SlingShott78
I have finally had the pleasure of seeing this classic martial arts film and it is simply fantastic. I am ashamed that being a fan of the martial arts genre for most of my life that i have not viewed what many view as the greatest martial arts film of all time. IMO it is quite "bleepin" epic!!! I was fortunate enough to score a remastered copy on DVD put out by Celestial Pictures as part of the Shaw Brothers Classic Collection. I can't recommend this amazing picture enough to fans of the genre. Of course it very well may be possible that i could be the only fan in the world who hasn't seen this film until now, it was originally released in 1979 after all and i myself was born in the end of '78...so don't have much of an excuse for waiting so long. I recommend watching it in its original soundtrack with the subtitles to truly get the full effect. I would give this film a 10/10 but i don't believe that any film is truly perfect but as far as the martial arts genre of films goes it is pretty damn close
BA_Harrison
Chia-Hui Liu plays Liu-Yu De, an 18th century Chinese student who joins a group of rebels fighting against the tyrannical Qing dynasty. When the rebels are rounded up by General Yin and his men, Liu-Yu De barely escapes his village with his life; wounded and exhausted, he eventually makes his way to the Shaolin temple, where he becomes a monk known as San Te. After seven years, during which he becomes the temple's most outstanding pupil, San Te leaves, finding his way back to his village where he shows the Qing rulers a thing or two about kicking ass.As much as I love a training sequence in an old school martial arts movie, I do believe it is possible to have too much of a good thing; that's how I feel about The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, which spends an inordinate amount of its lengthy running time focusing on San Te's schooling in kung fu. Crossing water on floating sticks, hitting reflecting wooden posts, watching an oscillating flame, head-butting sandbags, spinning metal discs with a stick, rolling heavy stone blocks, using a weight on a pole to bang a gong (get it on): what starts out as fun eventually feels like a challenge in itself.The film does benefit from a strong central performance from Chia-Hui Liu, who is a truly spectacular martial artist (his weapons work is particularly impressive), and boasts lavish sets and costumery, but with so-o-o-o-o much training, coupled with a familiar plot that delivers few surprises, this one didn't entertain me quite as much as I had hoped given its legendary status.I feel like a bit of a philistine giving such a highly regarded film the lowest rating amongst the reviewers here on IMDb, but I can't bring myself to give it any more than a 6.5/10 (rounded up to 7 for IMDb).
Leofwine_draca
THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN is a straightforward Shaw Brothers kung fu outing, well remembered by many fans. It's not one of my favourite of the studio's films - I always prefer the work of director Chang Cheh, who I think it's tough to beat - but it's easy to see why this is such a beloved movie. Much of the running time consists of elaborate training rituals which as any kung fu fan knows are always entertaining to watch.The film is bookended by a typical revenge storyline which doesn't disappoint and boasts Wilson Tong and Lo Lieh on top form as some hissable villains. Gordon Liu isn't my favourite martial artist but he acquits himself very well here and totally convinces throughout his gradual transformation from novice to expert. The early scenes involving water are very funny and the undercurrent of humour which runs throughout the movie makes it likable and an easy watch despite the lengthy running time.As for the fights, well they're above average for the genre which you'd expect when Liu Chia-Liang is handling the choreography. As is usual for the Shaw Brothers, a colourful palette and sumptuous production values make this an effortless watch throughout.
erandy-894-944418
The 36th Chamber or Shaolin is the way martial arts movies are meant to be made.No cheap hang wires stunt doubles or computer generation effect, just pure skill in a classic old school Kung Fu film. Chia Hui Liu is phenomenal as both an actor and kung fu expert. The moves and tasks he performs in the film are all just examples of pure skill in martial arts. 36th Chamber of Shaolin is both a great story and a perfect example of a Kung Fu movie. not to forget this movie was released in the 70s a perfect time for the Hong Kong Kung Fu film industry which produced many classic films along the way and one thing for sure this movie has to be one of them. The sound, quality and audio is perfect, the script is well written for a kung Fu movie and the acting is also perfect.
AD
