Jackie Chan apprenticed in a series of straight-faced martial arts revenge films before he found his true calling as the clown prince of kung fu in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and the original Drunken Master. The sprawling clan-war conspiracy adventure Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin is one of his best pre-fame efforts, a tale of tenuous alliances and double-crosses, with cocky young warrior Jackie in the middle stirring up trouble. The sly rascal in the den of thieves, however, is actually an honorable young acolyte on a mission of vengeance. It's the usual story, with a little more comedy and plenty of old "strike and pose" fight scenes energized by Jackie's youthful athleticism. The opening theme song was cribbed from the same music library that supplied Monty Python and the Holy Grail. --Sean Axmaker