WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

wanderingstar This great film brings together Jet Li and titan-of-a-martial-arts-director Lau Kar-Leung (Seven Swords, Drunken Master II, among scores of others).Jet Li plays Zhi Ming, a monk in one of the northern shaolin schools who learns that the man who killed his parents, Lord He Suo, is holding a birthday celebration. He leaves the monastery without permission on a quest for vengeance. During the assassination attempt he joins up with Sima Yan and Chao Wei, also wronged by He Suo and out for revenge.This film is not only chock full of great fights superbly choreographed, but also has plentiful demonstrations of kung fu as the beautiful martial art form that it is. The traditional Chinese dragon dance and drumming at He Suo's birthday celebration is also captivating.Another strength is the unparalleled scenes for some of these fights - from the Great Wall, to ancient temples, to green valleys surrounded by breathtaking mountainous panoramas. This movie makes you want to travel to China.Definitely recommended for fans of the genre.

Chung Mo This is a strange film in HK movie history. It's possibly the last "traditional" Shaw brothers film, released a year after the film studio closed it's doors. In fact there are no scenes shot in HK at all. Nearly everything is on location in Mainland China. It's also the last Liu Chia Liang film working with his Shaw crew of cameramen and technicians. It's one of the first HK and Mainland co-productions and the first time Jet Li worked with anyone other than Mainland film crews. Jet Li has been unusually frank about his unhappiness with the work habits of the HK crew, director Liu included.The story is clearly from HK as Jet Li gets into situations that would have been considered unacceptable in a Mainland production at that time. He plays a mischievous kung fu monk with an agenda for revenge against an evil warlord. He meets up with a girl with the same agenda but she's disguised as a boy which fools everyone but the audience. Many, many fight scenes with a generous helping of lion dancing.The film is thematically the style of Liu's previous films for the Shaw studios right down to the woman dressed as a man plot device. If the story was a little bit more substantial perhaps this film would be as well known as Liu's other classics. It's easy to imagine replacing the entire Mainland acting company with the Shaw regulars. The camera work is in the Shaw style but with the added benefit of gorgeous Mainland landscapes and famous landmarks. The action is classic Liu Chia Liang choreography with a Mainland Wu Shu twist. The mass action scenes are exceptional. Great action, Jet Li playing a comic character, excellent photography. Recommended.

Jin Wang As for the other reviews, I think that they all got a point. But as for me, I'm a big fan of any traditional martial arts movies. And the martial arts movies of today got too much computer effects or do I need to say Wire Fu effects? Realistic fights are only viewable in old movies of movies with a low budget. I don't have a clue about the budget of this movie. But I can say that it's certainly entertaining. I can't agree more that a good movie must consist of some great soundtrack, good acting, a decent story etc. But heck, why would you watch this show for the story? Isn't a bit unreasonable to rate this movie for that aspect? None of the movies are perfect, so in this case the movie succeeds with the thing, that he's supposed to do. Yes, show us some realistic Shaolin Kung Fu.Check it, if you like martial arts fights with a simple story. If not, then please avoid this one and look something similar like "Hero".

pete I saw this movie on the big screen here in boston a few weeks ago. I loved it. this was the jet back then, before he was lassoed down by the hong kong choreographers who are still wondering, 'til today, what to do with a five-time wushu champion of China. Jet got to show off his staff work, his broadsword, mantis fist, bagua zhang (the same kungfu the Evil Jet used in The One), his made up shaolin lohan fist, not to mention the kicks that he'd hardly perform anymore.Lau Karleung had a lot to do with the fights looking so good as well, the fight scenes in first and second shaolin temple looked too much like live wushu sparring sets, too demo-like, but in this film Lau KarLeung really worked hard on intensifying the fight scenes and stylizing the hand-to-hand combat scenes. There were so many fight scenes, and each one of them looked different, emphasized on a different style/ technique...etc. There was even a fight scene with Jet dressed like a girl, pretending that he didn't know kungfu, and somehow defeating a bunch of soldiers. this was also the charming boyish, charismatic jet li that we hardly get to see anymore (not since Fong Sai Yuk anyways)--he was in drag, he was killing snakes for dinner, he had a crush...etc., and it was cute. The hoaky plot and music only added to it. The sentimental crap in this film wasn't too unbearable, kinda helped the film with its charms in fact.So yeah, it was a good movie, and the fight scenes were incredible.