dworldeater Shaolin is an action packed, dramatic epic in the same vein as the Tom Cruise vehicle The Last Samurai. It also takes place on around the same time period, but in a time of turmoil in China where warlords fought over the land much at the expense of the masses. Warlords, which Andy Lau also appears in is great as well and I highly recommend that movie also. Anyhow, Andy Lau gives an outstanding performance here as Hou Jie. Hou Jie is a ruthless warlord general. His unscrupulous actions catch up with him that result in him taking refuge in a Shaolin temple he once disrespected. His second in command (played by Nicholas Tse) picks up where Hou Jie left off, exceeding his predecessor in immorality and cruelty. The legendary Jackie Chan appears as a lighthearted support role as cook for the Shaolin monks. This tale of redemption is a very well crafted film by HK veteran director Benny Chan. The film looks beautiful and is very well performed, shot and directed. Jet Li's preferred fight choreographer Corey Yuen set up the action, which of course is awesome and there are large helpings of it as well. Shaolin should please most action fans and has the potential to win over viewers who normally stay away from this sort of stuff, as this is very well made and an excellent dramatic film in its own right.

j-m2002 I have to admit this was not one movie Andy Lau, was meant to be in: at least not a monk. At times the plot gets confusing though it makes me think: Why did he become a monk? I mean really it could have gone in an opposite direction. But the message is quite clear where cruelty is not an absolute answer to everything, with responsibility there is more steps you have to take to watch yourself. That is really quite it of what I watched this movie. 1. story line was quite weak with transition with the general turning into a monk, it almost seem like he was a coward. 2. though give them credit where its due which, there is compassion and forgiveness where Buddihism comes into play. Amazingly they only fight for their self righteousness and self defences. 3. overall I only would recommend viewers seeing this for time to kill or nothing else to do. When i say it missed the mark it seemed like I was watching Ghandi, but the shortened version. The best part of the films is at the end where everything comes together to tells a story of the nonsense. Between the struggling of the feudal lords and their ideals to gain in whatever way.

Bernard Sinai Set in the Warlord Era (1916 – 1928), Lau plays the warlord Hou Jie who finally seizes control of Dengfeng in Henan Province but is afraid that his sworn brother, Song Hu (Shi Xiaohong), could take advantage of him and take everything. He then plans an ambush for Song. However, his deputy Cao Man (Tse) has other ideas and orchestrates a plan to eliminate both warlords, ultimately taking control of their armies.Losing his daughter in the attack, Huo Jie manages to escape and seeks refuge in a Shaolin Buddhist Monastery where he becomes the disciple of cook Wudao (Jackie Chan) and later progresses to become a warrior monk with assistance from his seniors Jingneng (Wu Jing) and Jingkong (Xing Yu). He also learns to control his anger and finally find peace. However, his former ally cum enemy Cao Man learns that he is still alive and sets out to kill him.

myloveincruz It's a martial arts movie with impressive special effects but the plot and dialog of a cartoon, which is just fine so long as you remember this is a Jackie Chan movie and suspend your disbelief. You will be invited to believe this film has depth but that's just window dressing played up by convincing actors. I felt like I was watching a grammar school production of King Lear since the directing kept on insisting it be taken seriously.Relax it's just a flick so eat your popcorn and have fun. I had to give it a 5 because of its inability to decide what kind of movie it wanted to be, a Kurosawa or a Jackie Chan with high production values.