“Shaolin Intruders” Theatrical Poster
AKA: Battle for Shaolin
Director: Tang Chia
Cast: Derek Yee Tung Sing, Lau Yuk Pok, Jason Pai Piao, Elvis Tsui Kam Kong, Chan Shen, Kwan Feng, Lee Hoi San, Philip Ko Fei, Ku Feng, Alan Chan Kwok Kuen
Running Time: 95 min.
By Chris Hatcher
It’s not every day a good detective mystery shows up in the midst of a great old school kung fu flick. So when a gem like Tang Chia’s Shaolin Intruders comes along with such a formula, you tend to sit up and take notice. And take notice you will… because the film is magnificent in every sense of the word! From gravity-defying action to intriguing story to great acting, it elevates the typical kung fu tropes to greater heights on every level. In short, it’s Tang’s masterpiece of his directorial trilogy and boasts the excellent fight choreography that made him a household name at Shaw Brothers for nearly two decades.
Tang’s work as a stunt coordinator for Shaw films was the stuff of legend from the mid-1960s through the early 1980s. He collaborated as co-action director with greats like Lau Kar-Leung on more than 170 films (with over 100 of those being for Shaw) and was considered a master at staging all types of weapons-based fights. Tang’s Temple of the Red Lotus (1965) was his first coordinator project for Shaw and it set the tone early on for great things to come; the film broke box office records and was heralded as the start of a new era in Hong Kong martial arts cinema.
By 1970, Tang worked exclusively for Shaw and became an action staple for directors like Chang Cheh, Chu Yuan, and Sun Chung. His work with Chang in the late 60s and early 70s produced such classics as The One-Armed Swordsman (1967), The Boxer from Shantung (1972), and Shaolin Martial Arts (1974). In 1977 alone, Tang and Chu put out four Wuxia hits: The Sentimental Swordsman, Jade Tiger, Death Duel, and Clans of Intrigue. And by the end of the decade, The Avenging Eagle (1978) and The Deadly Breaking Sword (1979) were two of Tang’s most popular films under Sun. So as the 1980s rolled around, regardless of director or what style of kung fu was being portrayed, one thing became perfectly clear… Tang Chia’s action sequences spelled immediate success for Shaw Brothers’ films.
Then Shaw got curious. Could Tang take the helm as director and still deliver the top-notch choreography that made him such a hot commodity? That was the question Shaw Brothers posed which all but forced Tang into the director’s chair unwillingly. And after directing the kooky-but-fun Shaolin Prince in 1982, Intruders in 1983, and Ti Lung’s tour de force Opium and the Kung Fu Master in 1984, that was it; Tang not only climbed out of the director’s chair for good, he all but retired from the industry at the height of his game. So before I get misty-eyed just thinking of all the Tang Chia-directed flicks that might have been, I’ll tell you why I believe Shaolin Intruders is one of the greatest kung fu films of all time.
Let’s start with the mystery; something is afoul at Shaolin Temple and Lei Hsin (Derek Yee) is determined to bring it to light. Area chiefs are being attacked and killed for treasure by four hooded figures who leave evidence of the Shaolin Palm technique on their victims. And when Lei’s friend, Ching Hua (Lau Yuk Pok), sees the faces of monks under those masks during a stakeout to catch the thieves in the act, it’s off to the temple to identify the culprits. Lei’s detective partner and jovial gambling buddy, Qiao Yiduo (Jason Pai Piao), rounds out the trio on a mission that includes clearing Ching’s name when her infamous golden swords show up at one of the crime scenes.
Could peaceful monks really take part in such murderous treachery? Shaolin’s Chief Abbot (Chan Shen) and his 2nd in command, Abbot Jianxing (Phillip Ko), certainly don’t think so. And it’s here where Shaolin Intruders really takes flight as a wonder to behold when Lei and Qiao are challenged by the Chief to complete three tests for the right to interrogate his monks. This includes gangs of monks using weapons and insane acrobatics in a game of keep away to prevent Lei and Qiao from passing their solo tests, and an exhilarating hand-to-hand showdown between the duo and Chief Abbot on a tower of rickety benches! It’s some of Tang’s most elaborately-staged choreography, complete with eye-popping wirework and a ferocity level seldom seen in his action director only films.
By the time our heroes successfully navigate the tests and the identified monks are dispatched in swift fashion, we’re barely past the half way point so you know there’s more mystery and action to come. And it all unfolds rather quickly when the killing of chiefs resumes, leaving Lei to wonder: Is someone else at Shaolin Temple ordering the executions? Why would monks leave evidence of their secret technique at the scene of the crime? And is there more to Ching and her golden swords than meets the eye?
Shaolin Intruders doesn’t waste a second telling slapstick jokes or tossing in comedic filler actors with questions like these to answer. Not to mention throwing in a good old-fashioned plot twist (or two) and some unexpected sentimentality to boot. Instead, it wisely spends its time staging uniquely acrobatic fight scenes, concealing the true villain’s connection to Shaolin Temple and why chiefs are being murdered, and setting up for a grand fight finale of breakneck proportions!
In the end, the recipe works to perfection and Tang is left looking like a true master of both action and directing crafts. As choreographer, his fight sequences look sharper than ever, especially in the lengthy temple test scenes and grand finale. I still can’t believe Tang converts a 3-tiered wall of monks standing on shoulders into a Voltron-like fighting unit, but he does! Twice! And he even pulls off a few crazy weapons and wirework maneuvers with the hooded monks a la Five Element Ninjas; an obvious salute to his time with Chang Cheh. Trust me when I say you’ll be grinning from ear-to-ear when the foursome come together to create a whirling ninja kick machine, and gasping when they start slinging nine section whip spears into the heads of a dozen extras!
Even more impressive about the action in Shaolin Intruders is that we’re treated to a decent mix of both weapons and hand-to-hand fighting, and I seriously cannot tell you which I preferred because it’s all that good! One moment you think Tang hits his peak after watching Lei and Qiao flawlessly flip, spin, and weave through groups of pole-wielding monks, and the next he goes and blows your mind in the duo’s bench fighting showdown with Chief Abbot! And everything comes at you hard and lightning fast! (I would say the bench fight is the highlight of Shaolin Intruders, but then I wouldn’t be properly preparing you to have your mind blown, yet again, by the finale!)
As director, Tang also proves he can bring in the right stable of actors to pull everything off, with none being more important to the film’s success than the tandem of Derek Yee and Jason Pai Piao. Yee plays an excellently stoic lead and is on-point in every scene… whether throwing kicks, dodging staffs, blocking strikes, or swinging a sword. He shines during the temple challenges, looking equally great at blasting his way through monks or teaming with Pai to exchange blows with Chan Shen. It’s my favorite Yee role and the one that made me a fan of some of his other films like Heroes Shed No Tears (another of Tang’s action director flicks) and the aforementioned Death Duel.
Pai, on the other hand, plays Qiao as a good-natured gambler with a playful streak… the perfect complement to Yee’s stoicism. I mentioned earlier that Shaolin Intruders doesn’t waste time on slapstick jokes or comedic filler actors, but I never said it wasn’t amusing. Thanks to Pai’s spirited performance and perfect timing (a bucket of snakes never came in so handy), it’s actually funny in all the right ways! There’s no Dean Shek or Peter Chan Lung playing the creepy or oafish, unskilled martial artist saying creepy or oafish things; it’s just Jason Pai Piao… balancing his wit with some of his best sword play ever.
I dare say Pai upstages Yee in many of the more humorous scenes simply because he’s so damn likeable as a wise-ass sidekick! When Pai and Lau Yuk Pok’s Ching butt heads in one particular scene, the interaction is hilarious as Qiao protects the last drops in a busted jug of wine from Ching’s outrage, faking an onset of Drunken Master Syndrome with each sip as he avoids her advances. And Pai’s interaction with the great Philip Ko during his temple test is simultaneously humorous and thrilling because of the verbal and physical chess match taking place. It really is fun watching Ko try to stay monk-ishly professional with his words to Pai who is grinning and mocking the entire time… all while Ko and his clan swing bladed guandao poles at Pai’s head! Buddha’s name be praised!
Speaking of Ko, he is a favorite of mine who never disappoints when playing a Shaolin monk (see 8 Diagram Pole Fighter for proof). In fact, he, Chan Shen, and Lee Hoi San as a fiery master of Shaolin’s disciplinary program are all excellent in their roles. Chan, known for playing some of Shaw Brothers’ scummiest bastards, puts in his strongest work as Chief Abbot; the bench fight is hands down a career best for him. And Lee turns in another good performance as an old crotchety monk.
Doubling back to Ko, I want to mention that he not only has a couple of absolutely terrific fights in this one, but he also gets to show off some equally great acting skills. By the end, he’ll range the gamut of emotion from grief and sadness to sheer rage, and the film is all the better for it. I would even say I was surprised and moved by Ko’s performance, with the only thing more surprising (and equally moving) being Pai’s sudden dramatic turn; just more evidence of Shaolin Intruders’ wall-to-wall greatness.
So to answer Shaw’s question asked earlier in this review… Yes! Tang Chia proved to be an excellent director and choreographer on his projects, even if the dual success was short-lived. I would even go as far as to say Tang’s role as director allowed him to uncap his creative process and achieve a level of intricate grandiosity in his stunts that was somewhat held in check by other directors he worked under. Shaolin Prince shows signs of this theory with some fierce fights and insane wirework, but falls just short of greatness due to an unfocused story and some unintentionally goofy gimmicks (see the demon possession scene and Derek Yee’s “magic sword” for good examples).
Shaolin Intruders opens the flood gates with its grand spectacle and proves my theory outright, answering a question I like to imagine Tang might have asked himself after completing his directorial debut: How can I produce even bigger and bolder fights, but sharpen the techniques, trim the frills, and hone in on the best elements of dramatic storytelling to create a true masterwork of the genre?
All that’s really left to say is that it’s pretty damn impressive he managed to accomplish all of these feats in one fell swoop. Not too shabby for a guy who, it turns out, hated directing!! So do yourself a favor… find a copy of Shaolin Intruders, sit back with great anticipation, and experience the euphoric rush brought on by this top 10 all-time classic!
Chris Hatcher’s Rating: 10/10
