7/3/2023 0 Comments Sholin vs lamaThe film moves between the settings of the local town, the Shaolin temple and surrounding countryside, which works well, and the Shaolin temple in particular provides an impressive and convincing backdrop to the fight scenes in the middle of the film. Chang Shan is masterful as Yao Feng Lin, leader of the Sky Hawk clan, and is convincingly evil and rather brutal in the role of the film's principle villain. Jung Chi Sun is memorable as the Shaolin master, with some well-choreographed kung fu intertwined with some of the film's more comedic elements. ![]() He is ably supported by William Yen as the young Shaolin monk Hsu Shi who shows off some impressive acrobatics early on (Yen was an opera trained acrobat). The film deals with the recurring theme of loyalty and the dilemma faced by the Shaolin monks of abstaining from violence versus the need to eradicate evil.Īlexander Lo Rei puts in an excellent performance as the protagonist Sun Yu Ting, and we see his wide-ranging martial arts skills throughout the film. Action moves fairly fast, shifting from one fight scene to the next with comedic elements throughout the action and the dialogue. Lee Tso Nam writes and directs an action-packed kung fu film which conforms to a fairly standard plot of an impetuous young man wanting to learn kung fu, perfecting his kung fu while learning humility along the way, before eventually using his martial arts skills for righteous revenge. This sets up the battle between the Lamas, monks from Tibet and sworn enemies of Shaolin (in this film anyway), and the Shaolin temple, with Sun Yu Ting as the main protagonist, and a classic showdown between him and the head of the Lamas. The abbot of Shaolin now becomes aware of the situation, including Sun Yu Ting's desire to learn Shaolin kung fu, and after a passioned speech from the young man, the abbot agrees to make him a monk. Angry with this, the head of the clan Yao Feng Lin, who is a Lama, decides to take his revenge on Shaolin. Meanwhile, in the vicinity of the temple, Sun Yu Ting saves a young girl from the clutches of the Sky Hawk Clan, with the help of the old Shaolin master's intervention. Angry with Hsu Shi for smuggling an outsider into the temple, the master initially refuses to teach Sun Yu Ting, despite the young man's dogged persistence. He bumps into a young Shaolin monk, Hsu Shi, who has slipped out of the temple to acquire items for his master, and so Sun You Ting asks Hsu Shi to take him to Shaolin so he can learn from the young monk's master. To this end, he is in search of a master, and the acid test of someone worthy of teaching him is their ability to defeat him in combat. Sun Yu Ting is a man who has dedicated his life to kung fu. This has probably contributed to its cult status, as it has a surprising number of fans considering its humble background featuring a prolific but not especially notable cast. ![]() One of the most noteworthy things about this Taiwanese film from 1983 is the extensive use of samples from the English-dubbed version in albums by GZA and Raekwon. ![]() In a genre spanning several decades and literally thousands of films, it is difficult for a kung fu film to stand out, particularly when up against classics of the genre with big name actors or from well-established studios.
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