DRAGON'S CLAWS is a cheap knock off of the likes of the popular movies that Jackie Chan was having success with during the era - films like DRUNKEN MASTER and SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW provide the obvious template for this film, about a young student whose master is offed by a ruthless rival and who vows to take revenge by training up and then fighting the bad guy himself. The hero is played by the young Jimmy Liu, designed to look like Jackie, but he doesn't have much of Jackie's charisma or ability.
The plot is very straightforward and the fight scenes are quite ordinary, but overall this isn't a bad kind of film. There's plentiful action and incident in the short running time, and there are few slow spots too. Some of it is quite outrageous, like the scene with the drunken master encouraging the kids to urinate. Hwang Jang Lee is as always an imposing presence as the villain of the piece and gets to kick plenty of backside. DRAGON'S CLAWS is hardly a classic but it does pass the time well enough for undemanding fans.
