Snake in the Monkey's Shadow (1980, HK)

Starring: John Cheung, Wilson Tong Wai-shing, Charlie Chan Yiu-lam. Directed by: Cheung Sum

Simply put, this one of the most amazing kung fu movies ever made. In this movie, you have two of the most unique forms of kung-fu go head to head: The Monkey kung-fu style and the Snake style of kung fu.

In "Snake...", John Cheung plays Lung, a boy in a small village in China who delivers fish for a living. One day after a late delivery to the wealthy Yan famil, he gets beaten up pretty badly by the family's two sons. Afterwards Lung goes to Teacher Ho, the local kung fu master, to learn Drunken kung fu. Ho insists there is no room in the school for him. Lung begs Ho to teach him, but he decides he's had enough of Lung. One night Ho decides to get Lung drunk and leaves him in the countryside.

When Lung comes to the next morning he finds himself face-to-face with a cobra. A man passing by named Koo Ting-sang (who also happens to be an expert in Monkey kung fu) takes care of the snake and saves Lung's life. Lung then returns to the village and, after a bad run-in with some of his students, finally convinces Master Ho to take him as a student.

After Lung masters the Drunken kung fu techniques, he takes his revenge on the Yan brothers. The outraged Yan family do some scouting around and figure out that Master Ho has been teaching Lung kung fu and both are to be held responsible for the beating the two brothers suffered at the hands of Lung.

They hire two assassins trained in the Snake style to kill Lung and Master Ho. From there on the movie becomes a colossal showdown between drunken kung fu, snake kung fu, and Koo Ting-sang's Monkey kung fu. Who will win?

The explosive fight scene at the beginning of the movie between a snake fighter and a monkey fighter in some treetops is possibly one of the most memorable ever made in kung fu cinema. Also, there is a scene in the original version of this movie of a real-life fight between a monkey and a snake. This scene was left intact in the VHS versions of this movie, but has been cut in some Western DVD versions.

"Snake in the Monkey's Shadow" is a great kung fu movie you won't want to miss!

Also known as: Hou hsing kou shou (original title-HK), Snake Fist vs. the Dragon (unknown English title), La serpiente a la sombra del mono/La serpiente en la sombra del mono (Spain), Cuore di leone, palma d'acciaio (Italy), and others.