Chinese history books state that a Shaolin Monk named Tamo founded Shaolin Kung Fu centuries ago. The originators of Kung Fu have become legendary and are often the basis for many historical martial arts films. Case in point, Lin Fu Ti’s 1981 movie THE SHAOLIN MONK, also known as KILLER PRIEST. Chen Sing, typecast primarily as evil characters as evidenced by his appearances in FATAL FLYING GUILLOTINES (1977), MASK OF DEATH (1979), and THE MAGNIFICENT (1979), finally achieves heroic status as the lead in THE SHAOLIN MONK. Wen Chiang Long gets a supporting role as Tamo’s reluctant apprentice. He previously appeared in such efforts as TRIANGULAR DUEL (1972), MOONLIGHT SWORD AND JADE LION (1979), and REVENGEFUL SWORDSWOMAN (1979). THE SHAOLIN MONK is also graced by the beauty and martial arts ability of Judy Lee (aka Chia Ling), one of many women who inherited the mantle of Kung Fu goddess from Angela Mao. You can view her exploits in THE MING PATRIOTS (1976), THE BLAZING TEMPLE (1976), and THE SHAOLIN INVINCIBLES (1979). THE SHAOLIN MONK also features many bad guys, including Phillip Ko, the unsung hero of martial arts cinema. Some of his best villainous performances include roles in INVINCIBLE ARMOUR (1977), DEATH DUEL OF KUNG FU (1979), and DRAGON ON FIRE (1979). The other major bad guy is portrayed by Chuen Yuen, who appeared in EIGHTEEN JADE ARHATS (1978), REVENGEFUL SWORDSWOMAN (1979), and SHAOLIN TRAITOR (1982). The fight choreography is by former Shaw Brothers actor Chen Chuan and Ho Ming Tsiao, who worked with Joseph Kuo. Tai Seng’s has started a new sub-line to their Martial Arts Theater releases, dubbed The Shaolin Collection. So far, the other titles on this label include THE SHAOLIN HERO (1978) and THE SHAOLIN MONK STRIKES BACK (1984).

The residents of Lung City are besieged by famine and everyone is slowly starving to death. Chi Yung (Wen Chiang Long) and his father are physicians who have their hands full in caring for the peasants. Chi Yung is betrothed to the strong-willed Miss Yen (Judy Lee), and both of them spend time honing their martial arts skills. The people in town rejoice when a Taoist Priest named Sao Tin Hu (Chuen Yuen) arrives, who claims he can stop the famine. Miss Yen shows up at the welcoming party for Sao Tin Hu, to let the people know that the priest and his compatriots are up to something evil. Soon Sao Tin Hu holds a ceremony which causes rains to appear and save the crops. The harvest is reaped, and the people of Lung City are grateful for the efforts of the Taoist priest. Except for Miss Yen and Chi Yung, who are confident that he is up to no good. Suddenly, Tamo (Chen Sing) arrives on the scene, looking to recruit Chi Yung as his disciple. Miss Yen is at odds with Tamo because she insists that they will one day be married. Tamo informs her that Chi Yung is destined to become a Shaolin monk. Tamo then predicts that an upcoming disaster will occur. Soon after, a plague breaks out in Lung City. Sao Tin Hu and his allies use this opportunity to ruin Chi Yung’s father. They send one of their accomplices to the medical facility and the lackey places poison into the medicines. Later on, when tending to patients, Chi Tung’s father unknowingly dispatches the poison to the plague victims. The death of the patients bring disgrace to Chi Yung’s father, who cannot bear the circumstances. He kills himself, and his son Chi Yung realizes something is afoot. He swears to avenge his father’s death but he knows his limited martial arts ability are not going to get the job done.

Tamo uses these tragic turn of events to manipulate Chi Yung into becoming his disciple. Tamo promises to teach him superior martial arts skills should he decide to join him. This does not sit too well with Ms. Yen, and she develops a grudge against Tamo. She constantly attacks him, but the wise old monk just continues to make her look like a fool. Sao Tin Hu becomes aware of Tamo’s presence and comes up with a plan to thwart his efforts. His men kidnap Miss Yen, which prompts Chen Yu to rescue her. Chen Yu falls right into their trap, and the gang threatens to kill them by sheer force of numbers. Tamo arrives on the scene to even the odds. The three heroes fight their way out of their predicament. Chen Yu challenges Sao Tin Hu to a duel, and intends to defeat the man who killed his father. Both of them put up a good fight, but it soon becomes clear that Chen Yu is not good enough to compete with his adversary. Tamo interrupts their fight, and makes Sao Tin Hu look like an amateur. Tamo, Chen Yu, and Miss Yen use this opportunity to escape. After seeing the near super-human skills of Tamo, Chen Yu willingly places himself in the hands of the monk to better learn Kung Fu. But Chen Yu is not the only one seeking the help of his mentor. Sao Tin Hu travels into the mountains to beg his own master (Phillip Ko) to intervene on his behalf. The bearded master of evil promises to teach Sao Tin Hu a secret technique that will defeat even the great monk, Tamo. Then the old master promises to join his pupil in the upcoming battle with Tamo and his followers. The stage is set for a martial arts struggle of epic proportions...

At last, a well-produced independent effort that concentrates on character and drama, with no comedic antics. I don’t know how faithful this is to the original legends of Tamo, but the filmmakers have managed to produce an interesting and entertaining effort that is sometimes undone by the uneven action choreography. Besides the usual heroes vs. bad guys revenge storyline, THE SHAOLIN MONK goes the extra mile of including a sub plot involving the fate of the lead character Chen Yu. Tamo has this all-knowing attitude and predicts that Chen Yu will become his successor. Of course to do this, one must become a priest and abstain from sex. This doesn’t sit too well with his feisty fiancée, Ms. Yen. She and Chen Sing have several heated debates over the matter. It hurts Chen Yu to see that his true love and his new master can’t stand each other. This leads to some fine dramatic moments from both Judy Lee and Chen Sing. In fact, the way that Chen Sing plays his character is more akin to an outlaw than a holy man. Then there are these scenes where Chen Sing approaches the evil ones and tries to convince them to repent before it’s too late. This is surely one of Chen Sing’s greatest heroic roles. Wen Chiang Long, (who resembles young Wang Yue) is the only weak spot in the cast acting-wise, but at least he can fight. Phillip Ko always end up playing the bearded, gray-haired villain and his role in THE SHOALIN MONK is no different. He doesn’t show up until the last act, but look for some tremendous fighting from his character, who fights with a smoldering steel claw. THE SHAOLIN MONK offers great casting, enlightening drama, and some truly brutal and violent Kung Fu nastiness.

There is a lot to like about THE SHAOLIN MONK, but we must also point out the weaknesses. Director Lin Fu Ti is technically adept (as evidenced by the naturalistic cinematography and overall visual style), but he lacks the experience in other areas of production. The pacing is the most obvious of the problems as there are long stretches of time without any action. This is the first rule of martial arts moviemaking that the director breaks, and he should spread around the action more. The other weak points are in the fights themselves. Most of the major clashes are realistic and suitably entertaining. However, the director relies too much on trampolines, over editing, and other gimmickry. With an experienced cast like Chen Sing, Phillip Ko, and Judy Lee, Lin Fu Ti should just let them do their stuff and capture it all on celluloid. This tinkering with the fight sequences interferes with their credibility and creates an aura of unprofessionalism. Other mistakes that the director makes is having some of the characters exhibit super human traits. Chen Sing literally walks on water. Chuen Yuen causes it to rain without any explanation. And in another scene, Wen Chiang Long takes direction from a floating, talking shoe (controlled by Tamo). It’s things like these which make the movie seem cheesy and only serve to undo the drama.

SIGHT
THE SHAOLIN MONK was produced in the early 1980s and utilized better quality film stock than most other old school movies. The result is a transfer that provides great clarity and color, even though the movie is cropped from the original 1.85.1 ratio. Tai Seng uses a Betacam SP master as their source, which lacks any major scratches or blemishes. Grain is prevalent, but that’s expected for a movie that is twenty five years old. Director Lin Fu Ti managed to give THE SHAOLIN MONK a bigger budgeted look than most independents, with some great costume design and authentic sets. The quality of the transfer allows the audience to appreciate the production design. The fight choreography varies from mediocre to very good, and the full frame transfer capably reproduces the action. The only down side to an otherwise perfect (full frame) transfer is that the blacks need further tweaking. The night scenes appear hazy and grayish. Thank goodness the night scenes are few. Not withstanding the faulty black levels, the video presentation is one of the best yet from their Martial Arts Theater line.

SOUND
Tai Seng presents THE SHAOLIN MONK in Dolby Digital Mono 2.0. Overall, this is a superior mono sound mix with none of the problems that plague VHS tape--no scratches, pops, or background noise. The highs and lows span the frequency range for a crisp and clear presentation. The martial arts sound effects exhibit depth and clarity, just don’t expect true stereo fidelity. The English dubbing is done by the same folks who did the Shaw Brothers movies, so you’ll hear some familiar voices. The dialog is prominent and free of distortion. Wang Mu San creates a competent score that serves as a backdrop for the drama and action of THE SHAOLIN MONK. Wang Mu San is a capable composer who has worked on Taiwanese independents like NINJA IN THE DEADLY TRAP and THE HEROES. The sound effects, score, and dialog work together for a solid mono soundtrack.

FEATURES
There are English language trailers for other Tai Seng special edition DVDs (all trailers are widescreen, with Dolby Digital Mono sound):