DanTheMan 2
Offset by the longest training montage known to man, Liu Chia-Liang's trend-setting classic, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin mythologises the true story of a monk who took his martial teaching out of the temple and into the secular world and in turn boiling the revenge drama down to almost abstract levels, one that is often heralded as one of the most influential martial arts films of all time. Leung directs this movie masterfully, making fabulous use of the epic and colourful surroundings while the exceptionally choreographed fights fill the frame. The acting is great all around with Gordon Liu more than carrying his weight but the show is really stolen by Lo Leih's villainous turn as General Tien. The music is nothing overly special but works for the film. Ultimately, it's hard to fault The 36th Chamber of Shaolin regarding its technical and landmarking achievements for the kung fu genre, although granted it does take a little bit too long to get going but once it starts, it doesn't stop.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
09/08/24
Full Review
IrateTyrant C
36 chambers of death
Kung-Fu, another mainstay of cinematic culture in America had its beginnings in the ancient days of Buddhism, when teachers at select schools of thought allowed their students to take up boxing. It began as Karate, and quickly evolved to contain a more fluid motion and movement in fighting style. Buddhists were not allowed to actually hurt other people, so the reason for their training remained mysterious until the Wu-Tang or Southern revolution that caused the burning of the main temple in Shaolin.
Master Killer, or "The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin", is based on the legends that stirred around after the Southern farming lands of China reclaimed their unity across China. The ideas that were based in Shaolin at the time were based on a 35 Chamber training session that culminated in a mastering of physical movement to ultimately understand all of the major forms of fighting that could be used in battle. As we see in the film, this was not at all constrained to the average stuff that is taught today at modern Kung-Fu schools in America. In fact, many of their practices would be made illegal if introduced these days in America.
Gordon Liu, by far one of the most underlooked and best Kung-Fu actors in the business shines like a star in this film. From the opening credits' grunting display of superior Kung-Fu, to the humbleness of his approach to the temple, we see a young man struggling against the oppression of China's police state known as Manchu. This was the idea of the film, no doubt, to show that even a young apprentice with limited expertise could ideally become one of the grand masters in a trade. Nonetheless, the end sequence is so moving that we feel as though the American "Rocky" series owes more to it than anything ever done in American boxing.
This is the greatest training film ever made, surpassing anything I've ever seen in the way of showing how a young man can be transformed over time to an archetypical master of trade. Martial arts films were at one time real, as this demonstrates for us, and not whimsical art-fests of CGI graphics. The results are stunning, amazing, awestriking, and worth the time of every view. The direction is superb, and the writing is hard-hitting to the point of sublime reaction.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
12/29/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A story poorly bad told with a fenomenal scenes of kung fu. Fans of martial arts explotation should be satisfied. 7/10
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Devida a certa restrição com filme orientais de lutas, principalmente nesse estilo, poderia ter lavado a perder para exemplar de uma grande obra, um excelente filme, roteiro ficcional a respeito do verdadeiro San Te, a obra tem humor leve, muitas cenas de lutas (principalmente através das 36 fases de treinamento), mas muito cativante, a abordagem budista, e a compreensão da insignia da suástica…
E a respeito da suástica que aparece no filme, na cultura e religião budistas, a suástica é um símbolo de paz e prosperidade, existente a mais de 7 mil anos. Pode girar em um ou outro sentido, mas desde meados do século XX é feita quase sempre à esquerda, para diferenciar-se da cruz do Reich...
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
Full Review
William L
The influence of this film not just on martial arts film but on the perception of martial arts globally can hardly be understated. There is a balance between the high quality of the action choreography and setpieces with the classic camp that defined the early decades of the genre: painted wooden weapons, actors jumping when hit, and plenty of sound effects of swords clashing that were clearly added in post. In a way, it is to kung fu cinema what Rocky was to American sports film, igniting the gnere to greater heights and commercial success with a relatively straightforward (but often compelling) development of its protagonist from precocious amateur to confident master. My favorite character has to be the Shaolin master wielding a stick with a large metal hand at the end, overseeing a room where you hit your head on sandbags. (4.5/5)
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
08/12/20
Full Review
Audience Member
Martial arts classic. A must see for any fan of martial arts cinema.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/20/23
Full Review
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