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).

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.

johnm3591 Considered one of the finest martial arts films ever made, Shaolin Master Killer stars popular old school kung fu badass Chia Hui (Gordon) Liu as San Te, a young man who becomes involved in the struggle against the malevolent Manchus, seditious anti-Ching patriots. Steered by Ho Kuang-han, the Manchus have surreptitiously set up a headquarters in Canton. When his family is murdered for being linked with rebels, San Tse narrowly escapes and eventually makes his way to the Shaolin monastery. Here he requests to stay and learn the fighting techniques of the Shaolin, and after brief discussion among the elders, he is allowed to remain.The better part of the film is dedicated to the painstaking and exhaustive training San Te undergoes. San Te hones his skills over several years, and the tasks he must complete are within an arduous, and sometimes torturous, series of thirty-five distinct chambers (or phases) of instruction - ordeals intended to develop strength and agility. San Te?s initial failures are amusing (such as attempting in vain to balance on bound wooden logs in the water while also trying to eat lunch from a bowl), but when he finally begins to grasp the Shaolin techniques, he progresses past the other pupils and becomes the greatest student the temple has ever seen. Though there are only thirty-five chambers, Liu's character argues for the creation of a new one. This "36th chamber" in the temple would teach Shaolin kung fu to the general population so that they might effectively fight the Manchus. This idea doesn?t go over at all, and San Te is sent back into the world as a beggar monk. However, San Te has already learned what he needs in order to whip some severe amounts of Manchu ass.Shaolin Master Killer is the epitome of the classic post-Bruce Lee kung fu flick. While background story concerns revenge, the true focus of the film is San Te?s training at the Shaolin temple. These sequences were under the direction of Lau Kar Leung (who also directed Jackie Chan in Drunken Master 2), and their scope and perfection take martial arts filmmaking to new heights. The training scenes not only serve the purpose of furthering the story, but also allow the viewer to learn about and care for the protagonist before the climactic showdown. There aren't as many fights as one might expect from a Shaw Brothers film, but this does not detract from the overall story in the least. As a matter of fact, the occasionally languorous pace helps to enhance the mood of the film as a whole.Gordon Liu was a mainstay for more than a decade at legendary Shaw Brothers studio in Hong Kong. His first major role was in director Chang Cheh's Shaolin Martial Arts. The success of Shaolin Master Killer (the original title was 36th Chamber of Shaolin) propelled him to stardom. Liu can be seen in the high-profile role of Pai Mei in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, and in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 as the gangster Johnny Mo - dual roles in the same film showing the esteem Quentin Tarantino holds for this veteran actor.Shaolin Master Killer is dubbed in that oft-maligned and mocked kung fu movie manner (the lips don?t match the mouth), but most of the translation seems to be precise. The choreography is superlative and demonstrates why Liu is inarguably one of cinema?s greatest martial arts stars. Better than Bruce Lee? Well, that?s a fan-boy debate for another time and place. Shaolin Master Killer is definitely not-to-be-missed by kung fu, cult film, and action flick aficionados for any reason.

ma-cortes This is a Run Run Shaw Brothers classic film and widely considered to be one of the greatest Kung Fu flick of all time . Epic imperial and subsequent upheaval during China's Ching dynasty , being spectacular and colorfully directed . The picture starts with an opening credits showing a demonstration of martial arts against an empty backdrop . The anti-Ching rebels , under the guidance of Ho Kuang-Han, have secretly set up their base in Canton , posing as school masters . During a cruel Manchu attack, the patriot San Te or Liu (Chia Hui Liu) arranges to getaway and devotes himself to learning the martial arts at Shaolin temple in order to seek vengeance . In a short period of time he learns the art of fighting , thanks his expert Bhuddist masters . When his learning is completed , he battles the Manchus commanded by his chief , General Tien Ta (Lo Lieh).This luxurious Kung Fu film was marvelously filmed with good production design , colorful cinematography , a lot of zooms and breathtaking scenes . The flick displays lots of violence, action filled , thrills and fierce combats . This is a colourful, Hong-Kong set and quite budget movie ; leave no cliché untouched , though the fighting are magnificently staged . The picture is full of tumultuous sequences with frenetic action , surprises ,fierce combats and groundbreaking struggles . Amid the glamour and grandeur of the scenarios is developed an intrigue about nasty Manchues and a learning period at famous Shaolin temple , including betrayal , crime and exploring the dark side of Chinese Ching dynasty . Despite the US title for the film ¨The Master Killer¨, the idea of taking a life would be abhorrent to a real Shaolin or Bhuddist monk . Impressive and rousing fights with deadly use of fists , feet and palms , along with such weapons as swords, sticks , and lances . And hundreds of armored warriors reenacted by lots of extras . Overwhelming attacks and exciting combats very well staged , the result is a strong entry for action buffs . Kung Fu training scenes are a direct reference in ¨Kill Bill¨ by Quentin Tarantino , enhanced by the fact that Gordon Liu stars in both movies . Even the faded colours in this scene match that of the Shaolin movie . The movie was well directed By Chia Liang Liu and won the Best Martial Arts Award at 24th Asian Film Festival and was the 1978 Top 10 Box Office Hits in Hong Kong . Chia Liang Liu or Lau Kar Leung made stunts and directed several Kung Fu movies as ¨Legend of drunk master¨ , ¨Shaolin executioners¨, ¨The invincible pole fighters¨, ¨Seven swords¨ and the following : ¨Return to Shaolin¨ with Gordon Liu and ¨Shaolin 3 : Martial arts of Shaolin¨ with Jet Li .