It is indeed a film, and you shouldn't miss it. The world of kungfu movies is not hurting for movies about the Shaolin Temple protecting and fighting alongside Ch'ing dynasty rebels, but when you find a good one, and I mean a really good on, everything becomes that much more special.

A young soldier is wounded while trying to protect the Royal Seal, but is saved from death by a woman named Bai. They seek shelter at Shaolin Temple, but the abbot is hesitant to get involved, since Shaolin was on tenuous ground (at best) with the Ch'ing government (which later ordered the temple burned to the ground and declared open season on the monks). This hesitance moves Bai to angrily shout, "Let's get out of here! This temple is run by a bunch of wet willies!"

The soldier stays, however, wanting to learn the ways of Shaolin Temple -- or more precisely, learn the ways of Shaolin Temple kungfu He is a trouble-maker and all-around imp of a fellow, which means he is destined to be the Temple's greatest hero. The abbot of Shaolin must breathe a sigh of relief every time one of these impish, no good louts come strolling through the front gate, because it seems like they always go on to become China's greatest heroes. It's probably an interview question. "Are you an impish bum who will spend more time goofing off than studying, and spend more energy getting out of work than you wouldput in if you just did the work in the firts place?" If you answered yes to either question, you are going to be either a national hero or a computer programmer.

The soldier hears that the best kungfu teacher in the temple went insane a long time ago, and now lives in a cave where he drinks wine and practices kungfu all day.

Bai is kidnapped by the evil soldiers, and the soldier, now an apprentice monk, rescues her but is captured himself. This is one of those times when it is good to have twelve angry monks as your pals. They come to his rescue without the permission of the abbot.

On the outs with the abbot after the rescue, our hero goes into the cave inhabited by the insane monk who prays to his many jars of wine. The crazy drunk monk agrees to teach the hero that sort of kungfu you can only learn from crazy drunk monks.

And just in time, too, because the soldiers are coming to Shaolin Temple to kill, kill, kill!

Incredible kungfu action, especially from the crazy drunk monk and hero, highlight this energetic, action-packed, and quite funny kungfu film. It made me want to go out to a cave and find a drunk monk of my own. When I went to the cave, though, all I found was stoned metal heads making out and spray painting Ozzy's name on the wall. Still, they taught me a thing or two, but it was never very useful.