Hong Kong film-making, but also globally.

It’s a pity that ‘The Seven Grandmasters’ is nearly a classic, but not quite. The reason it falls short and the reason why many of Kuo’s features stumble in the same way is the ending.

This is a kung-fu film with enough substance and genuine quality to please even the most demanding or cynical movie fan – an assured recommendation.

It can not be regarded as a classic of the genre, but can be hailed as a valiant attempt at faithfully adapting difficult source material.

‘The Cavalier’ is a below par effort from Joseph Kuo, a director who should know better.

The Hui brothers combine efforts to create another outstanding piece of canto-comedy that mixes clever satire of the entertainment industry and slapstick comedy.

Although there’s the odd hole or inconsistency, the production mostly runs at a sustained pace that draws the viewer along with it.

‘Warriors Two’ is not intended to explore characters in the way later Sammo works would do, but remains firmly rooted in the action of the genre.