Movielogr
War of the Shaolin Temple (1980)
Directed by Da Chiao Lin
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
Set during the Sung Dynasty, patriotic monks of the Shaolin Temple fight against foreign invasion.
Length 89 minutes
Actors
Chen Kin Cheung | Chan Kian Ching | Chan Kian Ho | Chen Cha Hoi | Mark Lung | Chiang Sheng | Alan Chui Chung-San | Chen Kin-Cheong
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/02/2015 | TV | Streaming | Video on Demand | 6.5 stars |
| (Average) 6.5 stars |
Viewing Notes
Fighting. Lots of fighting. Seriously lots of fighting. Ricky Cheng is the main man leading the insurgence over the occupying Jin forces. Cheng seeks refuge and training at Shaolin temple which puts the monks in a direct path with the Jin. Did I mention there’s lots of fighting. Wowza.
Stilted form-fighting to drunken Shaolin (courtesy of an exiled old monk living in a cave) to swordplay and pole fighting and general wuxia acrobatics, this movie has it in spades. The Jin warlord Alan Chui is practically unbeatable with skills above everyone else.
The movie suffers from the usual convoluted story and tonal changes (both caves sequences are amazing but that humor feels out of place in an otherwise serious movie). Didn’t realize that was Chiang Sheng, one of the Venoms, early on.
Transfer on YouTube isn’t bad but I think there’s better options available. Not a great Shaolin movie but worth viewing for the array of fighting techniques and final big battle as well as the drunken monk scenes.
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