HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE is a missing link in the evolution of the martial arts period film. It has it’s roots firmly in the style of Chang Cheh, while carving out new territory that eventually became known as Hong Kong New Wave Wuxia—or as we like to call it, Cable Fu. In 1983, films like ZU, WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN, DUEL TO THE DEATH, and MIRACLE FIGHTERS ushered in a new era where traditional Kung Fu was replaced with hyper-kinetic displays of superhuman proportions. HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE is meticulously crafted by director Tsui Szu Ming, the mastermind behind such Asian films such as GANG MASTER (1982), FUNG SHUI MASTER (1983), and MIRAGE (1987). Yu Rongguang receives top billing even though he is the villain, and only one small part of a large entourage consisting mostly of no-names. Yu Rongguang eventually won the praises of New Wave martial arts fans everywhere by his performances in SWORDSMAN 3 (1993), IRON MONKEY (1994), and MY FATHER IS A HERO (1995). So HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE is one of his earliest efforts where he displays a knack for being the bad guy. The main protagonist is Donnie Lee, a generic performer whose career went nowhere. Because HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE features a plot involving the Shaolin temple and their rivals the Wu Tang Clan, video labels like Xenon released this movie under the exploitative title SHAOLIN VS. WU TANG 2. Crash Cinema presents the movie uncut and in widescreen on DVD for the very first time.

Tian Yuan (Yu Rongguang) is one of the best mercenary fighters from the Ching Dynasty. The corrupt General Huang commands Tian Yuan to aid him in destroying the Shaolin temple. Huang creates a new identity for Tian Yuan—that of Shaolin monk Liao Kong—in a bid to place his fighter as the new head of the Shaolin temple. Along with his new identity, Tian Yuan gets a complete make-over that is guaranteed to fool even genuine monks. Meanwhile, a family of horse merchants (consisting of a father and four daughters who happened to be well-versed in the martial arts) lose control of their wild horses which results in a stampede. A lone stranger, Hui Neng (Donny Lee) jumps up on the lead horse and bravely maneuvers the animal in such a way that the herd breaks up, ceasing the stampede. The family of horse merchants are grateful and impressed with the strangers ability. One daughter in particular, Ms. Lin (Mandy Chow) quickly becomes infatuated with him. Meanwhile, General Huang and his troops arrive at the Golden Light Temple and demand to see the Abbot. Huang accuses the Abbot of being too old and feeble to serve the cause and declares that a new Abbot be assigned. He then reveals that Liao Kong be the one to take over. The elder Abbot states that Liao Kong must beat him to become the head of the Shaolin temple. A spectacular fight breaks out between the two, with Huang’s army and the resident monks witnessing the battle. Eventually the Abbot succumbs to the prowess of Liao Kong; and the monks are horrified to discover they have a new leader.

Suddenly, Hui Neng appears with other monks and they attack Liao Kong and his followers. The Golden Light Temple erupts with the fury of war as the guards battle against the well-trained monks. In the chaos, Hui Neng and a small band of renegade monk grab the Abbot and escape with him to a nearby sanctuary. It’s too late though, the Abbot is near death. Before expiring, he charges Hui Neng with the important task of guarding the sacred religious artifact, the Holy Robe of Shaolin. General Huang orders his army to track down Hui Neng and the renegade monks to retrieve the sacred object at any cost. Hui Neng and his associates face supreme peril while transporting the artifact. Liao Kong and his allies surprise attack them forcing everyone to split up. In the attack, Hui Neng is severely wounded. His body is found by the family of horse merchants, and the smitten Ms. Lin looks after Hui Neng’s health. One day when he is fully healthy, Liao Kong and his accomplices attack the horse ranch, and burn it to the ground. Hui Neng and the four sisters escape, but their father is not so lucky. On the run from Liao Kong and Huang’s troops, they take refuge in the sacred temple of the Wu Tang. The wise Wu Tang master, Xian Ji, provides shelter for his rivals against the corrupt forces of the Ching Dynasty. Ms. Lin and her sisters want revenge against Liao Kong for the death of their father. A new alliance is formed between the Shaolin monks, the Wu Tang, and the angry sisters to oppose the cruel regime of General Huang and his puppet Liao Kong.

HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE is a lavishly-produced effort, hearkening back to the early days of the Shaw Brothers Shaolin films. Tsui Szu Ming concocts a marvelous script with touches of originality. For instance, it’s truly amazing to see the Wu Tang portrayed in a positive light, as they are always handled negatively in a Shaolin movie. There is no humor at all in the movie, and the drama is played up to the extreme by Tsui Szu Ming. There is lots of tension between Hui Neng and Ms. Lin, as they clearly have deep feelings for one another. However, religion and obligation render their relationship moot. The director plays up these angles with sincerity, never coming across as too sappy. HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE is chock full of war, fighting, and various violent acts. Tsui Szu Ming stages the action wonderfully with multiple battles and seldom is there any one-on-one fights. The only fly in the ointment is the generic acting of Donny Lee and over-choreographed approach to the action. Lots of cablework, superhuman abilities and endurance, and tons of unrealistic sped-up fight sequences. If not for these major quibbles, and the war and combat scenes contained the same authenticity as the period set design and costuming, HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE would be a must-see. One other area in which the movie suffers is the star power, only Yu Rongguang is the only familiar face in the whole thing.