Disciples Of The 36th Chamber (1985)

Hsiao Ho plays a cocky young Fong Sai Yuk, who gets into trouble with a malevolent Manchu (played by the director) and has to hide out in Shaolin temple, where he continuously butts heads with Gordon Liu - reprising the role that made him a star - Abbot of the 36th Chamber, San Te.

Disciples of the 36th Chamber was one of the last films Shaw Brothers produced, and I suspect they knew it - having Lau Kar-Leung close out his 36th Chamber trilogy seems like the kind of thing you'd do if you were winding down a movie studio. The film doesn't have the same feeling of finality, of going down in a blaze of glory, that Eight Diagram Pole Fighter does though, so perhaps I'm just viewing it through the lens of hindsight.

It's a mid-tier sort of production, not lavish by any means but not as cheap as some of the later Shaw Brothers films looked and felt. It features the sort of blend of hijinks, fisticuffs and training sequences as its predecessors - or any film with Shaolin in the title really, but leans more into the comedy than the training.

There are numerous fights throughout, including 3 just in the opening credits, and they feature the kind of intricate choreography that Lau Kar-Leung is known for. Hsiao Ho was a remarkable athlete, and he's surrounded by a solid group of performers. Gordon Liu is mostly held in reserve until the film's finale, which is where the gloves come off and the action turns less playful and more ferocious.

Lily Li Li-Li is as good a kung-fu mum as a boy could hope for... Josephine Siao kind of own's the "Fong Sai Yuk's mum" role after her show-stealing performance in the Jet Li film, but if I actually wanted to learn kung fu I'd certainly rather it was Lily Li raising me.

Speaking of Jet Li, it's remarkable how much Hsiao Ho's impish grin and prodigious athleticism calls to mind young Jet at times - he had of course just made his own Shaolin Temple film at this point, which this film does somewhat resemble, and he would go on to play young Fong Sai Yuk some years later.

I know this film isn't all that well regarded, including by me as far as I can recall, though since I didn't write a review before I can only guess at my feelings about it now. Viewed as a form of closure for its cast, crew and production company I think it's a respectable way to bow out, and worth a watch for those that are interested in the Shaw Brothers story.