150: Shaolin Master Killer (a.k.a. 36th Chamber of Shaolin)

If you’ve just looked over my recap of the first fifty reviews for this blog and you’re familiar with the films I listed as the worst I’d seen thus far, I’m sure it isn’t lost on you that three of them are Shaw Bros. Studio-produced Kung Fu films.  I’ve detailed my dislike for these films in their respective reviews and noted the negative similarities in their poor production.  Director Chia-Liang Liu hits some of these same sour notes in Shaolin Master Killer (1978), but manages still to pull together a good movie. 

            That being said, this film does have some shortcomings.  It features a fight scene so early on that I honestly wasn’t even sure who I was supposed to be rooting for.  It also follows a big Kung Fu movie cliché that somewhat relates to this problem.  If you ever want to know who the main bad guy is in these pictures you need only to wait for the character with the most ridiculous black facial hair.  This character hadn’t been introduced yet, so I wasn’t sure who was bad and who was good.  I make a point to mention the black facial hair above because the character with the most ridiculous white facial hair will undoubtedly be the wise old master who imparts wisdom and strength to the young hero.  I didn’t make these rules.  I simply acknowledge them.    

            As with some of the previously covered Kung Fu films there are also some blatant editing errors and some major sound effects faux pas, but here the former are occasional and the later less recognizable.  This is likely because the film itself is compelling and doesn’t give its audience time to nitpick its techniques.  The 1001 text notes this film’s clear adherence to three act structure, and while (as noted in previous posts) this can make a film dull it can also highlight the film’s best portions.  Undoubtedly in this case, the film’s strength is its second act. 

This is a basic revenge tale so the first act set-up, where most of those technical errors occur, is simple enough.  San Te’s (Gordon Liu) village is harassed and ransacked by the minions of an evil warlord looking to crush a burgeoning resistance movement.  San Te escapes the carnage to the sanctuary of the Shaolin Temple.  The second act commences when he inquires about being taught Kung Fu, as he has been told that the Shaolin Monks are masters of the marshal arts.  The next 45 minutes of the film basically function as an extended, Rocky-style pumping-up-for-the-fight montage, as San Te completes the 35 chambers of the Kung Fu training regimen.

Cast out of the temple for suggesting he be allowed to teach the art of Kung Fu to layman, San Te does just that after his banishment.  Whether this is meant to be ironic or to insinuate cleverness on the part of the hero I’m not sure. In either case, the film starts to drag again after he leaves the temple.  There’s a build up to a final fight with the ridiculous black facial hair guy, and the whole thing culminates in San Te founding his own 36^th chamber to pass on the knowledge of Kung Fu.  These bookend 1^st and 3^rd acts are cheesy, but the film’s center is strong enough to warrant viewing.

Grade 2.5 Hats Off