Here's a film that every martial arts movie enthusiast really should see: The Shaolin Temple. This 1982 film was made in the Peoples' Republic of China on the grounds of the actual Shaolin Monastery, the famed 5th century home of Buddhist monks who fostered, developed and practiced one of the most influential forms of Chinese kung-fu. It is also notable as being the feature film debut of martial arts superstar Jet Li, who was only 17 at the time, but already a national champion for the Beijing Wushu Team.
The plot is the standard revenge-and-training arc familiar to most kung-fu film fans (and of course has been replicated in everything from the Star Wars trilogy to Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films). Li plays a young boy whose father is killed by a marauding warlord and his cohorts when they invade his land. Surviving the massacre, Li wanders into the wilderness and luckily stumbles onto the grounds of the Shaolin Temple.
The monks take him into their care, and once he regains his health, Li demands to learn the kung-fu practiced by the monks so he can take vengeance. Despite the misgivings of one elder monk who disapproves of Li's bloodlust, the young boy is taken in with the hope that Buddhism and discipline may make him a better human being.
Li's character eventually becomes extremely skilled in the martial arts, but conflicts abound. In addition to dealing with the warlord who killed his father, his personality and attitude are a constant problem for the monk leadership, plus he falls in love with the daughter of a man who has since entered the monastery himself.
Viewed today, The Shaolin Temple has many of the same drawbacks as other kung-fu films. The photography often feels sloppy and primitive, the sound recording is occasionally scratchy and the use of 70s zoomy-cam shots are frequently distracting. The tendency of Chinese filmmakers then to inject zany comedy and musical numbers into kung-fu films is also present here, though limited to one out-of-place song by Li's love interest, and a horribly politically incorrect sequence in which Li accidentally smothers his gal's dog, buries him, and then decides to roast and eat him.
Of course, the real reason to watch the film is the fight scenes, and they certainly do not disappoint. Li and his fellow monks employ virtually every style of Chinese fighting imaginable: hand-to-hand, boxing, kicking, staffs, swords, weighted chains, three-sectioned poles, etc. etc. The crude filming techniques in some ways are an asset, as there's virtually no wires, special effects or trick photography employed. You really get a sense of the fighter's athleticism and speed, with many scenes a sight to behold.
Check out this scene in which a curious Li gets his first glance of the monks in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8esZFjuNvI&feature=fvsr
And then my personally favorite scene (part of the inevitably training montage) in which a now trained and confident Li executes a series of complex kung-fu forms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTIm8b9Rft8&feature=related
So check it out for some truly impressive Jet Li action.
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