DVD Synopsis: The deadly art of Eagle's Claw is challenged by the master of the Mantis Fist School. Provoking rivalry between the two schools and their students resulting in a death match. Top notch cast including Wong (Drunken Tai Chi) Tao and Leung (Legend Of A Fighter) Ka Yan, better known as 'Beardy', come together in this true late night classic. (86 Mins)

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Views: An all-star, old-school cast fill a genuine classic of Taiwanese kung-fu cinema. Eagle's Claw tells the overly familiar tale of rival kung-fu schools, one who are masters of the titular eagle claw and the other, of the mantis fist. This begins when the wicked master of the mantis-fist, Chow Ma Wu, arrives at the eagle school to challenge their teacher, Master Yang. Backed by his best fighters, Chow doesn't waste time in letting the eagle students see how good his kung-fu is before he attacks and badly injures Master Yang. As he lies dying because to his injuries, Yang tells two of his students that they must stop Chow at all costs – based on their history and Chow's evil deeds. He hands his control over to his Number 2 student (Li Chi) which pisses his close friend and Number 1 student-brother, Chen Tien Chun, right-off! Fueled with anger and in a drunken fit-of-rage, Chen shakes the last bit of life out-off his master and escapes from the clutches of his classmates. As tensions rise, word soon gets back to Chow Ma Wu which urges him to bring forward his plan to end the eagle school once and for all. This includes bringing Chen Tien Chun in as a minion, who only agrees to help if Chow teaches him the mantis-fist so he can help bring down his old school and earn his rightful place as leader. After more double-crossings and fights between students, it doesn't take long for the training to begin that lead to a bloody and fantastic finale as eagle takes-on mantis, and Chen's true loyalties are tested!

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The interesting thing about Eagle's Claw, is that it often comes across as more of a Joseph Kuo movie than than Lee Tso Nam's. Director of over 50 titles, Lee has brought many classic kung-fu movies to fans such as The Hot, The Cool & The Vicious, Shaolin Invincible Sticks, A Life Of Ninja, and Beauty Investigator with Moon Lee and Yukari Oshima. Written by Chang Hsin Yi, director of John Liu's Incredible Kung Fu Mission, Struggle Through Death, and Lady Constables, the very same man penned over 60 films like Snake And Crane Arts Of Shaolin, Dance Of Death, Thundering Mantis, and a host of Lee Tso Nam titles. With Eagle's Claw, he provides a well developed plot and some interesting character development, cutting out the usual splatters of comedy that are typical of productions from this era. The fantastic fight scenes are handled by the wonderful Tommy Lee Gam Ming, a man of many talents both in front of and behind the camera including titles like The Secret Rivals, Shaolin Red Master, Butcher Wing, Shaolin Wooden Men, and many more. Lee opts to keep 99% of the action pretty grounded, allowing for some kick-ass choreography and fantastic display of styles. Although the film has a strong story and keeps a focus on it's characters, Eagle's Claw is far from short of fight scenes, each of which are all well-choreographed and lead to a fantastic end battle with plenty of great moves.

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Of course, this is helped with having such an amazing cast on-board! The always impressive Don Wong Tao plays Li Chi, the second student that becomes the head of the eagle school after his masters death with the awesome Chi Kuan Chun starring as the troubled, Chen Tien Chun. Both stars are always a pleasure to watch on-screen, both in performance and in action and Eagle's Claw allows both of them to shine in their roles. Shaw Brothers star and around classic kung-fu star Chang Yi, plays mantis-fist leader Chow Ma Wu, and dons the long white wig once again for his role. Although this film came a good decade after his first role in The Thundering Sword, Chang Yi had already starred in over 70 titles – rarely disappointing fans whether he was fighting for good or bad. Wong and Chi are supported in the eagle school by Jimmy Lee (Lung Fong), a recognisable face to many fans of Hong Kong cinema who starred in films such as The Rebellious Reign, Big Boss Of Shanghai, Casino Raiders, and of course, the God Of Gamblers series. Joining him is Hwa Ling, a Taiwanese actress who starred only in a handful of films including Shaolin Iron Claws the following year with most of the same cast, and Fatal Needles Vs. Fatal Fists that reunited the team once again. The mantis school fared much better in my opinion with the always incredible Leung Kar Yan as Chang Yi's right-hand-man, as well as the equally impressive Philip Ko Fei who gets to show some amazing work in the grand finale, and an actress called Wong Gwai Sang who seemed to disappear for almost 10 years before starring in her second and final role. While a collective of regular Taiwanese actors show up throughout, it's really these guys that carry the show and makes Eagle's Claw well worth the watch.

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Overall: Classic kung-fu with great production values and a fantastic cast, Eagle's Claw may be a by-the-book old-school film, but it stands strong on many levels!

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DVD Extras: Trailer