This film is about the story of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple and how the martial arts survived the destruction, and is also the direct prequel to 5 SHAOLIN MASTERS, which was in fact released 2 years before. This film is not action choreographed by Lar Kar Leung like the previous film (possibly due to his training being directly descended form Shaolin), but still has excellent action and is a phenomenal film. The strangest things are that it doesn’t seem to directly work as a prequel as characters die that are still alive in the next film like Ma Fu Yi (Johnny Wang Lung Wei) who is the traitor, and then some actors portray different characters like Alexander Fu Sheng who plays Fong Sai Yuk in this but portrays the much less skilled Ma Chao Hsing in the sequel. Still it doesn’t detract from the fact that this is a very enjoyable film. And it is really cool to see the young Phillip Kwok who I first knew from HARD BOILED.

During the Qing rule martial arts training has been outlawed, and the Shaolin temple knows it’s days are numbered, so the grand master allows some students to come in and learn from the outside, so they will be able to pass their knowledge on. Alexander Fu Sheng plays Fong Sai Yuk, one of the first students allowed in, and given menial tasks, but actually learning the basics of Shaolin Kung Fu. Then 5 warriors show up who are enemies of the Qing, including David Chian as Hu Dedi, Ti Lung as Cai Dexhong and Johnny Wang Lung Wei as Ma Fu Yi who ends up joining with Master Hei Xien who is a traitor and works for the Qing. The new students all train and a rivalry develops between Ma Fu Yi and Fong Sai Yuk that gets him to train harder (with the help of a mysterious stranger who is never revealed). Eventually Sai Yuk and his buddy decide to leave to seek revenge and must get out through the Wooden Men Passage, with great wooden devices that fight Sai Yuk, and then Master Hei Xien and Ma Fu Yi also attempt to kill him. Their friends are put in confinement for helping the 2 escape. Hei Xien poisons the water the monks as Sai Yuk and his friend return with news of the armies advance. The actual army attack isn’t too impressive of an attack, and we never see the canons that are promised, but the individual fights are bad ass, and lead to 3 students going south (including Sai Yuk) and 5 heading North to go and be in 5 SHAOLIN MASTERS.

The film isn’t perfect for the reasons I mentioned, but it is still very enjoyable, with a great cast of old and new Shaw fighters. And it is a pleasure to see Ti Lung performing his up close Wing Chun (though in the first movie his specialty was the staff, another inconsistency). This is a very enjoyable, though not very accurate depiction of the fall of the Shaolin Temple, and well worth checking out.