Shaolin Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Shaolin Blu-ray Movie Review

Buddha be praised.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 10, 2011

Many enthusiasts of martial arts films have probably seen at least one film featuring the iconic Shaolin Monastery, a Buddhist enclave and martial arts training academy that has had its history fictionalized in everything from The Shaw Brothers’ The 36th Chamber of Shaolin to Jet Li’s feature debut Shaolin Temple to, now, this 2011 semi- remake of the Li starrer, Shaolin. Many kung fu aficionados may not even be aware (or care all that much, for that matter) that there is indeed a real Shaolin Temple, one whose history is a microcosm of the internecine hostilities which roiled the Chinese population for centuries. One doesn’t really need a firm understanding of Chinese history to enjoy any given Chinese film exploiting that history (usually in highly fictionalized garb anyway), and that’s the case with Shaolin. While some of the supposed backstories will probably not be entirely clear to many, if not most, viewers, this tale of redemption in the face of increasing violence and disregard for the well being of others is a universal tale which certainly reaches well beyond its Buddhist roots. In fact, it’s more than a little ironic that so many martial arts films honor the memory of Buddha, who after all espoused non-violence, while creating one kick-ass sequence after another, many featuring Buddhist monks doing the kicking. That again is most definitely the case here, but of course the monks are fighting against a nefarious group of warlords who are supposedly better armed (with actual guns). The monks are also Chinese Robin Hoods in a way, becoming secret midnight ninjas and raiding stores of grain and rice which they then distribute to the teeming masses of poor and indigent Chinese who camp around the Shaolin Temple’s imposing edifice. The main focus of Shaolin is Hou Jie (Andy Lau), a vicious warlord who plots to make sure the riches of Dengfeng remain his, but who is betrayed by his second in command, Cao (Nicholas Tse). Jie suffers several tragedies leading to him seeking refuge in the Shaolin monastery, where of course he undergoes a change of heart and spirit while at the same time nursing a growing urge for revenge against those who have wronged him. The dialectic between the Buddhist teaching of non-attachment and Jie’s very attached feelings vis a vis his past give Shaolin a surprising amount of emotional heft, within an epic sweep courtesy of some great staging by director Benny Chan.

The film starts with violence between competing warlords spilling into the hallowed grounds of the Shaolin Temple, and despite the Abbot’s (Yu Hai) best attempts to keep things calm, one of the warlords is viciously murdered by Jie. That’s only part of Jie’s problem, though, as his supposed comrade (and superior) Song (Shi Xiaohong) has designs not only on the gold Jie has spirited away, but also Jie’s young daughter, whom Song feels would be a perfect match for his own young son. There’s a bit of a tonal imbalance in these early sequences as Jie seems almost schizophrenic at times, at one moment sanguine about his fate and the next vowing to outmaneuver Song and emerge the victor. It makes some of what happens later, especially with regard to Cao, feel a bit off-kilter. One way or the other, Jie’s scheming actually backfires on more than one level, leading to several deaths, including some within his own family, and leading to Jie’s destitution and ultimate redemptive grace within the walls of the temple.

That same tonal imbalance crops up again with regard to the “special appearance” of Jackie Chan as the monastery’s timid cook, Wudao. Wudao spouts a lot of Buddhist philosophy to Jie while at the same time espousing non-violence, but it’s only a matter of time before we know that Chan’s literal chops are going to come into play, and when they do, while it’s an undeniably exciting sequence, it’s played mostly for laughs, as Wudao’s culinary skills port over into how he dispatches various bad guys. For a film which tends to be rather meditative and ruminative, these flat out slapstick elements seem odd at the very least. (It’s interesting to note that some of the deleted scenes are outright comic moments dealing with such perhaps questionable concerns as a celibate monk’s romantic feelings).

Balancing these qualms, however, is director Benny Chan’s impressive and often spectacular visual sweep, which is abundantly in evidence throughout Shaolin. This is a film where countless sequences begin and end with towering crane shots, and Chan’s camera is almost always in fluid motion, much like the kung fu artists themselves. As might be expected, the fight sequences are often incredible, shot with a variety of incredible angles and featuring a lot of awesome wire work. (One training sequence which has a coterie of monks jumping down a flight of stairs doing handstands is noticeably fake looking, but that’s a rare moment in an otherwise incredibly visceral set of action segments).

This may be yet another fanciful reimagining of the real Shaolin Temple, but Shaolin does attempt to inject some real Buddhist sentiment into its story. The performances are uniformly excellent and the action is fantastic (in both senses of that word). It may not be history, but it’s exciting filmmaking, and if a little of the Buddha’s wisdom manages to creep in as well, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shaolin is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Director Benny Chan and cinematographer Anthony Pun have crafted this film with a deliberately desaturated and filtered image that may deprive Shaolin of some ultra-vivid pop in terms of color, but which does nothing in terms of the film's astounding level of fine detail. With things skewed almost totally to the blue-grey side of the spectrum (with occasional moments in amber-gold hues inside the temple), the film looks oddly monochromatic a lot of the time, but still retains an incredibly sharp and precise image. Chan lingers of mist filled locales that seem like silk paintings come to life, and the high definition image never devolves into noise despite handling transitory elements like clouds and fog. Close-ups reveal a wealth of textures in both skin and the often opulent costumes. In fact the film's sumptuous production design is one of its strongest calling cards, and it looks spectacular throughout this enterprise. Black levels are solid and crush is at a minimum, despite several long sequences taking place in the dead of night.

Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are a couple of interesting aspects when comparing the two lossless tracks offered on this Blu-ray, both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, one in the original Cantonese and the other an English dub. First of all, as so often seems to be the case, the English language version is mixed considerably higher, which means the spectacular sound effects, most of which are incredibly immersive, are more viscerally impactful than they are in the Cantonese track. Balanced against that, however, is the often less than artful voice work in the English dub. The second element, and a kind of funny one, is that in the original Cantonese track the main Caucasian bad guy is voiced as indelibly American, while in the English language track, he's veddy, veddy British. Talk about passing the villainous buck! My personal opinion is that only those who abhor reading subtitles should forego the Cantonese track, despite the fact that it's mixed somewhat lower than the English dub. While it's obvious that not all of the main actors were speaking Cantonese and their post-looping is sometimes a bit jarring, overall the Cantonese track boasts superior fidelity, ample low end courtesy of some boisterous LFE, and a very strong sense of immersion and directionality in both action sequences and even quieter moments.

Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As is usual with Well Go Collector's Editions, supplements are spread across both the Blu-ray and a bonus DVD.

Blu-ray Supplements:

• Deleted Scenes (HD; 43:53). Many of these exist in edited form in the final cut of Shaolin, but these mostly completed sequences with score and "all the trimmings." There's one interesting sequence with Jie sharpening a knife that reveals that there was a subplot where he didn't exactly become a model monk overnight.
• International Trailer A (HD; 2:12)
• International Trailer B (HD; 2:02)
• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:12)

DVD Supplements:

• Interviews (SD; 42:50) features sit-downs with Benny Chan, Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Jackie Chan, Fan Bingbing and Wu Jing. These aren't especially brilliantly edited (most subjects jerk around as we cut from comment to comment), but there is some interesting information imparted here, especially by director Chan, who discusses the historical aspects of the real Shaolin Temple as well as the previous Li film.
• Behind the Scenes (SD; 1:59:28) has some great on-set footage as well as lots of scenes of Chan setting up shots.
• Making Of (SD; 39:30) is a group of shorter sequences (most clock in at 1:58) featuring Lau, both Chans, and other cast and crew discussing various elements of the film. That's followed by a longer (23 minute-plus) featurette that's a more traditional EPK.

Shaolin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shaolin isn't a perfect film by any stretch, but it's visually magnificent and it boasts some incredible performances. Add in the often amazing fight sequences and this film should easily appeal both to chop socky fans as well as those interested in historical drama, albeit a history rather unabashedly fictionalized. Benny Chan has probably never offered a more stunningly epic look than he does in Shaolin and Lau and Tse make a formidable starring pair. Recommended.