How to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime, $3.99 on iTunes, $1.99 on Google Play
Starring: Gordon Liu, Lieh Lo, Wilson Tong, John Cheung, Norman Chu
Director: Lau Kar Leung
Writers: Kuang Ni
Run Time: 115 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: February 2, 1978 (Hong Kong)
Style: Kung Fu, Hung Gar, Hong Kong, Martial Arts
More information on this film can be found on its IMDB page.
Enter the 36th Chamber
Every genre of film has a group of movies that has outgrown the medium over the years. These movies become staples of their respective categories but more importantly, they are looked upon by outside forces as something powerful. Something that has inspired different artforms or even the next generation of creators. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin may be the initial film that comes to mind when I say Shaw Brothers Studios, and for good reason. Directed by legendary filmmaker Lau Kar Leung and starring one of the most notable names in Kung Fu cinema in Gordon Liu, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin has become a must-watch for martial arts and cinema lovers alike. Until only recently, I had only seen the sequel which is a vastly different comedy.
Does The 36th Chamber of Shaolin deserve the recognition garnered over 40 years? Let’s find out and enter the 36th chamber.
Overview
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin sees Gordon Liu as a rebellious villager wary of the dangerous militia who governs the area. After his friends are murdered, he seeks asylum in the Shaolin temple. He soon decides that in order to save his people he must learn Kung Fu, not just to fight the militia, but to teach the people to defend themselves. Before he can do any of this, he must pass through 35 chambers of the temple, each housing a different test.
Story Review: 7/10
The Good: The Temple
While the film does not falter before reaching the Shaolin temple, all of the best moments lie within it. Seeing Gordon Liu put the puzzle together for each individual chamber is a treat. Through each chamber, Liu is forced to grow. One of my favorite examples of this comes in the first chamber. In an effort to cheat, he climbs a short wall to walk around the obstacle. He is then pushed off by a monk and told “The wall is low, but Buddhism is high.”. This is his first step in learning that Kung Fu is more than just a method of self-defense.
Even when he is finished with the chambers there are still lessons to learn. The abbot and others in charge decide that Liu is ready for a promotion and new responsibilities, but one monk steps up to disagree. It is quickly realized that the monk did not mean to antagonize him. When he bests Liu in a fight, Liu thanks him for the challenge and declines the promotion. This continuous growth in defeat is a highlight of the story.
The Bad: Everything Else
The temple is where all of the best moments happen but perhaps the film spends too long in this setting. There are only twenty minutes left in the film when Liu leaves the temple. This is it, this is the driving force of the story, and there is barely any time to subtly accomplish the ending. In this final act, the film introduces four new characters before the final battle, I remember almost nothing about them because fifteen to twenty minutes is not nearly enough time to get to know them.
Teaching the village was our hero’s main goal at the start of the film. This was the entire purpose of him going through the chambers and learning Kung Fu. Returning to this part of the story with barely any time left in the film makes one feel like Lau Kar Leung forgot that there was a story outside of the Shaolin temple. The denouement should draw a sense of resolution and with it, satisfaction. Unfortunately, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin falls just short of accomplishing that fulfillment.
Martial Arts Review: 9.8/10
The Good: Action and Themes
Obviously, the fights are amazing, this movie doesn’t get its legendary status if the fights are not up to par. While many may gush over the final fight, which is fantastic, my favorite fights take place within the temple. All of Gordon Liu’s fights with the monk who challenges his promotion are perfect. Every time Liu loses, he trains in hopes of finding a solution. This cycle repeats four or five times, each fight evolving and shifting until finally, Gordon Liu is victorious. The story within these fight scenes is so entertaining to watch and reminds me of one of my favorite Bruce Lee quotes, “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.”. This connects eerily well as Liu resolves his problem by manufacturing the tri-staff, adding what is uniquely his own.
It is lessons like this that make not just the action but the ideology of martial arts so alluring. Every single test that Liu passes is later applied in his later ordeals. Tests that are passed with strength, focus, patience, or even consistency are never taken for granted and help shape Liu into a mature and balanced person. As Liu goes on to teach Kung Fu to those in need one would hope that his experiences and instructions would be passed on as well.
Overall: 8.4/10
Conclusion
You really cannot fault RZA and Quentin Tarantino for talking up The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. The fights are fantastic, and the story of Liu being challenged every step of the way is told to perfection. Unfortunately, that plotline overshadows the A-plot almost entirely making the ending feel rushed and anticlimactic. But even a lackluster ending can’t take away from all of the greatness that came before it. Every chamber in the Shaolin temple leaves its mark on the viewer and the lessons alongside them.
Gordon Liu’s performance is indelible and his growth as a character is inspiring. Lau Kar Leung’s name is set in stone as one of the greatest directors in Hong Kong and all of film history and it is films like The 36th Chamber of Shaolin that got him there. But it was his love and devotion to Kung Fu that motivated him to make art that would be seen on all corners of the world for decades to come.
What do you think of Lau Kar Leung’s The 36th Chamber of Shaolin? Let us know in the comments and when you’re done head over to my Youtube channel to see me review this movie and a few other Shaw Brothers classics. Don’t forget that we have plenty of other reviews here on Martial Journal from movies to television, and even books.
Check out my Youtube channel where I review and discuss martial arts films.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYUbj1Rjnf07S3UbVvKZ0Q?view_as=subscriber
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