“The Shaolin Plot” Theatrical Poster
Director: Huang Feng
Cast: Chan Sing, James Tien, Sammo Hung, Wang Ho, Guan Shan, Wang Hsieh, Chin Kang, Best Kwon Yeong-Moon, Wong Fung, Yuan Shen, Mang Hoi
Running Time: 110 min.
By Z Ravas
On his journey to stardom, Sammo Hung spent much of the 1970’s serving as a fight choreographer on Golden Harvest martial arts efforts such as Hapkido and Hand of Death, often stepping into supporting villain roles when the script called for it; 1977’s The Shaolin Plot was the last film that Sammo performed in this capacity prior to directing and starring in his own action vehicle, The Iron-Fisted Monk. In that way, The Shaolin Plot served as a graduation of sorts for Hung: it represented Sammo’s final collaboration with Hapkido filmmaker Huang Feng before Sammo successfully attempted to break out on his own and become a marquee name.
Beyond its significance in Sammo Hung’s career, there’s also the fact that The Shaolin Plot…is just a damn great martial arts movie! The plot is what you love to see in this genre: a simple yet effective means by which to hang a seemingly endless string of fight scenes. The story concerns a villainous prince (Chan Sing) who’s out to steal the fighting manuals from each of the major martial arts schools in the land…by beating their asses into the ground, if necessary. There’s just one major obstacle to his plan: the fiercely guarded Shaolin Temple and its small army of warrior monks.
By this point in the late Seventies, Golden Harvest was operating with a well-oiled efficiency. No doubt the studio knew that they were exploring familiar territory by tackling a story about the Shaolin Temple — with the rival Shaw Brothers making Shaolin movies their bread and butter for many years — so it’s clear the filmmakers intended to distinguish themselves by filming on real locations (in South Korea) rather than stagebound sets and by treating the Shaolin monastery with a sense of reverence and awe.
I’ve seen a handful of director Huang Feng’s movies in the past, movies like When Taekwondo Strikes and The Tournament, but his work here with cinematographer Danny Lee Yau-Tong (Police Story 2, Duel to the Death) is perhaps the first time that I was truly struck by the filmmaker’s visual language: there’s a pure, elemental quality to the way that Shaolin Plot captures the tautly muscular bodies of the Shaolin monks against a bright blue sky that almost reminds one of vintage footage of the Olympics. More than just combatants exchanging blows, there are sequences in Shaolin Plot that feel like a celebration of the physical form in motion.
Of course, if you just want to see combatants exchanging blows, Sammo Hung has you covered there too. His choreography on The Shaolin Plot proves excellent, particularly when he’s allowed to lean on the formidable talents of Chin Kang (who plays a Shaolin monk living in seclusion) and super-kicker Casanova Wong. Wong’s kicks are indeed so impressive that they feel like a premonition of the kind of dazzlingly athletic choreography that Sammo Hung would soon unleash on the martial arts world when he would craft movies like Knockabout and Prodigal Son. (You almost picture Casanova Wong stopping after a take of incredible footwork to look at the camera and say, ‘“I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it”).
If anything, the film is held back somewhat by having to lean on James Tien as the protagonist. No offense to Tien, who has starred in plenty of classic movies like Fist of Fury and Big Boss (he was actually the lead of Big Boss before producers realized Bruce Lee was destined for stardom), but he comes across as more of an everyman hero compared to some of the preternaturally talented martial artists surrounding him. He feels like someone you cast in the hero role because he’s a dependable actor and possesses some screen presence, not because he’s the most skilled martial artist in the Golden Harvest retinue. (And now I’m hoping the James Tien fans don’t come to drag me). Fortunately, Chan Sing’s bad guy is so compelling—he’s the type of foe who’s even willing to go deep, deep undercover to enact his sinister plan—that he tends to pick up any storytelling slack.
Aided by its charismatic villain, The Shaolin Plot is one of those classic 70’s martial arts that stuffs its runtime with expert fight choreography, all building to a show-stopping finale. I dare say anyone with an interest in this period of kung fu cinema should make time for this one.
Z Ravas’ Rating: 10/10
