Snake in the Monkey's Shadow

Snake in the Monkey's Shadow ( Hou hsing kou shou a.k.a. Snake Fist vs. the Dragon) is a Hong Kong martial arts film made in 1979 and directed by Cheung Sum. It stars John Cheung Ng-Long, Wilson Tong Wai-Shing and Charlie Chan Yiu-lam. Plot The story begins with a voiceover saying when the snake style of kung fu was at its peak a vicious fighter by the name of Hsia Sa was one of the greatest exponents of the style. The snake style can be a vicious style and Hsia Sa was a vicious fighter and had an ambition to dominate the fighting world and had killed many experts until one day he challenged a monkey style expert called Koo Ting-sang and they held a contest. As Hsia Sa is walking through a jungle he sees Koo Ting-sang appear from nowhere and jump tree from tree until he lands on the ground and demands why Hsia Sa has challenged him saying he wants to kill him. Hsia Sa says he is right and today he will die. Koo Ting-sang shocked by Hsia Sa words says he is conceited about his style and also remarks that while Hsia Sa snake style is great his monkey style can kill snakes and engages him in a lengthy fight and defeats and badly injures Hsia Sa. Although he could easily kill him Koo Ting-sang spares Hsia Sa life and Hsia Sa remarks that if Koo Ting-sang doesn't kill him now he will regret it however Koo Ting-sang laughs of his threat saying if he can beat him once he can do it again and Hsia Sa staggers away. The story then revolves around Lung, a poor, young fishmonger who aspires to learn kung-fu. After a late delivery of fish to the local, wealthy Yan family he is subjected to a savage and humiliating assault by two of Yan's sons. Although Lung's interest in kung-fu was limited to spying on a local school, this incident forces him to approach Teacher Ho, the Drunken-style kung-fu expert who runs the school. In spite of his plea for a place at the school Ho is adamant that the school is full. In order to get rid of Lung, the teacher tricks him into getting drunk resulting in Lung passing out. Lung awakes to find himself in the country-side faced with the presence of a deadly cobra. Enter Koo Ting-sang, a Monkey-form kung-fu expert, who saves Lung from the life-threatening predicament. Lung returns to Ho and manages to talk his way into getting a place at the school, but only as a 'cleaner-up.' One day, Teacher Ho catches his students ganging up on Lung and, impressed by Lung's courage, gives him a place as a student.