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Cast:
Hsiao
Hou
Gordon
Liu Chia Hui
Jason
Piao Piao
Lily
Li
Liu
Chia Liang
Shum
Lo
Yeung
Chi Hung
Action:
Liu
Chia Liang
Producer:
Mona
Fong
Run
Run Shaw
Director:
Liu
Chia Liang
Score:
 
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DISCIPLES
OF THE 36TH CHAMBER
AKA:
Disciples Of The Master Killer
Year:
1984 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
Like
many others, my only previous viewing experience of this final
chapter in Liu Chia Liang's 36th Chamber trilogy was a fairly
dreadful VHS print taken from a Japanese print. The story -
hindered by incomprehensible subtitles - became a mere side
issue that I could only guess at while the action was barely
watchable. It was therefore of great interest to me when
Celestial announced that this would be in their first year of
releases and of course presented in a typically exceptional
remastered print. So, the final part in this rightfully
acclaimed series is finally able to be subjected to a proper
review by myself.
The
opening of the film - making atmospheric use of Shaw Brothers'
soundstage - shows talented young fighter Fong Sai Yuk (Hsiao
Hou) in the various confrontations that made his name famous.
After this, though, the focus is on Fong's troublesome antics
at school as he bullies the teacher while his two brothers
struggle to keep him under control. Despite complaints from
his teacher, Fong manages to avoid a severe reprimand from his
father due to his ever-loving mother's (Lily Li) timely
intervention. Nevertheless, Fong Sai Yuk's supercilious
attitude means that he continues to ruffle the feather's of
the authorities - much to his father's chagrin. One of his
actions proves to have significant consequences though as
Fong, unhappy with the Ching dominance, starts a brawl in a
Ching army gymnasium and only just manages to escape thanks to
his brothers' help. The Chings refuse to let the matter pass
and discover Fong's whereabouts, then give his parents an
unpleasant ultimatum: Hand over the troublesome urchin or the
local Cantonese school will be shut down. With such a dilemma
facing them, Fong's parents are forced to send their son to
the Shaolin temple so that he can hide, though there's also
the hope that he will learn some disciple as well. The ever
cocky Fong Sai Yuk finds the disciplined lifestyle and
repetitive training beneath him and clashes with famed monk
San Te (Liu Chia Hui) on more than one occasion. In his
desperation to be free of Shaolin's regulations, the young
fugitive escapes the temple at night and returns to the
relative glamour of the city. When he attends a Ching-run
Lantern festival he makes an unusual friend in the shape of a
local governor (Piao Piao) who seems very eager to learn about
Shaolin's 36th Chamber. Naive Fong cannot see the trap he's
slowly falling into when his new 'friend' invites him and his
Shaolin colleagues to a Ching wedding, supposedly to unify the
two contrasting peoples.
After
creating one of the genre's greatest works with '36th
Chamber of Shaolin' and following it up with an unrelated,
yet wonderfully entertaining sequel, Liu Chia Liang cemented
his relationship as a kung fu auteur with few peers. Although
this conclusion to the trilogy isn't on par with its
forerunners, it still provides even the most spoilt viewers'
with a collection of exceptionally choreographed set-pieces -
more on this later. Liu Chia Hui returns to the role that will
always define him - San Te - and eases back into the role with
such professionalism that it seems there was never a gap
between the first and third films. Whether he's calmly
lecturing his co-stars or fighting with the villains, Liu's
performance is a reminder of how powerful his screen aura was.
What will undoubtedly attract many Shaw Brothers' fans is the
chance to see Hsiao Hou as Fong Sai Yuk; this acrobatic
performer had precious little opportunity to show-off his
legendary skills in most of his other roles, but here Liu Chia
Liang shines the spotlight mainly on him. The part of Fong Sai
Yuk in this film appears to be an obvious template for Jet
Li's later triumph in the role, but it is this
characterisation that is one of the main problems here. Hsiao
Hou is always a joy to watch when he's fully utilised, but the
actual character of Fong proves to be a little too arrogant
for the good of the film. His hot-headed antics cause
countless destruction and harm to his friends and family,
though he barely seems moved by it all - a trait that becomes
increasingly annoying. With a hero who loses sympathy as the
film goes on, Liu Chia Liang is almost paddling against the
tide and things aren't helped by an all-too-common storyline.
For one of the genre's great innovators to rely on stereotypes
and clichés that occur without any imagination is a troubling
aspect of this otherwise praiseworthy movie.
'Disciples
Of The 36th Chamber' is, as indicated above, not one of the
film's that would solidify the claim of many (myself included)
that Liu Chia Liang is kung fu's Kurosawa. However, it is
thankfully imbued with a good quantity and tremendous quality
of intricately choreographed fight action. Performed with
flair and invention, the film benefits hugely from a few stand
out skirmishes; the brief, yet exhilarating bench fight ranks
among these as does the chaotic finale that features some very
complicated sequences. Although Liu Chia Hui and Hsiao-Hou are
naturally impressive, Jason Piao Piao is also worthy of a
mention - though his fights are limited, he has a fine mixture
of abilities that make him a fine antagonist for the film.
'Disciples Of The 36th Chamber' is a quality film; from the
choreography to Liu Chia Liang's artistically composed frames,
this is a more sophisticated kung fu film. A cut above the
rest it might be, but there's little doubt that Liu Chia Liang
has made better films.
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