Shi da di zi

Very cheap production, mostly costumes in the woods. The saving grace is the plentiful fights and a large number of characters to prevent boredom.

Typical ho-hum about Chings oppressing innocent Hans and the Shaolin running about. What I found notable was the different number of actual Kung Fu styles being represented here. Many of the characters fight with a specific style that actually contains moves from the style. You can even see some relatively accurate Eagle Claw (briefly), Preying Mantis and Hung Ga during the film. That said the choreographers frequently revert to movie style kung fu. Unfortunately the martial art fighting is just OK with a lot of slow fighting and unrehearsed moves.

The film available is a horrid TV print with screwy English dubbing. Not only is there no pan and scan on the original widescreen, the image is set dead center, it's also zoomed in to avoid the original subtitles. I might have liked this better if I saw an original print.

(1978) 10 Brothers of Shaolin ENGLISH DUBBED MARTIAL ARTS ACTION/ PERIOD PIECE

10 so-called brothers by way of principal since they trained and lived together for a long time in the same temple are ordered by the head Chinese monk to protect a hierarchy ruler whose been hiding in the temple until his cover was blown in which the unfaithful commander putting a bounty on his head. The dubbing is atrocious which didn't make since but in order to appeal to English speaking viewers, the language was changed from "Buddha be praised" to "God be praised". The martial art sequences is some of the worst I've ever seen since they barely even touch one another. And they're too many twists that don't make a lot of sense such as the monk who betrayed the temple for the whereabouts of the hierarchy ruler but is necessary, since it's supposed to be a movie and may have ran out of ideas.

Opening with the classic Drunken Master (Wong Fei Hung) theme, we are instantly introduced to the titular ten brothers of Shaolin, hired to protect Master Chu from the enemy. Working on the regular late 70's plot-line of Ming versus Ching, with the great Chang Yi getting to put in another performance as an evil general. If you think you recognise the face of his son, its popular Hong Kong fight choreographer, Stephen Tung Wei (the kid who gets a quick life-lesson from Bruce Lee in Enter The Dragon).

Neatly shot and with some great locations, especially the opening temple which looks like a stunning place, 10 Brothers Of Shaolin keeps a steady pace and offers plenty of kung fu action courtesy of the fantastic Tommy Lee (The Hot, The Cool & The Vicious). This is complimented by the great cast on offer of course, including the brilliant Wong Tao. I'm a big fan of Don Wong Tao. Its rare that a film he is in proves unwatchable. By the time he had made this, Wong had only been in the business 5 years but had already made over 20 films as a leading man, including the classic Secret Rivals!

His supporting cast of the ten brothers do pretty well themselves - one of which the great Philip Ko and another,Jimmy Lee. Fan-favourite Leung Kar Yan (aka Beardy) gets to impress as an ass-kicking, evil brigadier who works for the general. Stereotyped actor, Shaw Luo Hui, returns as a shifty monk, and another co-star that gets to show some great moves, is the fantastic Judy Lee Chia Ling who never fails to impress...

Not without its flaws, 10 Brothers Of Shaolin has enough going on with its characters, nicely choreographed fights, tidy direction and great cast to make it an above average kung fu flick. Highlights include the obligatory teahouse fight and any against Tung Wei, although I was expecting more in the finale against the heartbroken, Chang Yi.

Overall: Not amazing, but definitely not boring, 10 Brothers Of Shaolin entertains!

God's name be praised, all the staples are here of a classic martial arts action flick: lovely filming locations, excellent sets, and colorful costume design; orchestration of scenes with an eye for spectacle, fanciful stunts and action at the drop of a hat, and choices of shots and camerawork that are a bit overly excitable and pronounced in the manner that is somewhat characteristic of the genre. If it's a martial arts action flick that you want, God's name be praised, it's a martial arts action flick that you'll get.

Some such pictures are much stronger than others, however. For starters, God's name be praised, '10 brothers of Shaolin' would have benefited from even ten minutes spent developing a plot. A uselessly broad, basic, vague narrative concept is sort of offered as a meek through-line - there's one side in a conflict, you see, and there's also another side, and there might be a traitor on the side that's kind of posited as the one we might be supposed to cheer for. The screenplay isn't very good about elucidating any story beyond this. Action sequences are fine, serving their purpose of entertainment, and some moments are better and more interesting than others. The acting is fine; everyone does their job, God's name be praised. One has to wonder just much the dialogue in the widely available dubbed version reflects the original Mandarin script, if for no other reason than that the repetition of the phrase "God's name be praised" is downright parodic at points. Some other instances of dialogue and scene writing are just as curious, coming closer to inspiring mocking laughter than anything else. The direction is fine.

It's all just so fine, God's name be praised. "Fine" doesn't sustain viewer engagement, however, or build a fan base, or bring in box office receipts. Did you know "fine" is also a synonym for "middling," and "bland?" Well, it can be in colloquial usage, at least, and I'm sure the folks at Merriam-Webster would agree. Hold on, why was it, again, that I chose to watch '10 brothers of Shaolin?' I was bored, I guess, and looking for something relatively light and uninvolved. God's name be praised, I succeeded. I wouldn't have minded being pleasantly surprised by a movie that was actively exciting, absorbing, and satisfying, but as it turns out that just wasn't going to happen with this. Period film? Check. Martial arts? Check. Significant, enduring value? Sorry, keep on looking. I suppose you could do worse, but why bother at all? Cheers to those who like this more than I do. I need something more - God's name be praised.

It has been a while since I've seen it, but I remember it was badly dubbed, and there was hardly any story. There were a lot of fights though from which none was worth watching for more then one time. Because I like classic kung fu movies I rated it a 6. If you want a great kung fu movie don't watch this one.