Shaolin

In 1982, The Shaolin Temple puts Jet Li into the spotlight as a young man highly skilled in martial arts, which path-ed his acting career into the fame he has today.

Around 29 years later, director Benny Chan comes with a new adaptation of the classic, which shares a similar story with a new cast. Here, we have Andy Lau, Li's co-star in The Warlords (2007) taking the leading role of Hou Chieh, a ruthless warlord who crosses path with Shaolin Temple and sees transformation of himself from a ruthless warlord to a monk with compassion. Together with Nicholas Tse and Jackie Chan in a special appearance, Shaolin marks the first Chinese blockbuster to hit the screens of Asia in 2011.

The story is set in China after the fall of Qing Dynasty with various warlords fighting over the territories. Hou Chieh, a ruthless warlord who bear grudges with Shaolin Temple and sets to get rid of the people around him for his own benefits, was betrayed by his right-hand man, Tsao Man (Tse). It not only leads to the death of his daughter, but also makes his wife (Fan Bing Bing) decided to leave him for good. After being taken refuge by the cook (Chan), the cook enlightens him and Hou decided to become a monk in Shaolin, leaving down the past behind him and start a new life. Though disciples in Shaolin bears grudges with Hou in the past, they accepted Hou. Eventually, we will see how Hou and the disciples defend Shaolin from the invasion of Tsao's army and the Western powers.

The plot sounds no novelty in it, where we can see how the protagonist repents from his sin to the mistake made in the past, to how they will defend in what they believe in. Here, we have seen how the Buddhist teachings have been integrated into the plot. In relating to the Buddhist teaching on the term 'you reap what you sow' with cause and effect, Hou saw the fall of his power and death of loved ones by betrayal, which he gets it from his belief of the dog eat dog world.

Another perspective of Buddhism that can be seen in Shaolin is 'evil begins with the greed and obsession for power'. This is shown by the portrayal of the sufferings from the civilians during the civil war, with warlords fighting for power and wealth. The perspective has become the main theme of the movie, where not only we have seen how Tsao wanted to control the territory, but also the Western powers who aims to take over China using gun power. This has somehow reflect on what has happened in today's society, on how stronger bodies are getting rid the culture, values and history using destructive powers.

Lau's role of Hou Chieh is different from Li's leading role in Shaolin Temple, in terms of characters and the incidents they have been through. Both shared similarities in their fate and enlightenment, to how they find a way to save the majority of the people around them. Chan's cameo appearances as the cook provides some comic relief for the audience after having a long intense and pressure from Tse's evil character. The comic relief did not last very long, since the fate of Shaolin Temple is the main concern of the film.

Overall, Shaolin makes a very good start for Hong Kong's film industry in the beginning of 2011, where it not only shows how Hong Kong film industry are making a turn from various disappointments in 2010, but also pins hope for better productions in the coming months.

The 1982 gongfu classic "Shaolin" introduced Jet Li to the world, but there is no breakout star to be found here in Benny Chan's take on the famed birthplace of Shaolin martial arts. No matter really- though Heavenly King Andy Lau may not have the moves or the agility to match Jet Li, his leading man performance here is no less terrific. Indeed, what Andy lacks in the physical department, he more than amply makes up for with his dramatic chops, delivering a deeply moving performance as the arrogant and scheming warlord Hou Jie who undergoes a 180-degree transformation under the tutelage of the Shaolin monks.

This transformation is at the heart of Benny Chan's film, which differentiates itself splendidly from the recent crop of period epics with a generous infusion of Buddhist teachings. These nuggets of wisdom elevate "Shaolin" into a surprisingly thoughtful film, meditating on the fruitlessness of anger, violence and hatred, and preaching ever persuasiveness the merits of peace, compassion and love. Non-believers however need not fear- Benny's sure hand never lets the film become sanctimonious, instead emphasising the universal truths of these teachings and demonstrating their truism through a heartfelt yarn.

Written by no less than four writers, the story is a gripping one of repentance and renewal set amidst a time when China was torn apart by internal strife and threatened by foreign powers. General Hou Jie was one such local warlord, his hunger for power matched by that of his second-in-command, the equally scheming Cao Man (Nicholas Tse). A compelling opening sequence introduces Hou Jie and Cao Man as the despotic men they are (at least at the start), chasing an enemy right into the compounds of the Shaolin temple and paying no heed to the abbot's words to let him save the dying man.

Hou's victory though is short-lived, as an ambush on his sworn brother whom he suspects of ill intentions goes awry. The orchestrator is none other than Cao Man, whose own tyrannical ambitions Hou had fomented over the years. In a reversal of fate, the film plants Hou at the doorstep of the Shaolin temple, seeking the monks' help to rescue his badly wounded young daughter. There is an obvious play on the Buddhist concept of karma here- but rather than dwell too much on these implications, Benny shrewdly grounds this turn of events in keenly-felt poignancy, underscoring their importance as a defining moment in Hou Jie's subsequent metamorphosis.

Whereas lesser directors may have been tempted to skim through Hou Jie's redemptive journey, Benny exhibits an assuredness in allowing the movie to settle down to a more measured pace before its action-packed, explosive (literally) finale. He also brings on Jackie Chan in an amusing role as the resident Shaolin cook Wu Dao, a laid-back fellow perfectly content with his circumstance. It is not unlike the one Jackie played in "Little Big Soldier" two years ago, but it's always enjoyable to see the veteran gongfu actor back on screen, especially in a particularly entertaining sequence where he uses his cooking skills to good measure against Cao Man's soldiers.

Other notable supporting roles include Wu Jing as the senior Shaolin monk Qing Neng and Hou's mentor, as well as Xiong Xin Xin (best known as Ghost Feet Seven in the Wong Fei Hung series) as Cao Man's evil henchman Jiang Yuan. Unfortunately, the script doesn't quite do justice to the actors playing these supporting roles- Xiong's character and Fan Bingbing's one as Hou Jie's wife Yan Xi are sorely underwritten and a waste of their considerable talent. If there is one consolation, it must be that Benny has given Andy ample screen time to flesh out the complexities of his character.

And what a job Andy does, equally effective as the egotistical warlord on the pursuit of riches and power and as the reformed monk who realises the folly of his past ways. There's never been a doubt that Andy possessed screen charisma, but here he rewards Benny's attention to his character with a richly nuanced and textured portrayal of a man struggling to overcome his angry and violent tendencies to become a better person. Just as impressive is his gongfu, though no match for Jet Li's naturally but still admirable nonetheless- especially when he duels with Nicholas with a long wooden pole.

Thanks to some nifty action direction by Corey Yuen and choreography by veteran stunt people Yuen Tak and Lee Chung Chi, the action sequences do not disappoint. But ultimately, the strength of Benny Chan's "Shaolin" lies in how surprisingly intellectual and deeply moving it is- intellectual in its Buddhist leanings of the vicious cycle war, hatred and greed perpetrates; and moving in its portrayal of one man's redemptive journey to free himself from his sinful past. It is a blockbuster in every sense, from spectacle, to emotion, and most of all spirit.

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Shaolin is an action packed, dramatic epic in the same vein as the Tom Cruise vehicle The Last Samurai. It also takes place on around the same time period, but in a time of turmoil in China where warlords fought over the land much at the expense of the masses. Warlords, which Andy Lau also appears in is great as well and I highly recommend that movie also. Anyhow, Andy Lau gives an outstanding performance here as Hou Jie. Hou Jie is a ruthless warlord general. His unscrupulous actions catch up with him that result in him taking refuge in a Shaolin temple he once disrespected. His second in command (played by Nicholas Tse) picks up where Hou Jie left off, exceeding his predecessor in immorality and cruelty. The legendary Jackie Chan appears as a lighthearted support role as cook for the Shaolin monks. This tale of redemption is a very well crafted film by HK veteran director Benny Chan. The film looks beautiful and is very well performed, shot and directed. Jet Li's preferred fight choreographer Corey Yuen set up the action, which of course is awesome and there are large helpings of it as well. Shaolin should please most action fans and has the potential to win over viewers who normally stay away from this sort of stuff, as this is very well made and an excellent dramatic film in its own right.

A competent and action pack Shaolin movie… It is of a moment of distinction to proclaim that Benny Chan's latest blockbuster, not only revisited the glory days of Jet Li's first ever movie, but also reunited two of the biggest Hong Kong actors ever. Mr. Andy Lau and Mr. Jackie Chan appears on screen together for the first time since 1994's Drunken Master 2. The moment they appear together, the screen goes on fire. It is a special little segment that excites HK cinema fans, including myself. However, Shaolin fails to exceed the audience expectation and the result is a competent and efficient movie that contains wonderful action sequences, but nothing more.

The real problem of director Benny Chan is not direction, but rather the criminal under usage of Fan Bing Bing and Nicholas Tse respectively. Tse for one, should be critical of his own performance. His villainous turn is neither convincing or menacing. In fact, he should take a leaf out of Mainland's actor, Liu Ye – book of acting. His evil laugh is more cheesy than imagined and his overacting is far too laughable than villainous. A poor effort from someone who have improved immensely in films like Beast Stalker and Pigeon Stool. As for Fan Bing Bing, she performs wondrously in her extremely limited screen time. Her teary eye caught my attention, but with just two significant scenes, she is officially wasted.

All in all, Benny Chan improves from his previous Aaron Kwok's endeavor – City Under Siege. From cheesy to competent action blockbuster, Chan perfectly casted superstar Andy Lau in a role that allows him to go through the motions. At the end of the day, this is a highly effective film for what it is. Unfortunately as with most Benny Chan's movies, the film entertains, but fails to delivers anything special or original to make a good film, great. Basically, Shaolin is a good film, but not great……(Neo 2011)

I rate it 7.5/10

• www.thehkneo.com

I almost skipped this flick when I saw the low 6.8 rating on IMDb. And to be honest, that would've been really unfortunate! Remember the kind of movies that leave something behind in your hearts long after they've finished running? Well, this is most certainly one of those. The background score and soundtrack will linger in your head, I guarantee you that. But most importantly, just when you THINK you've figured it all out and stamped it 'just another Kung Fu flick'; all ready to be discarded and disregarded, wait for the kicker...!

A simple yet significant moral, getting to know the Buddhist way, beautiful locations, and commendable direction to top it off; This movie truly had the potential to be an epic. Almost...!

I thought I'd go with an 8 at first...but finally decided on a full 10; forgiving its small flaws to make way for the bigger message this movie delivers..!