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

[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?

[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

[Chia Ling AKA Judy Lee]

These are my favourite of Jackie's films.

[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 :)

[Chen Zhen]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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...

[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. :p



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

[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.

[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

[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.

[carl douglas]

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

[Egocentrik1]

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

[instant noodles]

Dragon Fist is one of best independet kung fu movies ever made. I liked it in past when saw heavily cut version but some 20mins+ version is masterpiece.

[andy338]

Shaolin Wooden Men, Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin & Fearless Hyena are my faves of the Lo Wei movies. Dragon Fist & New Fist of Fury aren't too bad either but i've not watched any of the others for ages & can't remember much about them.

[instant noodles]

Magnificent bodyguards is not too bad. New fist of fury was even good....half loaf of k f and spiritual k f just did not do it..neither fear hyena part 2.

[popsjnr]

Snake and Crane is still one of Jackie's finest movies...some of his most intricate choreography too....the 3 spearmen fight is a masterpiece of kung fu cinema.

Dragon Fist is Jackie at his most powerful...I love the brooding almost Bruce-like intensity he gives off....and the shapes....he has never looked as roughhouse as here.

Half a Loaf of Kung Fu is still probably the best piss take on Kung fu fliks yet-Kung Pow is pretty close-hilarious nonsense and some really ace Chan handwork....

Yeah I like most of Chan's Lo Wei period...Killer Meteors is probably the only bad one...

[instant noodles]

Dragon Fist is Jackie at his most powerful...I love the brooding almost Bruce-like intensity he gives off....and the shapes....he has never looked as roughhouse as here.



There was some heavily cut dialogue version floating around...in full lenght this is truly great kung fu movie:wink:

[jrcma]

THE FEARLESS HYENA is probably my favourite Jackie Chan film.

[sdog2006]

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?

The four films you mentioned are excellent and Magnificent Bodyguard isn't too bad.

The others; To Kill With Intrigue, Eagle Shadow Fist, Killer Meteors, Fearless Hyena 2 (incomplete) are total bollocks.

[Killer Meteor]

EAGLE SHADOW FIST was for Great Earth, not Lo Wei.

[sdog2006]

EAGLE SHADOW FIST was for Great Earth, not Lo Wei.

Well it was bollocks anyway lol. Just connecting it to that period, I confess to not having watched it for going on 20 years +.

Shaolin Wooden Men, don't think Lo Wei directed that either, wasn't a bad movie - I missed that one out. Think Wei was in charge of production.

Master with Cracked Fingers is another dead duck :squigglemouth: Don't know who was responsible for that but it was horrible!

[instant noodles]

Master with Cracked Fingers is another dead duck :squigglemouth: Don't know who was responsible for that but it was horrible!

I think the version with new footage is pretty excellent movie. Lots of good fights, I did not care rarescope release. Feels like totally different movie.

[Killer Meteor]

I think the version with new footage is pretty excellent movie. Lots of good fights, I did not care rarescope release. Feels like totally different movie.

I must say Yuen Siu-tien is great in MASTER WITH CRACKED FINGERS.

[Reel Power Stunts]

I must say Yuen Siu-tien is great in MASTER WITH CRACKED FINGERS.

Yes he was. However scenes in films where old men in forests ask kids to strip naked and get in a sack will always disturb me.:eek:

[Killer Meteor]

Yes he was. However scenes in films where old men in forests ask kids to strip naked and get in a sack will always disturb me.:eek:

It could be worse. In the Jason Pai Piao basher THE KARATE KILLERS, there's a scene where a kid get hot ash dunked on his bare ass by the Manchus, and the viewer sees far too much of the kid's genitals. I mean I highly doubt anyone was a Gary Glitter on that film, but it's rather disturbing that you know, someone came up with such a scene in the first place.

[sdog2006]

I must say Yuen Siu-tien is great in MASTER WITH CRACKED FINGERS.

Love him in Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle's Shadow but everything about MWCF annoyed me. It was an English dub I watched, an eternity ago. Never again!

Just noticed I also forgot New Fist of Fury, which is another box of shit, although Nora Miao always cheers me up! If memory serves Han Ying Chieh also does a nice spinning sweep, or is it Jackie?

[JCLegend86]

I think the version with new footage is pretty excellent movie. Lots of good fights, I did not care rarescope release. Feels like totally different movie.

The rarescope release was actually the original Little Tiger of Canton movie that was filmed in 1971 and released in 1973, and the quality is horrible and I had a hard time reading the subs.

Master with Cracked Fingers is the 1979 version with new footage of Simon Yuen (Beggar So from the Seasonal films DM and SITES), Dean Shek and footage from Drunken Master.
This version came in two versions; english and cantonese. They both have different ending fights (with both using Jackie Chan doubles) + other random differeneces.

Correct me if im wrong, but I did some research about it a year ago and thats how I remember it.

I really enjoy the english dub version as it was the first old school Jackie Chan movie I got, this was like 12-13 years ago, the good times when you couldnt just log online and get whatever the fuck you want. You actually had work hard and look around to get things, which made you appreciate shit a lot more. Found it in one of the catalogues you get in the mail that you can order everyting from clothing to movies and music, kitchen stuff etc in. It only had like new american movie titles, but on one page randomly it had the rarest and oldest forgotten HK Jackie Chan movie. How random was that.

I dont remember all the Lo Wei movies very well because Ive only seen most of them once, but I cant understand the hate for Fearless Hyena. Great GREAT move. Other than that I remember Shaolin Wooden Men being awesome aswell. That guy sliding over some gelly gets me everytime lol

[Killer Meteor]

I think FEARLESS HYENA suffers a lot from its awkward dub and excess of comedy relief - the second half is generally excellent though.

[sdog2006]

I think FEARLESS HYENA suffers a lot from its awkward dub and excess of comedy relief - the second half is generally excellent though.

Yeah that sums if up perfectly mate.

Wasn't this Jackie's directorial debut? I think he was trying trying to inject a lot of the comedy that influenced him, which he wasn't allowed to do when he was just an actor.

Some of the comedy in Drunken Master was hilarious whereas Fearless Hyena falls flat because I don't think Jackie had honed his style. Regardless, Fearless Hyena = good film, great training sequences, great villain and great end fight!

[jrcma]

Yeah that sums if up perfectly mate.

Wasn't this Jackie's directorial debut? I think he was trying trying to inject a lot of the comedy that influenced him, which he wasn't allowed to do when he was just an actor.

Some of the comedy in Drunken Master was hilarious whereas Fearless Hyena falls flat because I don't think Jackie had honed his style. Regardless, Fearless Hyena = good film, great training sequences, great villain and great end fight!

It was Jackie's directorial debut though he was assisted by Richard Lo.
Jackie dress as a women was probably the funniest bit.

[instant noodles]

The rarescope release was actually the original Little Tiger of Canton movie that was filmed in 1971 and released in 1973, and the quality is horrible and I had a hard time reading the subs.

Master with Cracked Fingers is the 1979 version with new footage of Simon Yuen (Beggar So from the Seasonal films DM and SITES), Dean Shek and footage from Drunken Master.
This version came in two versions; english and cantonese. They both have different ending fights (with both using Jackie Chan doubles) + other random differeneces.

l

I was aware of first thing you said, they added new footage to sell movie again.
However is there actually 3 different end fights?original little tiger and 2 for master with cracked fingers???I have seen only master where "jackie" fights kwong young blindfolded, is there another then?

Yes, rarescope release is bad when comes to quality. Another I did not like that much was showdown at cotton mill subs made my eyes hurt. But great movie and pic quality is very ok.

[Killer Meteor]

I was aware of first thing you said, they added new footage to sell movie again.
However is there actually 3 different end fights?original little tiger and 2 for master with cracked fingers???I have seen only master where "jackie" fights kwong young blindfolded, is there another then?

.

Yes, there's an alterate "Jackie" vs Kwan Young Moon fight, taking place at night. It's in the Mandarin version on the German DVD.

[instant noodles]

Yes, there's an alterate "Jackie" vs Kwan Young Moon fight, taking place at night. It's in the Mandarin version on the German DVD.

Thx meteor, I try to get it:bigsmile:

By the way I am waiting to get japanese dvd of movie you picked your nickname. it is now in mr. postmans hands...No english subs in that but someone said quality is really great..

[JCLegend86]

I was aware of first thing you said, they added new footage to sell movie again.
However is there actually 3 different end fights?original little tiger and 2 for master with cracked fingers???I have seen only master where "jackie" fights kwong young blindfolded, is there another then?

Yes, rarescope release is bad when comes to quality. Another I did not like that much was showdown at cotton mill subs made my eyes hurt. But great movie and pic quality is very ok.

Well, im guessing the original 1971 print has the real jackie fighting at the end and only both the 1979 versions are doubled?
I dont see why Jackie would be doubled in the original print, im not sure if theres any new Jackie Chan footage in the 1979 version except for footage taken from other movies such as drunken master.