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Cast: Any Lau, Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Bingbing Fan
In a young Republic of China, where greedy warlords fuel a period of war and strife, Hou Jie (Andy Lau) arrogantly shows no mercy to his enemies seeking refuge with the benign and compassionate Shaolin monks. After unscrupulously killing a wounded enemy, Hou Jie pays a terrible price for his actions and is forced to seek refuge in the same Shaolin Monastery he blatantly disrespected. Hou Jie s traitorous second-in-command Cao Man (Nicholas Tse) continues where the once-warlord left off, betraying his country and his own people. Hou Jie must adapt to Shaolin principles to stop the monster he created.
Based loosely on the 1982 martial arts epic Shaolin Temple, which helped to launch Jet Li as a star, this new adaptation comes with an amazing cast including the ageless Andy Lau, Jackie Chan in a limited role and Nicholas Tse. The story is relatively simple so to go into any more details about the plot would only ruin the experience for those waiting to see the film. Andy Lau may not have the moves or fighting skills of Jet Li but he is a terrific actor and his lead performance here is nothing short of incredible.
Over time we have come to expect nothing but the best from Asian cinema production wise and "Shaolin" is no different, it looks gorgeous and on scale with any Hollywood big budget production. The settings are extravagant and the fight scenes are brilliant and full of excitement, the climax with its awesome fight sequence will blow you away. But the film is not just a spectacle, it also has plenty of spirit and heart, it's a thinking man's martial arts film that delivers.
If you're a fan of Asian cinema then "Shaolin" is a must own blockbuster.
Available on a Collector's Edition DVD and Blu-ray, each comes with Special Features that include:
357 Minutes of Bonus Features
English Dub
Deleted Scenes
Behind the Scenes
Making Of
US Trailers
International Trailers
The only flaw I found was when you select the English Dubbed track there are only subs for the whole film when there should of been subs for just parts of the film like when they show the sign above the Shaolin Temple. It's a minor complaint but in my opinion they should be there but sadly their absent from the disc.
Well Go U.S.A. continues to bring us the best in Asian cinema and "Shaolin" is one of the best martial arts films of the year and a must own for all fans. It's a film that demands multiple viewings and it's one you're sure to tell your friends and family about.
Released by Well Go U.S.A. Entertainment
***** Out Of *****