With the popularity of Bruce Lee and films like Five Fingers of Death (a.k.a. King Boxer) in the early 1970s, there was a flood of chop sockey cinema that was dumped in inner-city and Chinatown movies theaters all the way into the 80s. Produced by the legendary Shaw Brothers studio, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin was one of these countless films. It had been a huge hit in Hong Kong, before it was edited, dubbed and released in the United States under the title Master Killer. At the same time films like Master Killer were being played in double and triple and quadruple features at rundown theaters and drive-ins, local television stations were still airing feature films during the day on Saturdays. Many stations, including Channel 5 in New York, and Channel 12 in Portland, where I moved when I was in junior high, began showing kung fu films, including Master Killer.

Like so many others who had become fascinated with kung fu films in the 1970s, I watched Master Killer simply because it appeared, at least as first glance, to be more of the silly, asskicking entertainment that made up many of my Saturday afternoons. But the reality is that the film was very different from all the others I had seen, and was really the only one to make any sort of lasting impression. Years later, when I went back and started rewatching martial arts films, this was the film I wanted to see again. When I finally saw it as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, probably a decade or more later, it was totally familiar, while at the same time a completely new experience.

The plot of 36th Chamber comes from the standard template of Hong Kong's cinema of vengeance. Gordon Liu stars as San Te (although his name at the beginning is Liu Yu-te), an unassuming student who witnesses the brutality of the Manchus as nefarious General Tien (Lo Lieh) kills a rival. This prompts Liu to become involved in the rebellion to overthrow, but the cost of his involvement is the massacre of his family. With nowhere else to go, Liu flees to the Shaolin Temple, hoping that the monks there will teach him the kung fu skills he needs to avenge his family. At the temple Liu is renamed San Te by the monks, and he eventually begins the difficult training that involves mastering all 35 chambers used to teach the Shaolin kung fu.

A standard element in many martial arts films was the obligatory "training" sequence where a student of questionable skills eventually learns to become a master. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin took this standard convention, and turned it into the foundation of the film's second act. Where a training sequence may have lasted somewhere around 10 minutes in another film, 36th Chamber uses the concept and turns it into a way of charting the growth of San Te's character. In scene after scene of some of the most memorable moments to grace Hong Kong cinema, San Te masters one chamber after another, quickly moving toward his goal of becoming a fighter who can take revenge for his family. But as he masters each skill involved with the individual chambers, San Te begins to grow as a person, profoundly influenced by the Buddhist teachings of the Shaolin monks. When he finally has moved through all the chambers, and passed his final test, San Te is given the opportunity to oversee the instruction at any of the 35 chambers. Instead, he asks to create a 36th chamber, one that can be used to teach kung fu outside the temple to everyday people, so that they may protect themselves from the tyrants who rule the land.

What is profound about The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is that while it follows many of the conventions established in other martial arts films, it moves beyond those standard trappings. In countless other movies San Te would have simply learned to fight and gotten his revenge. But director Liu Chia-Liang (a.k.a. Lau Kar-Leung) takes the genre to another level by developing San Te's consciousness along with his fighting skills. This is evidenced by the protagonist's journey from wanting to merely exact vengeance for the death of his family to his desire to teach others, so that they may protect themselves and fight against oppression.

The most popular heroes of martial arts films were always the flawed and the oppressed that grew into greatness through much trial and tribulation, despite their weakness. But at the same time, it was always difficult to find much depth or dimension within a majority of the martial arts heroes of Hong Kong films, especially as they played in the U.S., heavily edited and poorly dubbed. In making the journey to America, many films lost whatever heart and soul they may have had--if they had any in the first place. But no editing or poor dubbing was able to remove the heart and soul from 36th Chamber of Shaolin, and even as Master Killer, it emerged as a classic with the genre.

Video:
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin was shot in Shawscope, Shaw Brothers' equivalent to CinemaScope, and is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, enhanced for 16 x 9 television. For years it has been nearly impossible in the United States to see any Shaw Brothers' films that look decent. Most films suffered from poor transfers of bad prints, and were often presented full frame or in pan and scan. It wasn't until several years ago, when I saw a remastered 35 millimeter print of 36th Chamber that I was able to fully appreciate what a beautiful film it truly is. This transfer looks as good as the print I saw, and amounts to the best looking version of the film I have seen.

Audio:
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is presented in Dolby Digital mono. The disc features three language tracks--Cantonese, Mandarin and English--as well as English and Spanish subtitles. This means that you are given the option of watching the film dubbed in English (the lazy way), or as a purist, in Chinese. Some of the subtitles are a bit off, with misspelled words and few translations that don't quite seem to translate.

Extras:
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin has a great selection of bonus features. First and foremost is an audio commentary by hip-hop superstar The RZA and film critic Andy Klein, an odd couple if there ever was one. Admittedly, I was not excited about listening to the commentary, but both men's love of the film and the genre comes through in this informative and entertaining track, making it one of the better commentaries in recent memory. There are also brief interviews with RZA, Klein, another critic (David Chute), and, most exciting of all, Gordon Liu himself. Shaolin: A Hero Birthplace gives a quick overview of the film's history and popularity. Also look for a collection of trailers, a gallery of stills, and a Wu-Tang concert video.

Final Thoughts:
I have spent many years trying to get a decent, Region 1 copy of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin that looked good, and was subtitled (personally, I hate dubbed). I doubt I will ever find better than this. If you are a real fan, you must own this film, and shy of a superior version from overseas, you aren't going to get any better.