A young boy wants to train in martial arts, but his family can't afford to enroll him in a fancy school; his sorrow is cut short when an old man takes him under his wing to train. Snake Fist Fighter has that classic storyline of an old sage teaching a young protégé with tough methods that sometimes make no sense, but the lessons come in handy later on. In other words, respect your elders because taking their advice will help you in the long run! Unfortunately, this message doesn't really translate to American audiences, but it is very prevalent in the Asian culture.
Who does the young boy grow up to be? Jackie Chan! He has inner conflict in this movie, for his father doesn't want him to fight, but his teacher wants him to use his skills. There are several scenes when he vows not to fight but is eventually drawn in to save someone's honor or his own life. However, I only stuck through this movie because it was Jackie's first leading role and I wanted to support him (and it helped that it had a short running time). Had I been in the theaters in 1973, not knowing who Jackie Chan was, I probably would have been bored to tears in my seat. It's very dated. If you want to see early Jackie, Drunken Master is a much better choice. It still has the master and pupil theme to it, but it isn't nearly as cheesy.
Who does the young boy grow up to be? Jackie Chan! He has inner conflict in this movie, for his father doesn't want him to fight, but his teacher wants him to use his skills. There are several scenes when he vows not to fight but is eventually drawn in to save someone's honor or his own life. However, I only stuck through this movie because it was Jackie's first leading role and I wanted to support him (and it helped that it had a short running time). Had I been in the theaters in 1973, not knowing who Jackie Chan was, I probably would have been bored to tears in my seat. It's very dated. If you want to see early Jackie, Drunken Master is a much better choice. It still has the master and pupil theme to it, but it isn't nearly as cheesy.