by lhb412 » Tue Apr 24, 2018 1:40 am
Disciples of the 36th Chamber
Gordon Liu is back in the role of monk San Te, but this time he's not the main character. It mostly follows an unruly pupil of his, who's family has hidden him in the Shaolin temple because he offended some Manchurian big-wigs.
The movie is wall-to-wall action; fights and training and whatnot, and it's all spectacular. Unfortunately, the main character of Fong Say-yuk is immensely frustrating. He's constantly causing trouble in a way that suggests he's either a Bugs Bunny-esque trickster or a character who's foolishness is a fatal flaw that will cost him. He's too dim to be a proper trickster, he never suffers enough to be a tragic character undone by his flaws, and he never learns from his mistakes to grow as a character. It's like they struck out on all points with this guy, crippling an otherwise solid movie.