A fast-moving, superior mixture of just about every sub-genre going, 'Shaolin Ex-Monk' is an excellent example of an independent film that sets out its stall early on and doesn't disappoint. Too many independent kung fu films concentrate their energies on copying the comic antics of Jackie Chan - though without the charm - or the extensive training sequences of '36th Chamber Of Shaolin', only to get bogged down in mediocrity. 'Shaolin Ex-Monk' refuses to concentrate all of its energies on just one aspect and it is probably this consistency that really works in the film's favour; it's not only a straight kung fu film, but also a murder mystery and, at times, a comedy. By using each portion of this sparingly, director Cheung San Yi ensures that there are rarely moments that lack interest or that fail ton involve the viewer. If there is one aspect of the film that does seem awkward it is the unnecessary use of tricks to enhance some of the fight action. Some very obvious wirework (including the very visible wires!) are at odds with the quality of the rest of the film. These gimmicks are really not needed when seasoned performers like John Liu and Jack Long are in the cast; Liu lights up the screen with his explosive bootwork while Jack Long and the endearing Blacky Ko provide extra physical presence. 'Shaolin Ex-Monk' is a tight, fight-filled independent film with a polished feel that lifts it above the average genre flick.

THE FILM:
The movie opens and we are introduced to the scruffy Chow Li Chin, who is being soundly trounced by some thugs. You see, Chin has been fooling around with the local kung fu masters daughter, and well, the master and his students don’t take very kindly to the poor orphan, so they actually decide to hang him for his lovelorn crime. Luckily, a passerby (and excellent martial artist), Lin Shou Fei, saves him from this fate. Chin and Shou Fei eventually form a partnership, in exchange for lessons in martial arts, Chin searches the town and tries to find a deadly ex-monk, who went bad, formed a gang, killed and robbed, and has now gone into hiding. Shou Fei, Sheriff of one of the towns the monk raided, has been tracking the ex-monk for a few years and now been lead to this town. The ex-monk is hiding there, and deciding that he needs to deal with the two, sets up traps- including ambushing Shou Fei with the Ting Bros, a duo who fight with triangular crane head shaped weapons on their hands, and when that fails, confronting Shou Fei himself, severely injuring the heavy kicking Sheriff. The monk also manages to point the finger and manipulate the townspeople, attempting to frame Shou Fei for the local kung fu masters murder, and so forth. Eventually though, the trail leads to the evil monk, and its up to Shou Fei and Chin to take him out in a solid ten minute long fight finale.

This is a well made old school kung fu film, a nice b-production, full of all that one expects in story and some pretty good fight work. John Lui, who plays Shou Fei, best known for his proficient kicking talents (and not that he looks sort of like a skinny Asian Mickey Dolenz) smoothly grins and kicks his way through the film. The action is pretty good, some wires here and there, and missing frames to speed it up, but overall the fighters natural abilities and charisma make the scenes work. Having the film split between two leads, Shou Fei and Chin, you get many opportunities for the kung fu standards- You get the teacher-student relationship, with Chin learning how to fight (standing on one leg while the other is tied up, propped on a pile of bricks, hitting plates on poles, doing splits on two pedestals). You get two chances for revenge with Chin using his new skills against the bullies who humiliated and beat on him, and Shou Fei against the ex-monk who attacked his town. In addition to Chin's training sequence, after the ex-monk injures him, Shou Fei has his own training scene as he tries to develop a way to beat the monks 6 Hand Style. Two leads also means, two different kung fu characterizations, Chin the bumbling comic relief, and Shao Fei, the confidently swaggering hero. There is also a great spear Vs. sword fight between the ex-monk and the local kung fu master, and the finale is satisfying. The film isn’t out to break any new ground, like say Drunken Master did, but instead it is just a nice chop-socky effort that should leave fans pleasantly entertained.

THE DVD:
The World Video DVD is a good presentation as far as old school kung fu goes. - Despite being fullscreen, the action is framed quite nicely and one doesn’t get the sense very often that one is losing out on the action. The print is very dirty, no surprise there, spotty, and soft in spots, but overall it shows vivid color and sharpness for an old kung fu film. Until better prints of older kung fu start surfacing, I’ll give it a B for picture quality. Sound- The 2.0 mono English dub is strong, with the usual slight hiss here and there, but once again, for an older kung fu film, still very nice. Extras- The extras include a one really long trailer for Jackie Chan Invincilbe Fighter, 8 Chapter stops, and website address page. ***It should be noted that the film has a sever chapter and layer change pause, very noticeably dropping out for a full second between chapters and during the layer change (its not the sort of thing that bothers me too much but, of course, should be mentioned).

REVIEW:
Leg fighter John Liu stars in this solid chop-socky mystery that features moderately entertaining fight scenes, along with shots of the wires that made them possible.

The film starts off with a rousing chase through village streets as actor Wang Xing Hsiu climbs up walls and flips over carts while trying to evade capture. While no Jackie Chan, Wang manages to play the affable fool reasonable well with at least a smidgeon of athletic ability. The film gets a handy jolt from John Liu's charming smile and his incredibly dexterous kicking. But neither can stop the story from faltering shortly after. The training exercises are a yawn thanks to bad camera work and over-used clichés. Wires shoe up everywhere in this film but no where more disappointing then in a training exercise where Liu stands with each foot on a sliding pillar. To demonstrate the technique to his new student, he slides the pillars apart with his feet until he completely does the splits. Looks great but for that wire holding up. Much of the training simply involves various leg stretches. Finally, the breaking of dishware on sticks routine is simply too overused. Fans of kung fu training which is almost a genre in itself should look for "The Prodigal Son" or "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" (The Master Killer). In addition, some of the fight choreography is too slow and methodical, looking more like a square dance at time.

But still... "Shaolin Ex-Monk" does contain some memorable fights towards the end. A pair of mercenaries engage John Liu, wearing what looks like a pair of golden cones on each hand. And somewhat useless, if interesting nevertheless is the ex-monk's horizontal tree-climbing technique which Liu develops a counter move for.

For solid old school martial arts fun, you could do worse than to watch this title. Its not particularly action-packed, funny, or awe-inspiring but "Shaolin Ex-Monk" is entertaining as a whole. It certainly scores in the "unintentionally funny" category for goofy choreography and Liu's slurred dubbing.

First of all, this film features one of the lamest opening credits sequences I've ever seen. Two and a half minutes of dead silence as white text is displayed over a blank red field. This is then followed by another two and a half minutes of black and white photo cut-outs of the characters animated to a jazzy music score. Utterly dreadful. I also noticed someone in the credits with the title of "probes". I don't even want to think about what that could possibly mean... But after you get past the horrible intro, you're treated with a large helping of very good kung fu. John Liu's legwork is amazing and this film probably represents his best work. Additionally, he stretches his acting wings a little bit and is not nearly as stiff and wooden as the other films I've seen him in. Pretty Wong Hang Sau gets into a couple of nice fights, but that's about it for her. Too bad.