A Manchu prince is envious of the two primary clans in his kingdom. The two clans, Shaolin and Wu-Tang, have respect for each other, and the two youngest students are best of friends. However, through the demises of the prince they are pitted against one another. The Wu Tang young man believes the Shaolin young man
is responsible for the death of his master; while the Shaolin young man believes the Wu Tang young man is responsible for the death of his sister. They both leave in separate directions, and learn to master their trade from the head of their clans. The prince pits the two clans against each other to fight to the death to see who the better clan is. ?I didn?t invite you here to fool around, when I say fight, I mean fight.? Gordon Liu directs Shaolin & Wu Tang. The scenes in this film are magnificent for an old school kung fu film. The training scenes are first rate and filmed beautifully. The storyline is also very solid for a martial arts film, which is not generally revered for story and plot. Nevertheless, the great presentation of the training sequences and the layout of the story really adds this film to Liu?s classics. ?It?s our secret, never teach the Wu Tang.? There are plenty of excellent sequences in this film, but my two favorites were the opening sequence prior to the credits, and the fight scene between the archers and spearman and the two student youths and the two girls. The chick fighting the guards, the prison scene, the Shaolin training sequences, and the audition sequence at the Shaolin temple to prove his worth were also excellent portions of the film. ?I came here tonight to play chess; nobody mentioned anything about a sword fight.? Though I believe this is an excellent film, I believe this film, along with The Buddhist Fist are amongst Liu?s two most overrated films. They are both good, but are often reviewed as his best two films. I feel his work in Masterkiller, Fist of the White Lotus, Shaolin Challenges Ninja, and Dirty Ho are underrated and better overall films. Shaolin & Wu Tang is an excellent film, and belongs in your martial arts collection. I recommend ten to fifteen films ahead of this one though. ?We Shaolin have nothing we want to learn from you.? Grade: B+
January 1, 2006
