Leofwine_draca THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN is a straightforward Shaw Brothers kung fu outing, well remembered by many fans. It's not one of my favourite of the studio's films - I always prefer the work of director Chang Cheh, who I think it's tough to beat - but it's easy to see why this is such a beloved movie. Much of the running time consists of elaborate training rituals which as any kung fu fan knows are always entertaining to watch.The film is bookended by a typical revenge storyline which doesn't disappoint and boasts Wilson Tong and Lo Lieh on top form as some hissable villains. Gordon Liu isn't my favourite martial artist but he acquits himself very well here and totally convinces throughout his gradual transformation from novice to expert. The early scenes involving water are very funny and the undercurrent of humour which runs throughout the movie makes it likable and an easy watch despite the lengthy running time.As for the fights, well they're above average for the genre which you'd expect when Liu Chia-Liang is handling the choreography. As is usual for the Shaw Brothers, a colourful palette and sumptuous production values make this an effortless watch throughout.

dirtyharry167 I first came across this film when it was listed as number 1 on the total film best Kung Fu movies list. I then decided to watch it on viooz. overall its a very good film, I can understand its reputation as one of the best of its genre. as I understand the movie was released in the late 70s 1978. for its time its flawless and ahead of its time. the movie tells a story of revenge. the main character who finds himself in a village taken over by government forces. as a result of this knowing himself and his friends will not be able to stay calm under occupation join rebels. however the government end up killing the rebels his friends and family resulting in him fleeing to shaolin temple in order to learn Kung Fu in which he plans to use against the government forces in revenge for the deaths of his friends and family. overall for a kung Fu movie this is a well deserved classic.

erandy-894-944418 The 36th Chamber or Shaolin is the way martial arts movies are meant to be made.No cheap hang wires stunt doubles or computer generation effect, just pure skill in a classic old school Kung Fu film. Chia Hui Liu is phenomenal as both an actor and kung fu expert. The moves and tasks he performs in the film are all just examples of pure skill in martial arts. 36th Chamber of Shaolin is both a great story and a perfect example of a Kung Fu movie. not to forget this movie was released in the 70s a perfect time for the Hong Kong Kung Fu film industry which produced many classic films along the way and one thing for sure this movie has to be one of them. The sound, quality and audio is perfect, the script is well written for a kung Fu movie and the acting is also perfect.

euanconn96 San Te is a student that finds himself rallying behind his teacher in resistance to the Manchu government. When many of his friends and family die as a result of the government's ruthless tactics San Te tries to become a Shaolin monk in an attempt to learn Kung Fu in order to gain revenge on the Manchu officials.36th Chamber is a brilliant martial arts film. It is artfully directed and edited and endlessly entertaining containing some of the most interesting "training scenes" that I have seen in a martial arts film, or any film for that matter. The fight choreography is almost completely flawless throughout and each fight seems to tell a story or have a purpose in the overall narrative. There isn't fighting for fightings sake. While that may sounds like a drawback it certainly isn't. Also, while seemingly a revenge flick 36th Chamber is more about the power of learning and teaching. The vast majority of the film contains some element of teaching or implementing teachings in one form or another.The brilliance of the directing and editing is that one San Te starts learning to become a Shaolin monk he has to pass 35 Chambers to do so. Now obviously showing all 35 Chambers on film in their entirety would probably make for an exorbitantly long film here the first 6 or so chambers are focused on showing San Ta's tackling of the "easiest" of the chambers to increase his strength and dexterity. The later chambers are handled more quickly and the process of each is shown through other characters enduring the tests while San Te is shown to be mastering them. Seen in its entirety this entire section of film is quite brilliantly directed and edited. In addition, later when San Te exhibits the different things he has learned in his fights it is done without a "remember that?" type flash back like other films have done. The film assumes we are smart enough to remember or merely uses similar camera cuts and angles from the training sequences to aid in recall.