The early 80's were a dark time for kung fu movies, as studios insisted on making them comedies. In most cases, the results of such an unholy matrimony were dire. "Warrior From Shaolin" is no exception, and its attempts at humor are painfully unfunny. At one point our antagonists decide to scare the monk by pretending to be ghosts, only to get mixed up with a real corpse herder. In an attempt to make this lame brained sit-com moment even funnier, they play "A Fifth Of Beethoven" as the background music. Huh? Thankfully, for all of its stupid moments, the kung fu really pays off (even in its butchered pan-and-scan state). The intricate choreography is superb, and the performances of Gordon Liu, Lau Kar Wing, and a surprisingly sexy Lily Li are top notch. When the three of them are fighting together, the results are stunning and exhausting.

Review: In between making kung fu movies at Shaw Brothers studios, Lau Kar-leung's brother Kar-wing directed the independently-produced Warrior from Shaolin with Kill Bill star Gordon Liu in the lead. This low budget movie is a mishmash of uneven genre elements and ill pacing, yet Kar-wing's small group martial arts choreography is excellent.

Warrior from Shaolin kicks off by placing itself during the Japanese invasion of China that leads up to World War II. A mortally-wounded patriot with a map of Japanese troop locations delivers it to monks at Shaolin Temple with a request to transport it safely to a Chinese agent with an unusual bump on his back. With the Japanese not far behind, the map ends up in the hands of monk Fu (Gordon Liu) who begins the dangerous quest. Two conmen who believe that Fu's map box contains valuable treasure start tagging along with him. An odd series of misadventures begin with the conmen getting mixed up with hopping corpses and agents of the Japanese. Meanwhile, a Chinese couple with great kung fu skills (Lau Kar-wing and Lily Li) begin working for the Japanese by tracking down Fu. They recruit the greedy conmen to help them, but Fu appeals to their patriotism. After getting captured, Fu meets up with his contact and with the help of the conmen, the pair attempt to retrieve the now hidden map and escape, but they run straight into the hands of their enemies and must fight it out.

Production and action direction on this film is attributed to the "Lau Brothers" which should give potential viewers relatively high expectations. The Lau brothers rival the Yuen Clan and Sammo Hung's crew at Golden Harvest for making the best kung fu classics. They generally consist of Master Lau Kar-leung, his blood brother Lau Kar-wing, and Kar-leung's disciple Lau Kar-fei (AKA Gordon Liu). It's doubtful that Kar-leung actually worked on this film, although he may have acted as an executive producer of sorts. More likely, this was simply a collaborative effort by Gordon Liu and Kar-wing to get something whipped together outside of the studio system for whatever reason. Kar-wing was not his brother's equal, but was still a very competent action director and stunt actor in his own right. Unfortunately, that's about all this film has going for it.

Warrior from Shaolin is a good example of a rushed project from top talent. When pressed, the crew are still able to muster some awesome fights, but the story is wholly disposable. The main premise is that Gordon Liu has to get this map into the hands of an agent, but the filler that's created to make this a ninety-minute feature seems like it's just that, filler. Too much time is wasted on dull comedy and the scene involving hopping corpses is pointless and has nothing to do with the plot. The use of a disco version of Beethoven's 5th is mildly amusing though.

Where the film gets interesting is in the kung fu choreography. Kar-wing constructs elaborate battles between individuals and small groups that includes very dynamic movements and acrobatics that require precise timing. The lovely Lily Li and Kar-wing play a married couple who fight as a single unit. Their movements are intertwined and it becomes Gordon Liu's challenge to keep them apart as his only way of defeating them. This tandem action can also be seen in Odd Couple, another film featuring the talents of Kar-wing. Liu is in good form, but fans may be disappointed to see that his leading role gets hijacked for a time by Eric Tsang and his screen partner.

Good kung fu and action performances from well-known leads makes Warrior from Shaolin better than it should be. Without the backing of Shaw Brothers, the Lau brothers cannot do much with anything outside of the fighting. With considerable gaps between action, maintaining interest will be the greatest challenge. This is the type pf film best watched by fast-forwarding to the highlights.

Set during World War II, Liu's character is given a secret map by a dying rebel fighting the occupying forces from Japan. The monk is pestered by a couple petty criminals who think he is carrying a treasure map instead of a strategic one, and to make things even more of a pain as he tries to reach the rebel headquarters to deliver the map, the Japanese have all sorts of gun-toting toadies running after him.

It's a variation on a theme, of course. There are plenty of movies in which Shaolin Monks help rebels fight the Ch'ing soldiers of the final dynasty, but it's rare that you see Shaolin monks fighting during World War II. I would guess it's mainly because World War II isn't very funny, especially for China. If you need evidence of the fact that World War II wasn't funny, just watch Hogan's Heroes.

To be honest, there really isn't a whole lot to this film. It's simple and straight-forward, with very few diversions along the way, which is more than can be said for Liu Chia-hui's trek in the film. However, don't let the simplicity fool you. Sometimes, kungfu works best in it's most simple form, free of frills and posturing. Warrior from Shaolin is plenty good, though it's not the best work by director Liu Chia-yung or his adopted little brother, Liu Chia-hui. Considering the filmography of each man, however, even on a bad day they do good work. And Warrior from Shaolin has plenty of good stuff going on in it, not least of which is Liu Chia-hui's goofy straw hair and floppy brown hat disguise. But he has to wear it so no one will think he's a monk. Instead they will think he's just some deranged hillbilly.

Great martial arts and acting highlight this fine kungfu fare. Liu Chia-hui may look silly in his floppy brown hat and straw hair, but that doesn't stop him from kicking some serious evil boo-tay. As usual, Liu Chia-yung himself shows up to give everyone who acts heroic a hard time.

This one recently got an el cheapo re-release here in the states and part of one on ten million "Shaolin Collections" to come out in the past year. It's worth picking up, though the old Ocean Shores tape looks much better if you can find it.

During World War 2, Japanese forces invade China. A resistance fighter manages to steal a map that contains military intelligence vital to the freedom of China. The Japanese army discover the resistance fighter and send troopers after him to retrieve the map. During the chase, the fleeing freedom fighter is shot. He stumbles onto the grounds of a Shaolin temple, and hands the map to a monk, Tien Fa (Gordon Liu). Before the wounded resistance fighter dies, he begs Tien Fa to complete his mission for the freedom of China. He informs the Shaolin monk to ensure the map gets delivered to the resistance contact in Dragon Land; a man with a lump on his back. Tien Fa quickly takes the matter to the Shaolin Abbot for advice. Despite the peaceful lifestyle of the Shaolin monks, the Abbot tells Tien Fa that he must do what is best for all of China. Just then, the Japanese troops searching for the resistance fighter burst into the temple, and slaughter all the monks in sight.

Tien Fa and a handful of his fellow monks escape the monastery.They stumble upon two con artist smugglers, Chow Ma (Lung Chan) and Fat Dragon (Etric Tsang), who are willing to transport the monks to Dragon Town (for the right price). The boat trip is cut short, however, by a Japanese patrol boat who open fire on the smugglers. The boat is blown to pieces, with only Tien Fa and the smugglers surviving. Once they make it ashore, Tien Fa promises the smugglers a reward if they can escort him to Dragon Land. Meanwhile, after a local power struggle, dictator Kon Tin (who is allied with the Japanese) awards Captain Wang (Chia-Liang Liu) the title of head constable. Captain Wang’s first assignment in his new position is to track down Tien Fa and recover the map. Captain Wang proclaims that all monks must be taken into custody. Chow Ma and Fat Dragon are in town hiding Tien Fa, where they hear about the authorities arresting all monks. So they cook up a disguise for Tien Fa--some yak hair and a straw hat! Chow Ma and Fat Dragon sneak Tien Fa out of town, and hide him in an abandoned temple. But Captain Wang and his mistress Fa Yin (Lily Li) follow them to the monastery. Captain Wang and his constables engage Tien Fa in life or death combat, for possession of the coveted map!

WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN is a very simple film that doesn’t offer a lot to fans of Kung Fu cinema. The biggest problem with WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN is that it can’t make up its mind what it wants to be--a serious historical martial arts film, or just another silly Kung Fu comedy. Taken as a serious piece, the off-the-wall humor and constant mugging of Eric Tsang detract from the unfolding melodrama. Taken as a comedic effort, the violence, deaths, and torture scenes overshadow the humor. As a result, WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN suffers from a disjointed narrative and schizophrenic tone. There are some moments that are totally out of place, such as the sequence with the hopping vampires. Its as if the filmmakers just tacked this scene on to pad out the running time (it has nothing to do with the plot). Whereas some of the most mediocre Kung Fu films are redeemed by the sheer magnitude of the combat sequences and top-notch fight choreography, the fights in WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN take a back seat to the drama and humor. There are only three or four major fight confrontations in the entire film, but I have to admit they are well done. Especially noteworthy is the final confrontation that pits Gordon Liu against Chia-Liang Liu and Lily Li.

Gordon Liu is back, playing his usual Shaolin monk character, this time with a comedic streak. The humor does not come from Gordon himself, rather the oddball situations that his character finds himself in. For example, in one truly hilarious moment, the con artists convince Tien Fa to visit a whorehouse by telling him that the prostitute is his contact to the Chinese underground. The prostitute thinks that the monk is visiting for some first-time sex. This leads to some truly hilarious innuendo with Gordon bragging about his Kung Fu skills while the prostitute is convinced he is talking about his sexual prowess! Gordon Liu is a great actor, and his fish-out-of-water routine in WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN generates the most laughs. Another funny bit has the con artists dressing the bald monk up to look like a farmer. Eric Tsang and Lung Chan are equally funny as the bumbling con artists/smugglers; they are constantly arguing and acting goofy throughout the flick. The director himself, Chia-Liang Liu (or Lau Kar Wing) plays it straight as the evil Captain Wang. Lily Li is a beautiful and graceful real-life martial artist, second only to Angela Mao. She portrays a black widow type named Fa Yin, and she is equally vicious as her director. In fact, Chia-Liang Liu and Lily Li prove to be a particularly memorable duo in an otherwise lackluster film.

SIGHT
WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN was originally filmed in the 1.85.1 aspect ratio. The transfer on Tai Seng’s DVD is full frame (1.33.1). Thanks to the clean source print, the transfer is one of the best looking I've seen yet on a Martial Arts Theater DVD. The image exhibits a few scratches here and there (and some obvious film grain), but is free from the speckles and blemishes that usually plague old-school martial arts titles. The color is finely delineated and never appears oversatuated. One other minor quibble is the black level needs further tweaking. WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN is a low-budget independent effort that does not benefit from widescreen compositions. However, the brilliant fight choreography is perfectly captured, and does not drift offscreen at any time. Even when the Liu brothers are flipping around like acrobatic jumping beans, they are always in full view of the lens. Despite the cheapness of the film, the photography is handsome, and holds up nicely in the transfer. Strangely, during the opening title sequence, there are no credits listed (except for the director).

SOUND
This is a superior Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 soundtrack, which is free from hiss, drop-outs, and background noise. Even at increased volume levels, there is no distortion. The two-channel mono mix emits a smooth combination of high-pitch frequencies and bass activity. When the Japanese cruiser starts shredding the smugglers’ boat with machine-gun fire, the loud rat-a-tat-tat sounds emit cleanly from the center speaker. The fights and scuffles are also perfectly rendered in the soundfield, with the usual exaggerated chops, kicks, and blocks. The soundfield handles the English dubbing equally well, though this dub job hurts the film. Many of characters are dubbed by the usual crew we have come to expect, except some characters are voiced with British and Australian actors (perhaps these people are not actors at all, but English speaking vacationers recruited to dub chop-socky films!). The musical arrangements in WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN are unusually good, which tells me the music is lifted from other films (though I can’t determine where it was lifted from). The English dubbing, sound effects, and score are perfectly synchronized in the mix.

FEATURES
There is an audio commentary track by Ric Meyers, a Hong Kong film author who has published several books on martial arts films and Hong Kong cinema. Meyers’ commentary on WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN is superior to the one he did for the more obscure SHAOLIN DRUNKEN MONK. He clearly did his research this time and he shares his knowledge of Chia-Liang Liu and his family. Meyers provides career information on not only the Liu family, but also Lily Li, Eric Tsang, and others. The author also details his affiliation with Ocean Shores video, and how he convinced them to let him produce their video compilation, THIS IS KUNG FU. There are also English language trailers for upcoming Tai Seng special edition DVDs (all trailers are widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound):