Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Disciples of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 8, 2022

Shawscope Volume One wasn't officially released until December 28, and my review copy came just a week or so before that release date and therefore only managed to just sneak in under the wire to make my Top 10 list for 2021 (and in fact if you don't count some "cheating" on my part where I offered more than one release per "choice", it was number eleven, due to that very situation). As I mentioned in our Shawscope Volume One Blu-ray review, the "Volume One" part of that release's title may be one of its most enticing elements, but until Arrow Video brings out a hoped for Volume Two in an equally hoped for series, 88 Films is starting to make its entrance into the US market (courtesy of distributor MVD) with, among other offerings, Disciples of Shaolin, an admittedly slightly goofy and probably lightweight entry in the Shaw Brothers' canon of martial arts films, but one that is nonetheless consistently enjoyable, buoyed by another ebullient performance by Alexander Fu Sheng (who is featured prominently in that first volume of offerings from Arrow Video as well).

Fu Sheng plays an amiable sort named Guan Feng Yi, the sort of guy who may stumble into a crowded restaurant and bump into a waiter carrying an insane amount of food and drinks, but who is nonetheless able to quickly maneuver to keep anything from spilling. That kind of super dexterity also turns out to have a martial arts aspect, something that is needed after Guan discovers his brother Wang Hon (Chi Kuan-Chun) is working at a textile factory that is being threatened by criminal types running another textile factory. (There's some interesting subtext about this situation offered in the commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, in terms of how Japan evidently often owned Chinese textile mills, though that really isn't an overt plot element here.)

There's an ensuing gang war of sorts which provides the film with more than its fair share of wonderfully staged fight scenes, but what really drives the narrative is the differing personalities and ambitions of the two brothers. Wang is staid and stolid, willing to keep his nose to the grindstone (and/or loom, as the case may be) and ignore the maelstrom swirling around him. Guan, on the other hand (and/or foot, given some of the fight scenes), is more of a hotheaded activist, unwilling to sit by and be threatened. In that regard, though, the film is really rather fascinating in that it presents Guan as a deliberate anti-hero, one who is perhaps more easily seduced by "fame and fortune" than Wang is, and who at least for a time gives in to some of his darker impulses.

While there's an undeniably goofy side to this film propelled by Fu Sheng's expressive facial contortions and even some of his fight moves, Disciples of Shaolin turns out to be surprisingly compelling and even heart rending in its final act. There are a couple of kind of interesting "meta" aspects to the film as well. Despite starring Fu Sheng and being the handiwork of Chang Cheh, and its perhaps deliberately misleading title, and as one of the commentaries on this disc mentions, Disciples of Shaolin should in fact probably not properly be considered part of the so-called "Shaolin Cycle" of films that included such efforts as Shaolin Temple and Five Shaolin Masters which were included as part of the aforementioned Shawscope Volume One release from Arrow Video. In terms of the presentational style, the really interesting essay by Matthew Edwards included in the insert booklet quotes co-star Jamie Luk (featured in an interview in the booklet as well as one also included on the disc as a supplement) clarifying that the use of black and white for a couple of key battle scenes was perhaps not the "aesthetic choice" some have thought it to be, at least not in the way some have thought it to be. Cheh was evidently concerned that if he filmed some of the graphic, bloody violence in color, he'd have trouble marketing the film without it being censored in certain key markets, and so he chose this monochromatic route as a stylistic sleight of hand.

Disciples of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Disciples of Shaolin is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.36:1. The back cover of this release offers only a fairly generic "HD remaster from the original 35mm negatives in 2.35:1 [sic] aspect ratio", but the good news is even without a ton of technical information about the transfer and/or restoration, this release can hold its head high alongside some of the best looking transfers offered in the Arrow Video set, which I consider to be high praise. Detail levels are typically excellent throughout this presentation, offering really precise renderings of sometimes rather ornately textured costumes and sets. While clarity is often appealing, this is another Shaw Brothers release where lenses may not have been optimally configured, and as can be gleaned in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, there can be really soft and actually out of focus sections of any given frame. The palette is robust for the most part, though there are some variations in overall color temperature, with some scenes looking a bit skewed toward yellow tones, which can make reds tip slightly into orange territory. The one niggling qualm some may have is that grain is not particularly evident in the color footage, though it does spike pretty appreciably in the black and white segments. Still, I found the presentation to be organic looking and not digital in appearance in any real way.

Disciples of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disciples of Shaolin features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono mixes in either English (billed first on this disc) or Mandarin. I followed my usual practice of toggling between the tracks, sometimes rewinding, to see how they sound in comparison to each other. The tracks are very similar if not completely identical in terms of overall amplitude and effects mixes, though the English track is noticeably more reverberant and with a more pronounced high end which can add hiss as well as a quasi-echo or hollow effect on dialogue. Sound effects and score reverberate with sufficient force on both tracks. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Disciples of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Samm Deighan


• Audio Commentary with mike Leeder & Arne Venema


• Jamie Luk at Shaw Bros (HD; 25:40) is an interview with the actor, subtitled in English. This was done by Frédéric Ambroisine, who contributed several interviews to the Shawscope Volume One set.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:52)

Additionally, the insert booklet is very nicely appointed, with an essay on Chang Cheh by Matthew Edwards, which deals with Disciples of Shaolin within the overall filmography of Cheh. Edwards also offers an interview with Jamie Luk. An additional essay on the film is by Andrew Graves, and Karl Newton provides a remembrance of Fu Sheng, whom fans will know died tragically young when he was just on the brink of international superstardom. The insert booklet also has credits and some good stills. Additionally, the release comes with a reversible sleeve with new art from R.P. "Kung Fu Bob" O'Brien and a reproduction of the original Hong Kong poster housed in the keepcase. Finally, packaging features a slipcover.

Disciples of Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm always kind of curious about how certain films end up with certain labels and/or distributors, and that's the case with regard to this outing, in the wake of Shawscope Volume One. That probably irrelevant quandary aside, this film is a great showcase for the always hugely enjoyable Fu Sheng, and this release shares some of the generally excellent technical merits and appealing supplements of some of the films featured in the Arrow Video set. Recommended.