Crappy film

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

I found this Cantonese / Mandarin film in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, it was a film I had heard the two titles and seen images of many times, so I hoped it would be a worthy inclusion for the book. Basically young student Liu Yude, later named San Te (Chia-Hui Liu), is drawn into the local rebellion against the Manchu government by his activist teacher, government officials oppose this uprising and liquidate the school, and friends and family members are killed. San Te decides to seek vengeance against these deaths, he flees to the Shaolin temple following wounds from an attack by Manchu henchmen, seeking Kung Fu training, San Te is initially rejected by the Buddhist monks, as an outsider, but the chief abbot allows him to stay, taking mercy. A year passes, martial arts training begins for San Te in the 35 chambers of the temple, he advances more rapidly than any student previously, he is depicted along the way as inventing the three section staff. However as San Te is nearing the end and completion of his training education, he is exiled in a secret way from the temple to go against the oppressors and aid the people. San Te returns to the outside world, specifically his hometown, and assists the people by teaching them his skills in martial arts, but he is forced into conflict with the Manchu governor, before he can complete the political revolution he was inspired to. In the end San Te triumphs in his battle and returns to the Shaolin temple, he establishes the 36th chamber of Shaolin, a special martial arts class for the ordinary people to learn the ways and skills of Kung Fu. Also starring Lieh Lo as General Tien Ta, Yue Wong as Miller Six, Chia Yung Liu as General Yin and John Cheung as Lord Cheng. The leading actor, who later in his career was cast in Kill Bill as The Bride's master Pai Mei, does very well as the dedicated fugitive turned masterful student, the simple revenge story does not stand out highly, this film is all about the inventive training sequences and fight scenes, I can see why it was considered a landmark of the genre, probably more so in its day, an interesting Kung Fu martial arts adventure. Worth watching!

Considered one of the finest martial arts films ever made, Shaolin Master Killer stars popular old school kung fu badass Chia Hui (Gordon) Liu as San Te, a young man who becomes involved in the struggle against the malevolent Manchus, seditious anti-Ching patriots. Steered by Ho Kuang-han, the Manchus have surreptitiously set up a headquarters in Canton. When his family is murdered for being linked with rebels, San Tse narrowly escapes and eventually makes his way to the Shaolin monastery. Here he requests to stay and learn the fighting techniques of the Shaolin, and after brief discussion among the elders, he is allowed to remain.The better part of the film is dedicated to the painstaking and exhaustive training San Te undergoes. San Te hones his skills over several years, and the tasks he must complete are within an arduous, and sometimes torturous, series of thirty-five distinct chambers (or phases) of instruction - ordeals intended to develop strength and agility. San Te?s initial failures are amusing (such as attempting in vain to balance on bound wooden logs in the water while also trying to eat lunch from a bowl), but when he finally begins to grasp the Shaolin techniques, he progresses past the other pupils and becomes the greatest student the temple has ever seen. Though there are only thirty-five chambers, Liu's character argues for the creation of a new one. This "36th chamber" in the temple would teach Shaolin kung fu to the general population so that they might effectively fight the Manchus. This idea doesn?t go over at all, and San Te is sent back into the world as a beggar monk. However, San Te has already learned what he needs in order to whip some severe amounts of Manchu ass.Shaolin Master Killer is the epitome of the classic post-Bruce Lee kung fu flick. While background story concerns revenge, the true focus of the film is San Te?s training at the Shaolin temple. These sequences were under the direction of Lau Kar Leung (who also directed Jackie Chan in Drunken Master 2), and their scope and perfection take martial arts filmmaking to new heights. The training scenes not only serve the purpose of furthering the story, but also allow the viewer to learn about and care for the protagonist before the climactic showdown. There aren't as many fights as one might expect from a Shaw Brothers film, but this does not detract from the overall story in the least. As a matter of fact, the occasionally languorous pace helps to enhance the mood of the film as a whole.Gordon Liu was a mainstay for more than a decade at legendary Shaw Brothers studio in Hong Kong. His first major role was in director Chang Cheh's Shaolin Martial Arts. The success of Shaolin Master Killer (the original title was 36th Chamber of Shaolin) propelled him to stardom. Liu can be seen in the high-profile role of Pai Mei in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, and in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 as the gangster Johnny Mo - dual roles in the same film showing the esteem Quentin Tarantino holds for this veteran actor.Shaolin Master Killer is dubbed in that oft-maligned and mocked kung fu movie manner (the lips don?t match the mouth), but most of the translation seems to be precise. The choreography is superlative and demonstrates why Liu is inarguably one of cinema?s greatest martial arts stars. Better than Bruce Lee? Well, that?s a fan-boy debate for another time and place. Shaolin Master Killer is definitely not-to-be-missed by kung fu, cult film, and action flick aficionados for any reason.

Although it would be great to present myself as some sort of martial arts aficionado and, although I have been watching quite a few Shaw Brothers' films recently, the truth is that I know of this film thanks to the Wu-Tang Clan. I had tried to watch it once but for some reason the overly earnest credit sequence put me off, but the second time I was more in the mood and I enjoyed it a great deal. The film opens with San Te caught up in an act of rebellion which sees his family and friends killed and him on the run. Barely surviving the escape, he seeks out a Shaolin temple in order to train up through the many chambers on his way to being a master.Although essentially the film is mostly San Te training and getting better, I did like the structure as it takes its time and builds well. We have plenty of good action along the way, whether it be fights or training sessions and it held my attention really easily. The one disappointment is that the final fight(s) were very short and not what I had hoped they would be; the film felt like it was headed towards more of an epic finish and, while the final fight was good, it was over too quickly. Outside of the action the film also benefits from some good humor; I should say that perhaps this was in the dubbed version that I saw rather than the original script, but there were some funny lines in there.It was not something I noticed during the film, but there is an almost total lack of female characters – so much so that it almost feels like a conscious decision to do it to the extent that they did. In a way I was grateful that the film didn't take up time with a romantic subplot – the film didn't need it nor have the time for it. The performances were mostly solid but Liu Chiahui in the lead was really good – he is as convincing as a weak student at the start of the film as he is as a master by the end. I didn't think the villains of the piece really stuck in my mind, but the various trainers at the temple were good.Overall this is a strong film from the Shaw Brothers. A good plot and a good running time that works – so often their films are 90 minutes and still feel too long for their plots, but not here. The action is very well done and the whole film is well worth a look.

there are many reasons why 36th chamber of shaolin is considered by many to be the greatest kung fu movie of all time. the training sequences are among the best and most iconic ever filmed, the story is well plotted and well crafted, and the fight sequences are pretty magnificent along with other iconic kung fu movies such as Enter the dragon and crouching tiger hidden dragon. an amazing fictional tale that attempts to offer a possible history of the bringing of shaolin kung fu to the masses. I highly recommend this film to anyone especially those who are mad into kung fu movie especially Shaw brothers and golden harvest.