Pi li shi jie

Disciples of the 36th Chamber is the third in a trilogy of Shaolin temple films and one of the last ever movies from the acclaimed Shaw Brothers studio. The film marks a notable move away from the blood-drenched, vengeance-fuelled Shaw classics like those directed by Chang Cheh and it's also the tamest Shaw film I've seen Gordon Liu appear in. Instead, this is a light-hearted romp, focusing on hijinks and character-building throughout. It's also a film surprisingly tame, both in the plotting and in the action sequences. I was watching this waiting for a nice fight scene to play out and I was kept waiting right up until the admittedly impressive climax.

The usual Shaw Brothers staples are present here, with no noticeable decline in quality: sumptuous sets, colourful costumes and a great supporting cast of notable faces like Lily Li and Chan Shen. My favourite character is Gordon Liu's noble monk: Liu is a real scene stealer in this film and bags the best character, too. It's also fun to see director Liu Chia-Liang in a small role as a Manchu villain. Jason Pai Piao bags the role of the chief villain and fills it with effortless ease.

Hsiao Hou is something of a disappointment. He's playing the same legendary character, Fong Sai-Yuk, that Jet Li went on to play time and again in the 1990s, but I didn't find myself warming to his portrayal as I did Li's. Sure, Hou is exceptional in the athletic fighting scenes, but I was expecting that seeing as how Shaw always got the best from their actors. I just kept waiting for Gordon Liu to appear back on screen. The plot I found overly predictable and repetitive and aside from the lavish climax, the action scenes just didn't deliver as much as in the past, although the climax at the spectacle helps to make up for earlier disappoints.

Gordon Liu Chia-hui reprises his famous Monk San Te role as he tries to support and protect Shaolin her Fang Shih-yu who purposely attacks corrupt Ching officials. Fights by legendary action director Liu Chia-liang are to die for.

I am not knowledgeable enough to properly critique kung fu films. Many seem the same to me. I don't hold this against them, as this is really my fault and not theirs. (As a fan of the slasher film, I would not be surprised to hear someone say they're all the same... few people would want to get to know them like I have.) One thing I do know, however: this film is ground-breaking. It is a Shaw Brothers film at a time that looks to be a transitional state. We still have the great choreography and fights of the Chang Cheh films, but we have what appears to be a much higher production value, something that will really be apparent in "Martial Arts of Shaolin" a year or two later.

The most boring and boring of the trilogy, the protagonist, smart ass (in the worst context of the word) too, in others these acts are redeemed by the effort and will to fight for the oppressed, here we see him fighting for ambition, ease and fun, without redemption, inflicting suffering on the family and especially the mother, who almost sold herself for him, unpleasant...

So, I liked the film, but it was a very frustrating experience. I love Liu Chia-Liang, I really do. And I liked Gordon Liu returning to the role from the first film. And Lily Li is always good. But I HATED the main character of Fang Shiyu. I get that a lot of these movies had that wild, uncontrollable, disobedient young hero, but this one went too far and I was actively rooting for his death. I'm not going to say this was actor Hou Hsiao's fault. Good lord was he a great fighter. I just think it's hard for a character like that to be likable to me. You know who always did it just right for me? Alexander Fu Sheng. He mastered that kind of role. And I guess since I liked the two early 90s Fong Sai-Yuk movies with Jet Li, I thought he did that particular character well. But I just wanted to rip my hair out here! AHHHHHHH!!!! But, some super smooth action, some great group fighting scenes towards the end, and I always feel it's a treat when Liu Chia-Liang gets in front of the camera for one of his own movies. So I'd still recommend this for fans of the genre/era.

I remember the episode of a podcast I listened to about the fight between DC and Marvel and how during the 70s DC tried to copy Marvel's formula but just seemed to fail, since they just didn't understand what made Marvel's heroes so special. Well, there could be another episode about Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, because without knowing too much about Shaw Brother's history, this film makes it quite obvious why they were out of touch while Golden Harvest just continued to deliver hit after hit.

The biggest problem with this film is the main character Fong Sai-Yuk/Fang Shih Yu (Yes, that Fong Sai-Yuk) - to put it simply, he's an idiot, he's really stupid, it's not even fun how stupid he is. He always wants to pick a fight with the Manchus, even if it could cause problem for his own people, he's the oldest in his class (the actor was 27 when this film came out.) and is probably supposed to be in his older teenage years, while the rest of the kids around him is 7-9 years old. He has to use both hands to write letters and also spin the paper around that he's writing on to finish the letters (and I don't think it got to do with the straps that kept him tied up from fighting). The only thing we know for sure is that he's amazing at fighting and there's never anytime you're worried for him, because he's really overpowered, even when it's him against 20-30 enemies, he just laughs it away like it's nothing.

It's really sad, because the fight scenes in this film (and there are many) are really great ones, amazingly choreographed and a nice flow to them. Gordon Liu as the Monk isn't in this film enough, because he's the character that saves this film (or at least tries to) because at the end of the film I just wanted the film to end, because this version of Fong Sai-Yuk was just the worst, no redeeming qualities whatsoever. While Jackie Chan in Drunken Master, Young Master or Dragon Lord starts off as a rascal, those films guides us through as he learns his mistakes and becomes a better person and finally able to defeat the big bad. In this film, Fong Sai-Yuk was just a bully all the way through, he didn't learn anything and the way he defeated the big bad in the end is just awful and cringeworthy.

I really don't want to watch this film ever again.