Rating: 4/5
Cult Movie Challenge 2016 | 4/52 | Shaw Brothers
Liu Yu-de joins his teacher in an uprising against the Manchus. General Tien Ta learns of their plans and thwarts them, killing Liu Ye-de’s friends and family. In trying to run, Tien Ta’s men injure Liu Ye-de. With the help of a local, he sneaks into the Shaolin temple so that he may learn kung fu and teach it to the people.
The process, however, is more complex than he imagined. He must go through 35 chambers to learn all the aspects of kung fu.
Liu Yu-de takes the name San Te. He quickly rises among his peers at the temple. But the abbot refuses his wishes to teach kung fu to outsiders.
The camera zooms in and out with precision. Every hit and swipe has a dramatic sound effect. The fighting is more of a coordinated dance than a fight sequence. Classic kung fu movie.
This film, in particular, creates an engrossing path as San Te learns the various aspects of kung fu. I haven’t seen many kung fu movies, but this one is the best introduction to its mentality and physical training. As a result, when we see San Te put his training into effect, we see pieces of his training coming into play. We understand his choices and may expect them.
My friend Neal is a huge kung fu movie fan. When I mentioned I would dig into Shaw Brothers movies, he gave me an entire list. This movie was an entertaining formal introduction to the genre.