36th Chamber of Shaolin (Shao Lin san shi liu fang) poster & wallpaper
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Chia Hui Liu, Yu Wang, John Cheung, Liu Chia-Yung, Lieh Lo ... see more see more... , Frankie Wei , Yu Yang , Gordon Lau , Hsu Shao Chiang , Chen Szu-Chia , Hua Lin , Yuan Hsio-Tieng , Billy Chan , Lung Chan , Shen Chan , Wah Cheung , Gordon Liu , Chia Yung Liu , Norman Chu , Wilson Tong , Yang Yu

Lau Kar-leung directs this revenge thriller, widely considered to be the greatest kung-fu flick of all time. Liu Yu-te (Gordon Lau Kar-fai) is a gentle ethics scholar until his family and friends are ... read more read more...brutally slaughtered by a band of Manchu troops. Vowing revenge, he ventures to the fabled Shaolin temple hoping to become a one-man martial arts killing machine. Rechristened San Te, his first year at the temple is spent largely doing menial chores. His begins training during his second year, which involves passing through 35 chambers where he learns the finer points of kung-fu through grueling and excruciating tests. After a year of training, he moves on to learn about weapons. He soon proves to be the finest student in the history of the temple, mastering the entirety of the training in mere five years. He is cast out of the temple, however, for wanting to teach his skills to the masses. Once out of the temple, he assembles a team of fighters and sets out to get revenge. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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88% liked it

1,081 ratings

R, 1 hr. 49 min.

Directed by: Chia-Liang Liu

Release Date: June 1, 1979

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DVD Release Date: August 17, 1999

Stats: 132 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (132)

  • sanjurosamurai
    September 29, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    there is a reason that this is considered by many to be the greatest kung fu movie of all time. the training sequences are among the best and most comprehensive ever filmed, the story isnt quite unique but it is well crafted, and the fight sequences are solid. an amazing fictio... read morenal tale that attempts to offer a possible history of the bringing of shaolin kung fu to the masses.
  • Beefy
    April 18, 2010
    Beefy
    A solid notch above almost all other Shaw films I've seen, this one was more exciting and dramatically developed than the usual. And it looked great in HD.
  • DrZeek
    February 21, 2010
    DrZeek
    San Te: So many people have had to suffer because of men who have the same attitude as you.

    Widely regarded as the greatest kung fu film of all time, this iscertainly no overstatement. 36th Chamber of Shaolin is truly the film to see where you have some really good fight choreog... read moreraphy and a very strong plot, all while filling out all of the various factors one would think of when concerning a kung fu film.

    Gordon Lui stars as a young man at a time of crisis in China. The anti-Ching patriots, under the guidance of Ho Kuang-han, have secretly set up their base in Canton, disguised as school masters. During a brutal Manchu attack, Lui manages to escape and devotes himself to learning the martial arts in the Shaolin Temple, in order to seek revenge. During this time, he learns the ways of Shaolin, soon understanding what is more to life than just his thoughts of revenge. Following years of training, some in a brutal sense, Lui has the chance to return to his hometown.

    While the beginning sets things in motion, the movie really kicks into gear once Lui's training begins. It is here where the movie truly shines, showing us the kind of devotion and elements to think of when looking at Shaolin. This film easily has my favorite training scenes of all time, devoting a bulk of its run time to a character learning his ways in an entertaining and solidly made fashion.

    The fight choreography is great here. Mixing the cheesy sounds of a kung fu flick with the long shots of these performers performing many moves at a time, without the aid of rapid editing or noticeably clever camera tricks. This truly stands as one of the great, influential kung fu films.

    If there was ever a place for someone to start on kung fu films with, and ones that they could both enjoy and take seriously, this would be it.

    Monk: You may challenge me at any time you wish.
  • matertenebraum
    October 15, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Well here we go again, another Shaw Bros production with high impact and excitement written all over it. The story as most of you already know is about Fong Sai Yuk played by Hsiao Hou, only his portrayal is very different from Jet Li's incarnation. First he is very hot-headed an... read mored a trouble maker, and here he has 2 brothers.

    Anyway Fong Sai Yuk gets into trouble and is sent to the Shaolin temple by his mother played by Li Li Li. Gordon Liu also returns as monk San Te. From here the movie goes from good to AWESOME. The choreography in this movie is nothing short of goodness. The end fights are always the best part, (not saying the fights in the middle were bad) plus there is always one person to watch out for to see what they can do.

    That person would be the Governor, his Eagles' Claw style was second to none. In the end this is a very highly recommended film especially if you are a kung fu movie fanatic like myself. Hsiao Hou is a damn good martial artist, look for him in movies like Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Legendary Weapons of China, Dirty Ho, Fist of the White Lotus (small fight scene), and My Young Auntie all very good classics
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    December 21, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    I like "return to" a lot more, but this one is as good as it can get from the good ol days of the Shaw Bros.
  • kenstachnik
    September 10, 2008
    kenstachnik
    The ultimate training film. A magnificently shot bad ass tale of revenge and self transformation.

    Gordon Liu is a badass
  • shitfaced8
    October 28, 2011
    shitfaced8
    As a huge Wu-Tang Clan fan for 15+ years now, it's a little embarrasing admitting its taken this long to finally see this Shaw Brothers classic. Liu Tsai is sick of seeing his fellow man slain by a usurping clan, he goes to Shaolin to train to become a monk. There he must pass th... read morerough 35 chambers. At the end of his training however, he offers a 36th chamber, to go out and teach shaolin martial arts to the world. After 5 long years of traininghe's ready to kick some serious bad guy ass. The fight sequences are very good in this movie, and I found the training scenes to be very motivational. That being said I think that the movie lags a bit in the middle when Liu is training. Aside from that minor complaint I thoroughly enjoyed this martial arts classic. A must see!
  • donnarenee2006
    October 27, 2008
    donnarenee2006
    One of the best martial arts movies I have seen on Kung Fu. Great action, with awesome choreographed martial arts movements. Gordon Liu is the main reason I watched this after watching him in Kill Bill 1 & 2. The funny thing is I watched this movie with the whole chinese dialogue... read more and no subtitles, so it was interesting to watch this movie and not understand what they were saying. I still caught on to the story and it was fantastic. Very enjoyable. :D
  • kingmob6
    March 25, 2010
    kingmob6
    Such a great film, Gordon Lui transforms himself from a lowly villager into a martial arts powerhouse in his pursuit of justice for his village after it comes under the rule of invading forces. Along the way he learns to evolve beyond his simple desire for vengeance and becomes ... read morea more balanced person.

    Simply amazing fight sequences and great training montages, this film is key to the genre and worth tracking down just to cross off your list of films that a cult film fan NEEDS to see.

    Recommended.
  • TheNolf
    July 6, 2009
    TheNolf
    A great piece of kung-fu cinema that primarily focuses on the training at Shaolin as opposed to just the use of it to kick a bunch of ass. A great story!

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Critic Reviews

January 10, 2004
Chicago Reader

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Emanuel Levy
October 7, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

October 12, 2003
Austin Chronicle

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