Shao Lin san shi liu fang [The 36th Chamber of Shaolin]
Director: Chia-Liang Liu
Starring: Chia Hui Liu
I have been trying to track this movie down at rental stores for years. Thank you, Netflix!
I am a fan of kung fu movies. My brother and I got way into Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies in grade school. I've watched and rewatched Enter the Dragon and Drunken Master II many times over the years. Aside from a few Jet Li movies, though, my knowledge of classic kung fu cinema never expanded past Lee and Chan. After seeing the Kill Bill movies in high school, I started to research all the Shaw Brothers classics, but could never find them at video stores! Well, I now have a ton in my Netflix queue and have started with the classic (and no, I am not a Wu Tang Clan fan...yet).
From the first 5 minutes of this movie, I knew I would love it. It is so retro and cheesy with its over the top costumes, music, and sound effects. The neon red blood in particular made me giggle when I first saw it. I had seen Gordon Liu in Kill Bill 2 as Pai Mei (my favorite scenes of the movie). He was great in the classic revenge tale about a man who trains with Shaolin monks to learn kung fu so he can teach lay people how to defend themselves.
The action was top notch. We had both hand-to-hand combat as well as weapons fighting. The fights were still impressive by today's standards and were wonderfully choreographed. This movie is really famous, though, for its training sequences. I can see why! So many movies have copied the style of these sequences (including Kill Bill and Kung Fu Panda). We see how menial tasks teach important lessons about martial arts.
This movie absolutely captured the feel of what I've always wanted from kung fu movies. I'm not worried about realism or brutality, I just want some fun. Storyline is secondary to cool fights and cornball acting. This has opened a new door for me. Old school chop socky, here I come!
Lesson learned: Practice makes perfect.
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