The mainly evil Mantis Fist school and the righteous Eagle's Claw have fought out a bitter rivalry over many years. The culmination in this progressive clash is the death of the Eagle's Claw school master due to a severe beating by his savage, eccentric rival. With the school now in turmoil, the dying master leaves the responsibilities of his legacy to his second most senior pupil (Wong Tao) while ignoring the quietly seething senior student (Chi Kwan Chun). The forgotten man cannot contain his rage for long though and storms off to the Mantis Fist school out of spite. While at his new school, the senior student begins to attract the attention of his new master's daughter and makes strong progress in the Mantis Fist school. However, his former friends continue to harbour resentment after his sudden exit and refuse to let the rivalry end. All is not as obvious as it seems though and the real motives of each character is revealed before the classic fight finale.

'Eagle's Claw' is a reminder of Lee Tso Nam's ability to take a potentially pedestrian storyline and fill it with shades of intrigue throughout. His careful development of the narrative, as was seen in many of his other hits, allows each fight to have a real context to work within. Therefore, Lee Tso Nam - as was true of the best independent directors - adds a more mature slant to the proceedings for those who are prepared to analyse it. Even taken on face value, 'Eagle's Claw' succeeds due to a well-rounded cast and some lavish fight action, especially the appearance of the villainous Chang Yi. Lee Tso Nam's regular choreographic cohort Tommy Lee takes much credit for his constant ability to put fire into each of the encounters between heroes and their foes. Chi Kwan Chun retains his stoic menace while also becoming sympathetic despite his unusual actions while Wong Tao displays his customary charisma as the second senior student. 'Eagle's Claw' has much to be commended for and is another recommended film from Lee Tso Nam's imagination.

REVIEW:
How many times have you seen a kung fu flick where the plot was hideously obvious, ludicrously complex or absent altogether? Yes, most kung fu plots well done are mighty rare. Let's not go so far as to say Eagle's Claw is a masterpiece of Shakespearian proportion but its better than many of its brethren. The story is genuinely fun and has more than one plot twist that are pulled off quite nicely.

The story begins as your typical revenge thread and well, stays there but adds the drama of characters whose loyalties change while both schools plot to undo the other in as much of a psychological battle as a physical one. As the Eagle's Claw teacher lays dying, he breaks protocol to appoint his second student rather than the first to take over the school. The first student becomes jealous and ends apparently up killing the teacher himself. But all is not as it seems. Meanwhile, the rival teacher of Mantis Fist is playing his own game of deception, anticipating the other school's moves. If you can look beyond the stereotypical goofy dubbing and formulaic choreography, you'll find a story that is more thought provoking than your average chopsocky fare.

The action doesn't hold up as well. Opening scenes of "Eagle's Claw" kung fu being performed is about as interesting as any of the fighting gets. One exception would be two weapons masters brought in by Chow Mao Woo to help destroy the Eagle's Claw. While we don't see any spectacular choreography, the introduction of spear and knife wielders in open-hand combat adds a bit of spice.

While not the best of its genre, Eagle's Claw is a solid entry in the Martial Arts Theater series. If uninspiring, the action is plentiful and the dynamic story actually breathes more life into the characters than one would expect.

Don (NINJA THUNDERBOLT) Wang stars as Lee Cheh, the hand-picked successor of the Eagle Claw martial arts school. Chi Kuan (THE INVINCIBLE ONE) Chung is Chen Tsung, the traitorous student of the respected Eagle Claw school. Yi (PRODIGAL BOXER 2) Chang portrays the villainous Chao Ma Wu, master of the Praying Mantis style. EAGLE’S CLAW is directed by veteran genre specialist, Tso Nam Lee, who is also responsible for Kung Fu classics like EXIT THE DRAGON, ENTER THE TIGER, CHALLENGE OF DEATH, and THE HOT, THE COOL, AND THE VICIOUS.

Chinese Kung Fu has a long history and many factions. Some factions stress physical exercise, others stress improving the mind. Eagle’s Claw Kung Fu stresses both. The style is based on the stalking and killing techniques used by eagles to obtain their prey. Eagle’s Claw Kung Fu is exclusive to one school. The master of this school is an old wiseman named Yun Cheng. He has a bitter rivalry with an old opponent, Chao Ma Wu (Yi Chang), who now holds an important position within the Ching army. The evil Chao Ma Wu is a master of the Mantis Fist style, and is formidable with the Eagle’s Claw techniques, too. Chao Ma Wu leads his disciples in a mission to destroy the Yun Cheng’s Eagle Claw school. The two old masters immediately begin dueling, as their students and disciples look on. After high intensity sparring, both men stop fighting because they are damaged internally. Chao Ma Wu returns to his palace, confident that his rival’s internal injuries will eventually kill Yun Cheng.

Two of Yun Cheng’s top students, Lee Cheh (Don Wang) and big brother Chen Tsung (Chi Kuan Chung) tend to their injured master. The old one is near death, and in front of his entire school, he proclaims Lee Cheh his successor. Lee Cheh is to marry Yun Cheng’s daughter (Hwa Ling), educate the students, and carry on the good name of the Eagle Claw school. Yun Cheng gives Lee Cheh an ancient book containing the oldest secrets of the Eagle’s Claw techniques, including moves that have never been taught to anyone. However, Yun Cheng’s oldest student, Chen Tsung, is bitter he did not get named as the successor. After drinking too much liquor, he bursts in the door of his frail master to question his judgment. The other students run in after him to find Yun Cheng’s lifeless body in the arms of Chen Tsung. Lee Cheh accuses Chen Tsung of killing their master. After Chen Tsung admits to the horrendous act, the entire school proclaims him a traitor, which is punishable by death. But Chen Tsung is a talented martial artist, and he fights his way out of the Eagle Claw school.

When Chao Ma Wu hears that Chen Tsung has turned his back on the Eagle’s Claw school, he schemes of a way to recruit Chen Tsung into his own entourage. He sends his disciples to influence Chen Tsung, but the traitor refuses the invitation. When Chen Tsung is forced to return to Chao Ma Wu’s palace, the master of the Mantis Fist begins tempting Chen Tsung to turn him fully to the dark side. Chao Ma Wu offers to teach him the secret of the Mantis Fist technique, and in exchange Chen Tsung will help Chao Ma Wu to kill the students of the Eagle’s Claw school. Furthermore, Chen Tsung will become the new head of the school and run it according to Chao Ma Wu’s wishes. To prove Chen Tsung’s loyalty, Chao Ma Wu captures three members of the Eagle’s Claw school and forces Chen Tsung to kill them (he uses a knife to stab his old school mates). Meanwhile, Lee Cheh has discovered this new unholy alliance and their upcoming assault on their school. He begins teaching the students the secret styles contained in the book of the Eagle’s Claw. But will the remaining students learn the Eagle Claw’s secret techniques in time to stop the combined forces of Chao Ma Wu and Chen Tsung?

EAGLE’S CLAW ranks as a must-see for fans of classic Kung Fu movies. The plot and script are much better than the average chopsockey flick. Screenwriter Chang Hsing Yi includes a fair amount of mystery and intrigue into the script. He includes a twist ending that makes total sense, but believe me, you won’t see it coming. The characters are more defined than characters of this ilk. The script is nearly devoid of laughs, so don’t expect any cheesy humor. For history buffs, Chang Hsing Yi also incorporates some political commentary into EAGLE’S CLAW. Besides the rivalry between Yun Cheng and Chun Ma Wu, these characters represent the two factions of China. Chun Ma Wu wears bright red and he represents the Ching Dynasty (the corrupt government). Yun Cheng and the Eagle’s Claw school represent the revolution (the people’s rebellion). Another interesting theme running through EAGLE’S CLAW concerns the traitorous character Chen Tsung. Chun Ma Wu is the true menace, and he lures Chen Tsung into his organization like the devil himself. These scenes play out like RETURN OF THE JEDI, where Luke Skywalker is tempted to join the dark side. Chun Ma Wu lures the confused youngster into selling his soul and joining the ranks of Chun Ma Wu’s disciples.

The movie opens with an excellent introduction that gives the viewer a brief look at the Eagle’s Claw technique and the history of the style. For the uninitiated, the Eagle’s Claw style is a real form that is still taught today. Anyway, the introduction is great for viewers who are strangers to the bizarre world of Kung Fu films. The fight choreography is complicated and realistic thanks to fight choreographer, Tommy Lee. He is a true master of the martial arts, and he has been in a slew of quality martial arts films like THE HOT, THE COOL, AND THE VICIOUS. Lee is usually a villain in most of his roles. Speaking of villains, Chang Yi should go down in the record books as one of the slyest, vilest, and stylish Kung Fu villains of all time. Besides being a slimebag, he’s very cerebral and larger than life, like a James Bond villain. The entire EAGLE’S CLAW cast perform well enough, though much of the acting is lost in the English translation.

SIGHT
Tai Seng releases EAGLE’S CLAW uncut in the original widescreen transfer (1.85.1). Considering the age and type of film EAGLE’S CLAW is, this is a pleasing transfer. The image is mainly smooth and sharp. There are some imperfections though. The source print displays dirt, scratches, and grain in the widescreen image. The good news is that these problems are the result of inconsistent source prints, and not problems with the authoring. The source flaws come and go, but there are long stretches of time where the image doesn’t exhibit any problems at all. The black level is rock solid, contrasting the rest of the color schemes. The flesh tones are very natural. Some colors are a little washed out in parts of EAGLE’S CLAW. The only other complaint I have is the detail level is not as good as it could have been. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to enjoy in the widescreen cinematography (besides the fighting), including the period production design, meticulous costuming, colorful soundstage interiors, and the charming Chinese maidens. The lead bad guy Chao Ma Wu is dressed in a colorful robe with awesome boots, which instills a sense of terror in his opponents. Tommy Lee’s fight scenes are a pleasure to behold. No wire works or trick moves, just authentic Kung Fu, and plenty of it. The image is better than the widescreen martial arts films from Crash Cinema (like RETURN OF THE CHINESE BOXER) and Steeplechase (like THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS). Except for the lack of detail, this is an above average entry in Tai Seng’s Martial Arts Theater DVD line.

SOUND
The audio is Dolby Digital Mono 1.0. The sound has a full range of highs and lows, and is easily equal to the decent mono mixes that Anchor Bay serves up so well. The mix has no hiss, background noise, or audio dropouts. When you raise the volume, the sound does not distort. EAGLE’S CLAW is mainly dialog driven with the sound effects, the score, and the English dubbed voices coming from the center channel. The dubbing is painfully obvious but it shouldn’t bother Kung Fu fans. The other major component to the audio mix is the sound effects. What classic martial arts film would be complete without those exaggerated, bone-crushing blows, near misses, and leaping kicks that sound like birds flapping their wings overhead? These sound effects sound clear and natural, though a little flat. Chou Fuk Liang composes an excellent score (for a Kung Fu film), that generates a lot of suspense. The score has a very primitive vibe, with pounding drums and gongs. The score definitely contributes to the authentic feel of EAGLE’S CLAW. All the sound elements (dubbing, sound effects, and score) are perfectly synchronized in the soundtrack, without one overshadowing the other. This mono mix is not spectacular, but it gets the job done.

FEATURES
The only extra is a lame trailer compilation for Tai Seng’s Martial Arts Theater. The trailer is Full Frame, Dolby Digital 1.0, and runs 33 seconds.

CONCLUSION
This widescreen entry in Tai Seng’s Martial Arts Theater line is clearly the best DVD to emerge from that line. The narrative of EAGLE’S CLAW unfolds on a widescreen canvas, preserving the martial arts action and the period visuals. The film itself is a quality effort from director Tso Nam Lee. Despite the lack of star power, EAGLE’S CLAW has superior quality on may levels including action, characters, plot, visuals, score, and an unforeseen twist ending. Tai Seng’s video transfer is fairly good, and we can only complain about the lack of extras. But this is a budget DVD, so you can’t have everything. I would like to comment on the packaging though. Both the menu system and DVD cover design are highly generic, and I suspect Tai Seng uses both for all Martial Arts Theater DVD releases.

Wong Tao and Chi Kuan Chun play students at an eagles claw kung fu school. When their teacher is mortally wounded in a duel with rival mantis fist master Chang Yi the leadership is handed over to Wong Tao, the second elder. The first elder (Chi Kuan Chun) appears understandably miffed and confronts the teacher unfortunately killing him. Chi Kuan Chun manages to escape with his life, joins the rival school and starts to learn the mantis fist style. Chang Yi, after having killed his rival, becomes determined to wipe out the eagles claw school altogether.

Despite an obviously low budget, Lee Tso Nam manages to craft an engaging kung fu movie with plenty of style and some excellent fight sequences. Tommy Lee's skill as a choreographer is again apparent as is the ability of the actors. Wong Tao apparently had much input in the creation of the fight scenes and certainly gets to perform some intricate moves. Phillip Kao's spear wielding lama provides some other standout moments. However the film belongs to Chang Yi and this must rank amongst his best screen appearances.