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Rating:  -
The best thing about this film is the main villain Ching Yi, with pointed boots and a stupid hat. Fighting is surprisingly weak, but gets better towards the end and the plot has a few interesting twists (though predictable.) Enjoyable film, but doesn't have to be seen more than once (ok, I've seen 3 times already...).
For some really energetic fight action, get Sammo Hung's masterpiece Warriors Two (the best kung fu film ever), also from 1978 (which makes Eagle's Claw look very slow and very very old skool). But still. Maybe Lee Tso Nam's best film (definately over-rated here, it's far from 5-star quality, or even 4,) so see it if you have to (worth a rental.)
Rating:  -
Eagles's Claw is one of the better movies in Tai Seng's Martial Arts Theater collection. The film features the Eagle Claw and
Mantis styles of kungfu, and the fight scenes are well choreographed and also very well filmed. The cinematography is excellent not only in the fight scenes, but also in the rest of the film.
An evil Mantis and Eagle Claw kung fu master wants to destroy the Eagle Claw kung fu school. He attacks the school and mortally wounds the teacher of the school, but he is also injured himself. The evil master recovers from his injuries, but the teacher of the Eagle Claw school does not, and he dies. After the death of his teacher, one of the main disciples of the Eagle Claw school defects to the enemy, and joins the evil master and his clan. Meanwhile, the second disciple of the Eagle Claw school becomes the new leader of the school, and he prepares his school to fight the evil master and his henchmen, who still want to destroy the school.
The plot is interesting, but the middle of the movie is sort of boring. The end of the movie is much better though, and the fights near the end are the best in the film. The sets in this film are excellent, better even than most Shaw Bros. films. One of the best parts of this film is the villain, played by Chang Yi; he is so good that it makes you want him to win. The only flaws I found in this movie are that the heroes are not very good at kungfu, or acting, so it is sort of disappointing when they win in the end. This version of the film is widescreen and the quality is very good.
Rating: -
If you like Shaw Brothers Style of movies this is a must have. Picture quality and audio are fair as typical of poor quality transfers, but tolerable. Fighting and movie are classic old style kung fu and make up for above.
Rating: -
This was definitely an attempt to duplicate the success of Shaw Brothers films popular in Hong Kong at the time (1978), and it's quite successful. Like many SB films, this starts out with 3 guys doing forms against a white background, and then moves on to two guys sparring against that backgound, while a narrator tells about the techniques and history of Eagle Claw kung fu. I found the opening music to be really cool, too---and the score throughout the film makes good use of traditional Chinese music. Being dubbed, the diaologue is a source of unintentional comedy, but if you're an old school fan this just adds to the charm. The fight scenes in this movie are plentiful, and extremely well choreographed and filmed. The actors may not be quite as fast and agile as the top players of Shaw Brothers movies, but the intricate choreography makes up for that. Although the heroes fight without weapons, the villains make use of spear, short spear, double knives, and staff, as well as empty hand techniques. Also, a bit unusual for many old school movies, 2 women feature prominently in all the fight scenes, and their skill level is quite good. The production values are fairly high, with some nice period interiors and costumes, although the villain's outfit is a tad cheesy. And, as mentioned this is a reasonably well-written story, considering the genre, and it is a quite serious story--devoid of any lame comedy. One thing I found very interesting about this movie is that in the final fight, they use some super slo-mo, and some grainy flashbacks--very artsy and effective, and it seemed to be an early view of some of the camera and editing techniques popular in the 90's new wave Hong Kong kung fu boom.
And, last, but certainly not least--this is a nice, clear WIDESCREEN print!
Maybe this film is a tad below the best of Shaw Brothers films, but overall this is a very strong old-school kung fu movie. If you like SB movies, I don't think you'd be disappointed in this one.
Rating:  -
Chi Cuan Chun, Wang Tao, Luen kar Yan, Chang Yi star in this martial arts masterpiece involving an evil Mantis fist master hoping to kill all remaining students of the Eagle claw technique. After a student of the eagle's claw (Chi Cuan Chun) has a fall out with his school he joins forces with the rival mantis school. Can he trust them, or do they have other plans for him and his former school? The story is deeper then you would ever imagine. Great fight choreography, and a cast like no other. Must have for any collector.
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