Shaolin (2011)

Shaolin (新少林寺) is a 2011 Hong Kong–Chinese martial arts film directed by Benny Chan, starring Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Jackie Chan, Fan Bingbing, Wu Jing, Yu Shaoqun and Xing Yu. Set in early 20th-century China, the film is about a ruthless warlord who seeks refuge and redemption at Shaolin Temple after his second-in-command betrays him. Shaolin was also released in both Mandarin and Cantonese and was a commercial success. It is a loose remake of the 1982 film Shaolin Temple, which starred Jet Li, but in a different historical setting.

Synopsis

The film is set in early 20th-century China during the Warlord Era. The ruthless warlord Hou Jie defeats his rival Huo Long and seizes control of Dengfeng, forcing Huo to seek shelter in Shaolin Temple. Hou shows up at the temple, kills Huo, and then ridicules the monks before leaving.

Hou intends to assassinate his sworn brother Song Hu so he sets a trap, but his ambitious second-in-command Cao Man betrays him and sends assassins to kill them all. Song is killed while Hou's daughter is severely wounded after falling off a cliff. In desperation, Hou takes her to Shaolin, begging the monks to save her but their efforts are in vain. Hou's wife blames him for their daughter's death and leaves him.

Having lost everything overnight, Hou wanders around Shaolin until he meets the cook Wudao, who provides him food and shelter. Hou feels guilty for his past misdeeds and seeks redemption by becoming a monk. During his stay in Shaolin, he gradually reforms, learns Shaolin's principles through study and martial arts, and finds peace.

Hou is eventually forced to confront his past when he steps in to stop Cao, who has taken over his army, from harming and killing innocents. While Hou distracts Cao, the monks break into Cao's camp to save the labourers, and Hou manages to escape with his wife too. Back at Shaolin, the monks decide to evacuate the temple to avoid trouble. Wudao leads the refugees away while Hou and some monks stay back to defend the temple and buy time.

During the battle, the temple is heavily bombarded with artillery fire, killing many monks and Cao's soldiers. Hou defeats Cao in a fight but sacrifices himself to save the latter from being crushed by a falling beam. He falls into the Buddha statue's palm and dies peacefully, leaving Cao wracked with guilt. The bombardment is eventually stopped while the refugees, under Wudao's leadership, make it to safety.

Cast

Music

The theme song, "Awaken" (悟), was composed by Q.luv (赵钦) and sung by Andy Lau, who also wrote the lyrics.

Production

Filming started in October 2009 with a ceremony held in Shaolin Temple. News first spread of the project when Jackie Chan announced on his official website that he was involved with the project but was not able to talk about it due to contract restrictions.

Chan and his crew built their own "Shaolin Temple" set in Zhejiang that cost 10 million yuan (US$1.47 million) to avoid damaging the actual temple. The cast members shaved their heads for filming, whereas Chan, who wore a hat, only shaved around his head where his hair was sticking out.

Andy Lau's left hand was injured while he was shooting a fight scene.

Release

Shaolin was originally slated for a late 2010 release. It was released in mainland China on 19 January 2011 and in Hong Kong on 27 January. It premiered as number one in the Hong Kong box office, grossing US$592,046 during its first week. The film also took the top spot in the Thai and Singaporean box offices during its opening week. It also went on to break the box office record in Malaysia.

Reception

Shaolin holds a 74% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 reviews.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Shaolin at IMDb

Shaolin at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase

Shaolin 2011 Movie Review (BY AMP)