36th Chamber of Shaolin

Now, all you hip hop fans out there that frequent my blog are probably thinking that this a Wu-tang related post. Well, its not. So, the rest of you should read on too, cuz the movie I am about to tell you about is awesomely awesome and is a must watch for anyone.

Shaolin Master Killer OR 36th Chamber of Shaolin is a movie from 1978. Shot and made in Hong Kong, the film holds a few key elements close to its heart and tells a minimalist story; but that's where the mediocrity ends- this is the kind of footage classics are made of.

To me, the beauty of a fighting movie is in exactly that, its beauty. I don't care about the killing, the blood or the ruthless violence, I want to see the art of fighting portrayed in its purest form. And in this category, 36th Chamber of Shaolin delivers by the busloads. The story is that of a young man who learns Kung Fu, slowly understanding the skills it requires and going through rigorous training to acheive the highest level of competence.

The training scenes are beautiful and the fight scenes are pure gold. I mean, I watched this movie at 4 in the morning, and I was riveted. I knew what was going to happen, don't let me fool you about that, there is no suspense in this movie - we all know he's gonna get much better than he is, and then he's going to go kick some ass. Done, where's the popcorn? But what makes this movie awesomely awesome is the training he goes through, the purity of his skill and how it is portrayed in the movie. The actual skill of Kung Fu is shown here, how one moves his hands and feet, what it means to have great timing and control, what it means to really know your opponents weakness - this is why this style of fighting is a delicate art. And this movies shows all this without hitting you over the head with it, that is what kept me locked onto my monitor from the opening credits onwards.

As I said, don't expect the depth that you would find in a movie like Hero or Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but you can expect better fight scenes, cleaner violence (oxymoronic, I know) and some near-awful dubbing. Still, this movie has to rank as one of the best Kung Fu movies I have ever seen. Its just too bad that I am now close to 25 years old and don't have the time anymore to watch a movie 17 times in a row. Does anyone else remember doing that when they first discovered Bruce Lee?