Despite the fact that the Chinese name (New Shaolin Temple) is a kind of allusion to the remake of the 1982 film in which he debuted Jet Land, "Shaolin" - not just an entertaining action movie with elements of drama, reminiscent of Hong Kong productions 20 years ago, but something more. In addition, the plot is based on the story of a man who becomes a monk for the sake of redemption. The film stars an experienced actor. Yu Hai, familiar to us from the original, but now the action has been moved to the early 20th century and there is no obsessive emphasis on training or techniques - an integral part of action films of that era. In terms of entertainment "Shaolin" is an entertaining movie with a running time of just over two hours, well-developed characters, high-quality action scenes (Andy Lau's escape with horses and axes, the destruction of the temple at the end) and a solid budget. The main problem of the film, and this applies to most films Benny Chan (Future Police, City Under Siege) is that it doesn't live up to expectations.
It is known that the length of the original version of the film hovered around three hours, and apparently a lot of things disappeared in the editing room when trying to cut it down to more than two hours. After a grand opening depicting the plight of the locals, a clash between warring warlords ensues and a future conflict between a ruthless general played by Lau, his unpredictable deputy in the person of Nicholas Tse and the monks themselves. Then comes the turn of personal life Lau, with his wife and daughter, then - a lively episode in a restaurant, when the assassination attempt planned Lau. However, from this moment "Shaolin" gradually turns from an epic character drama into a formal action movie. Carefree character Jackie Chan, the monk cook, commands attention but is given little screen time: the seasoned hero only has one fun fight involving kitchen equipment and the presence of children, but it doesn't fit properly into the plot. Actress Fan Bingbing simply disappears in the middle of the film, and then resurrects for the benefit of the plot.
As for the characters, this "Shaolin" slightly superior "Detective Dee" Tsui Harka, which also started out promising. And martial arts scenes choreographed by experienced choreographers Corey Yuen и Yuen Tak, made to last, without the use of any fantastic visual effects. But with such a cast and budget, a better film could have been made. First half hour Lau in his classic style, he plays the role of an incorrigible villain, in which he is well assisted by his ambitious companion Tse. Subsequent roles as a redemption-seeking monk (Lau) and a power-crazed warlord (Tse) are more reminiscent of genre templates. It is worth highlighting the joint work of the trio of monks, consisting of Jackie Wu, Yu Shao Qun and “sluggish looking” Xing Yuya. They all studied professionally wushu and look good on the screen, and Xing Yu I actually studied for a while Shaolin.
Derek Alley's score: 7/10
Author: Derrek Alley
Source: filmbiz.asia
And here’s what I wrote about the battles James Marsh:
... but the most important thing in the film, in which more than 50 real Shaolin monks starred, is kung fu.
Choreographer Corey Yuen developed excellent fights, among which the most memorable are the fights involving two monks - Jackie Wu and Xing Yu. Wu fights Nicholas Tse almost early on, and Xing Yu has a great sword fight with the experienced Xiong Xing Xing that forms part of the film's thrilling climax. Jackie Chan, who was originally given a major role, was forced to turn down the offer due to commitments with The Karate Kid, forcing Benny Chan to rewrite the entire script. However, Jackie did make a cameo appearance. While Chan's comedy elements may not fit with the serious tone of the rest of the film, he still took the opportunity to show off his signature skills. In addition, “Shaolin” features many training scenes, bird's-eye angles shot as the monks hone their skills and Edie Lau learns humility. It’s safe to say that “Shaolin” lives up to expectations in terms of action.
Author: James Marsh
Source: Twitch
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Tags: Shaolin, Benny Chan, Jackie Wu, Jackie Chan, Corey Yuen, Xing Yu, Andy Lau, Yu Hai, Yuen Tak
Tags: Shaolin, Benny Chan, Jackie Wu, Jackie Chan, Corey Yuen, Xing Yu, Andy Lau, Yu Hai, Yuen Tak
but I don’t care, I’m ready to look at Woo Jin in any bullshit. And the movie isn't that bad. For fight fans, sports channels show some crap every day. So enjoy yourself. And in the film, feelings also happen, excuse me. But this is certainly not for swearing boybabs.
>I'm a girl and I'll give Andy Lau a pussy in no time.
There is no need to judge a person by their appearance. If he is not tall and thin, this does not mean that he is weak. Yes, in principle, we are not even talking about Andy Lau.
He is really not a fighter, but an ordinary actor and singer. But before filming this film, he actually practiced kung fu with warrior monks.
Vasilisa, but you are very mistaken about Phillip Ng. After all, you don’t even know who he is. He has been studying Choy Li Fut and Wing Chun with his father since childhood.
For those who don't know him
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhLd3PPCSdw
He also starred in the Wing Chun series.
>I'm a girl and I'll give Andy Lau a pussy in no time.
ХDDD
..respect!
The movie is crap, the fights are also bad, but everyone flies. fights for fighters such as Donnie Yen Scott Adkins or Van Damme Jackie was disappointed, what the hell is drama if he can barely restrain a smile. at a serious moment of the fight, Jackie managed to smile and of course did not get off the ropes. my opinion YOU CAN’T HOLD THE PLANK. GO AWAY! he has enough money and becomes a laughingstock, with all due respect to his past merits. The film is newfangled bullshit, flights, 3D graphics. Slightly better than the Real Legend of Wu Ping. And all sorts of Andy Laus, Edison Chens and Phillip Ngovs are where they belong in Taiwanese action films about the mafia with their pistols .I’m a girl and I’ll give Andy Lau a pussy in two counts. Same for me as a hero. He doesn’t know how to fight and he’s also a fucking star. It’s shit and not a one-time movie with a stretch. Sorry for the swearing, you just can’t film such shit. A good movie has a THOUGHT OUT PLOT SCRIPT QUALITATIVELY PRODUCED FIGHTS ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK SINCERE ACTING BY ACTORS CAPABLE OF GETTING INTO THE ROLE and not whining like Andy Lau in the Shaolin movie like I MAGIC BUT I WILL NOT FIGHT like Keanu Reeve, he’s also a fighter whose legs don’t rise above the knee. Sorry..
Yeah, it’s the same garbage - I’ll only watch the fights for the sake of it.... because dancing around Chinese folk values is not interesting to me personally.
For me, the main thing is how the battles are staged... the rest is secondary.
I didn't like the script, there were too many unnecessary deaths of the main characters. I don't like things like that.
It premiered in Russia on May 19, 2011..
When it's interesting it will come out normal. version?
Actually, I also planned to watch it for the fights... I'm waiting for the normal version. :)
I need to watch the movie sometime...
A small update on the news about Rage Of The Tiger (Scott Adkins).