Independent studio Golden Sun released this Kung Fu/mystery/comedy caper in 1978 as RENEGADE MONK. The movie was re-titled SHAOLIN EX-MONK for the video debut during the early 1980’s, when exploitative video distributors slapped either the word ‘Shaolin’ or ‘Ninja’ before the title of every Kung Fu film in circulation. SHAOLIN EX-MONK, directed by Wu Yu Yun (who also goes by the name Cheung San Yee), is an ensemble period piece starring the great John Liu. While many of Liu’s films have been hit-or-miss, and his acting talents questionable, no one can deny the man’s martial arts ability. Some of Liu’s best works have him pitted against fellow high-kicker Hwang Jang Li in such films as THE INSTANT KUNG FU MAN, THE SNUFF BOTTLE CONNECTION, and INVINCIBLE ARMOUR. In SHAOLIN EX-MONK, Hong Kong movie industry triple-threat (who has provided action choreography for and even directed several mainstream films) Blacky Ko, shares the spotlight with John Liu. Ko appeared in numerous old school pictures like DEADLY SILVER SPEAR, RETURN OF THE TIGER, and SHAOLIN INVINCIBLES. Wong Hang Sau (also known as Cecilia Wong) beat Michelle Yeoh to the punch when she portrayed Wing Chun in 1977’s STRANGER FROM SHAOLIN. She also appeared in THE FOUR INVINCIBLES, BOXER’S ADVENTURES, and DIRTY KUNG FU (all of which are available on DVD by the way). The inimitable Jack Long rounds out the cast as Wong Hang Sau’s father. Long’s best films are also available on DVD from Xenon including BORN INVINCIBLE, THE 36 DEADLY STYLES, and MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING. The alliance of World Video and CAV Distribution bring this overlooked effort to DVD in 2001.

Chow Li Shing (Blacky Ko) is an orphan who has fallen in love with Tin Chin (Wong Hang Sau). Her father, Mr. Chu (Jack Long) is a Grandmaster of Kung Fu who hates the thought of his beloved daughter marrying Chow Li Shing. Mr. Chu’s top student, Mr. Mao orders his fellow students to capture Chow Li Shing and drag him back to their master’s home. Mr. Chu begins beating the defenseless Chow Li Shing, and demands that he move away and forget about his daughter. When Chow Li Shing refuses to stop seeing his daughter, Mr. Chu prepares to lynch him. A man named Lin Chu Fei (John Liu) emerges from the crowd and sticks up for the beaten orphan. Lin Chu Fei uses his martial arts skills to stave off Mr. Mao and his cohorts—which prompts the angry Mr. Chu to attack Lin Chu Fei for interrupting his personal business. The two clash and things are about to get ugly, when the local constable, Sergeant Chin appears and breaks up this public display. After the heated confrontation, Chow Li Chin thanks Lin Chu Fei for coming to his aid. Lin Chu Fei says he is new in town and is looking for a renegade Monk who has become a master criminal in town. Chow Li Chin offers to search for this man in exchange for martial arts lessons from his savior. Lin Chu Fei agrees and the two of them take to the hills to start the training process.

One evening, Mr. Chu is attacked in his home by a black garbed assassin wielding a vicious sword. Mr. Chu produces a spear and the fight is on. The assassin eventually gets the best of Mr. Chu, and runs him through with the sword. No one at the Chu’s house saw the killer, and suspicion runs rampant. Tin Chin overhears a rumor that Lin Chu Fei may have killed her father, so she heads down to the local brothel where he is staying. She accuses him of murder, and he must fight to protect himself. The situation is defused by Chow Li Shing who informs her that Lin Chu Fei is actually a police Marshall working undercover to hunt down the renegade monk. Chow Li Shing promises her they will find the killer. A prostitute gives Lin Chu Fei a tip-off that the monk is living in the mountains. So he heads up there and finds the monk clad head to toe in a Ninja uniform. The duel begins, but neither fighter gets the upper hand until the unidentified monk employs a horizontal tree climbing technique to wound Lin Chu Fei, who wisely retreats to lick his wounds. Chow Li Shing sends his teacher into hiding to recover from his injuries, and vows to continue the search for the renegade monk’s identity. Next, suspicion falls on the character of Mr. Mao, who persecuted Chow Li Shing earlier. Sergeant Chin’s men discover evidence in Mr. Mao’s room that incriminate him and the constables thrown him in jail. Chow Li Shing goes to Lin Chu Fei’s hiding place and informs him of the recent events. The both agree that Mr. Mao is innocent, and they head into town to save Mr. Mao before he is wrongly executed. Both men are jumped by bandits on the road. They beat the criminals and arrive at the jail only to find Mr. Mao himself murdered in his cell. Lin Chu Fei and Chow Li Shing must discover the secret identity of the renegade monk before they too, wind up dead.

I like the way Wu Yu Yun controls the pacing and handles the humor. The director works hard to ensure that something interesting is happening at all times. The pace only slows down to accommodate the drama and mystery elements of SHAOLIN EX-MONK. The merriment in the film is minor, and never once becomes annoying (not even from the translation). Wu Yu Yun integrates the humor in all the right spots, never overshadowing the dramatic elements of the story. The humor springs from the fact that Blacky Ko doesn’t know Kung Fu, and when he takes a beating from Jack Long, the violence becomes like a cartoon. Later, when Blacky’s character learns the martial arts, and he turns the tables on those who plagued him, he snidely humiliates them in a manner very similar to his own abuse he endured. That’s the extent of the humor in SHAOLIN EX-MONK. The main focus of the plot (next to the fight scenes, of course) is the mystery element, which again is nicely handled. The script throws around many twists, turns, and of course, red herrings. The audience does not learn the identity of the renegade monk until the last 10 minutes, which sets up the fateful three-way showdown. Just who the villain is we are not saying, but he manages to implicate just about every character as the possible killer. And the backdrop for all this intrigue is a gaudy whorehouse and a seedy tavern. So expect to see lots of pretty prostitutes and some alcoholism.

SHAOLIN EX-MONK also benefits from the talented cast of martial arts performers. John Liu often comes across as generic, but here he has all the charisma of a Venoms actor. Liu’s character is not untouchably invincible like most martial arts heroes, and actually has to flee from one fight. He also manages to inject some character traits into his role, and indulges in adult vices like sex and drinking. Blacky Ko is the Yin to Liu’s Yang. Blacky has no vices; he’s in love and concerned only about his girl friend and learning Kung Fu to redeem himself in the eyes of his tormentors. Wong Hang Sau proudly portrays her character with lots of emotion and grace. When her father is murdered, she goes into revenge mode, challenging all those accused of being the killer (she learned the martial arts from her father). She is easily manipulated when the renegade monk incriminates different individuals as the killer, and she acts rashly against them. Jack Long gets killed off at the halfway point, but he steals every scene he’s in. He plays a mean spirited Grandmaster who smacks his own loving daughter for disobedience. Jack really plays up this role, and seems to enjoy being the heel. The secondary cast (like the bad guys, prostitutes, and the folks who humiliate Blacky) also contribute to the human factor of SHAOLIN EX-MONK.

The overall fight choreography is well presented, with lots of aerial moves, though some primitive wirework is employed for many scenes. Director Wu Yu Yun photographs the battles with some great camera movements and effective editing. Like Sergio Leone, Wu Yu Yun maximizes the suspense before each fateful confrontation. When John Liu faces off with the evil Jack Long for the first time, sweat was building on my brow, and I was bracing for the fight to come. Their clash was as vicious as it was short, since the authorities arrived to break it up. However, Jack Long got to really cut loose in my favorite fight in the film. The renegade monk shows up incognito at Jack’s school one night with sword in hand, and challenges him to a fight. Jack is more than happy to reciprocate and pulls out his red-tasseled spear. Both actors go at it in real-time and without camera tricks or wire work. The clash is intense and the execution of movement is insanely quick. This fight scene between them goes on for a while, and is only hampered by the darkness around them. At this point the renegade monk is clad in black and frequently disappears in the shadows. The climatic fight features both Blacky Ko and John Liu teaming up against the unsuspected enemy, for one solid duel.