When it comes to martial arts movies that really emphasize training, The Karate Kid is often at the forefront of that conversation. Mr. Miyagi’s unconventional method of teaching Daniel karate and the amazing 1980s music helped make it one of the best American martial arts movies of all time, but there are other films that handle the training part of the story even better, namely Shaolin Martial Arts.
Released in 1974, Shaolin Martial Arts is an old-school kung fu movie from the de-facto king of Hong Kong martial arts films in the 1970s and 1980s, Shaw Brothers. Directed by Chang Cheh, Shaolin Martial Arts was the third in a series of six films in the filmmaker’s “Shaolin Cycle,” which revolved around the supposed fall of the second Shaolin Temple.
What Shaolin Martial Arts Is About
Shaolin Martial Arts stars Alexander Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan Chun, Gordon Liu, and Yan Tsan Tang as four of the many Shaolin men still left alive after the destruction of the Shaolin Temple. In an effort to eliminate them, an official of the Manchu government hires two well-trained killers, Yu Pi (Johnny Wang) and Pa Kang (Bryan Leung).
It’s understood early on that despite how unbeatable they may seem, Yu Pi and Pa Kang can be beaten, but only by exploiting their respective weaknesses, underneath the groin area and the stomach. Unfortunately, none of the fighters have the skills needed to do that, so Yan Tsan Tang and Gordon’s Liu’s characters are sent off to learn the necessary techniques.
What Makes Shaolin Martial Arts’ Training Sequences So Good
This provides an excellent setup for a great training sequence, wherein Yan Tsan Tang’s character is sent on the seemingly menial task of catching 50 fish per day – with his bare hands. Much like Daniel in The Karate Kid, he becomes frustrated with not learning actual martial arts, but gradually learns that in catching the fish, he has formed the foundation for the “eagle claw” technique that he will use against Yu Pi.
Whereas martial arts movies like The Karate Kid make the training just a step in the journey of its protagonist, Shaolin Martial Arts manages to make it the crux of the entire story. After the fish sequence, he has even harder physical challenges to tackle.
It has a similar title, but Shaolin Martial Arts should not be confused with another Shaw Brothers gem, Martial Arts of Shaolin, which starred Jet Li.
The second half of the film takes a similar route with Chi Kuan Chun’s character, who has to learn a move akin to Bruce Lee’s one-inch punch. By striking a bell from a short distance, he injures his hand, but his determination to better himself and accomplish his goal wills him to preserve, setting the stage for a satisfying scene where he finally perfects the move.
Seeing someone push through adversity is one of the primary appeals of martial arts movies, and Shaolin Martial Arts executes this perfectly with Chi Kuan Chun and Yan Tsan Tang’s performances.