Chia-Liang Liu is a man of many talents and many names. The actor/director/fight choreographer has graced numerous Hong Kong films over the years, and he has directed some of the finest martial arts/action films in the genre. Fans of the Hong Kong New Wave rave about the films of Lau Kar Leung, including TIGER ON BEAT 1 & 2 and DRUNKEN MASTER 2 & 3. Fans of classic Kung Fu cinema praise the works of Chia Liang Liu, such as THE MASTER KILLER, EIGHT DIAGRAM POLE-FIGHTER, DIRTY HO, and EXECUTIONERS OF DEATH. Not every Chia-Liang Liu film is considered a classic, though. After the success of the Shaw Brothers epic, THE MASTER KILLER, Chia-Liang Liu teamed again with his half-brother, Gordon Liu, in a string of efforts that capitalized on the success of their earlier hit, such as RETURN OF THE MASTER KILLER, DISCIPLES OF THE MASTER KILLER, CAT VS. RAT, and WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN. Many of these efforts were produced independently, with limited budgets and large doses of humor that sharply contrasted the epic scope and serious tone of THE MASTER KILLER. These lesser known films languished in video obscurity for years, until Tai Seng demonstrated the foresight to release a sub-line of Gordon Liu pictures dubbed The Master Killer DVD Collection. Chia-Liang Liu does double duty in WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN--not only does he direct, but he also has a starring role (as the lead villain, no less)!

During World War 2, Japanese forces invade China. A resistance fighter manages to steal a map that contains military intelligence vital to the freedom of China. The Japanese army discover the resistance fighter and send troopers after him to retrieve the map. During the chase, the fleeing freedom fighter is shot. He stumbles onto the grounds of a Shaolin temple, and hands the map to a monk, Tien Fa (Gordon Liu). Before the wounded resistance fighter dies, he begs Tien Fa to complete his mission for the freedom of China. He informs the Shaolin monk to ensure the map gets delivered to the resistance contact in Dragon Land; a man with a lump on his back. Tien Fa quickly takes the matter to the Shaolin Abbot for advice. Despite the peaceful lifestyle of the Shaolin monks, the Abbot tells Tien Fa that he must do what is best for all of China. Just then, the Japanese troops searching for the resistance fighter burst into the temple, and slaughter all the monks in sight.

Tien Fa and a handful of his fellow monks escape the monastery.They stumble upon two con artist smugglers, Chow Ma (Lung Chan) and Fat Dragon (Etric Tsang), who are willing to transport the monks to Dragon Town (for the right price). The boat trip is cut short, however, by a Japanese patrol boat who open fire on the smugglers. The boat is blown to pieces, with only Tien Fa and the smugglers surviving. Once they make it ashore, Tien Fa promises the smugglers a reward if they can escort him to Dragon Land. Meanwhile, after a local power struggle, dictator Kon Tin (who is allied with the Japanese) awards Captain Wang (Chia-Liang Liu) the title of head constable. Captain Wang’s first assignment in his new position is to track down Tien Fa and recover the map. Captain Wang proclaims that all monks must be taken into custody. Chow Ma and Fat Dragon are in town hiding Tien Fa, where they hear about the authorities arresting all monks. So they cook up a disguise for Tien Fa--some yak hair and a straw hat! Chow Ma and Fat Dragon sneak Tien Fa out of town, and hide him in an abandoned temple. But Captain Wang and his mistress Fa Yin (Lily Li) follow them to the monastery. Captain Wang and his constables engage Tien Fa in life or death combat, for possession of the coveted map!

WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN is a very simple film that doesn’t offer a lot to fans of Kung Fu cinema. The biggest problem with WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN is that it can’t make up its mind what it wants to be--a serious historical martial arts film, or just another silly Kung Fu comedy. Taken as a serious piece, the off-the-wall humor and constant mugging of Eric Tsang detract from the unfolding melodrama. Taken as a comedic effort, the violence, deaths, and torture scenes overshadow the humor. As a result, WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN suffers from a disjointed narrative and schizophrenic tone. There are some moments that are totally out of place, such as the sequence with the hopping vampires. Its as if the filmmakers just tacked this scene on to pad out the running time (it has nothing to do with the plot). Whereas some of the most mediocre Kung Fu films are redeemed by the sheer magnitude of the combat sequences and top-notch fight choreography, the fights in WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN take a back seat to the drama and humor. There are only three or four major fight confrontations in the entire film, but I have to admit they are well done. Especially noteworthy is the final confrontation that pits Gordon Liu against Chia-Liang Liu and Lily Li.

Gordon Liu is back, playing his usual Shaolin monk character, this time with a comedic streak. The humor does not come from Gordon himself, rather the oddball situations that his character finds himself in. For example, in one truly hilarious moment, the con artists convince Tien Fa to visit a whorehouse by telling him that the prostitute is his contact to the Chinese underground. The prostitute thinks that the monk is visiting for some first-time sex. This leads to some truly hilarious innuendo with Gordon bragging about his Kung Fu skills while the prostitute is convinced he is talking about his sexual prowess! Gordon Liu is a great actor, and his fish-out-of-water routine in WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN generates the most laughs. Another funny bit has the con artists dressing the bald monk up to look like a farmer. Eric Tsang and Lung Chan are equally funny as the bumbling con artists/smugglers; they are constantly arguing and acting goofy throughout the flick. The director himself, Chia-Liang Liu (or Lau Kar Wing) plays it straight as the evil Captain Wang. Lily Li is a beautiful and graceful real-life martial artist, second only to Angela Mao. She portrays a black widow type named Fa Yin, and she is equally vicious as her director. In fact, Chia-Liang Liu and Lily Li prove to be a particularly memorable duo in an otherwise lackluster film.

There is an audio commentary track by Ric Meyers, a Hong Kong film author who has published several books on martial arts films and Hong Kong cinema. Meyers’ commentary on WARRIOR FROM SHAOLIN is superior to the one he did for the more obscure SHAOLIN DRUNKEN MONK. He clearly did his research this time and he shares his knowledge of Chia-Liang Liu and his family. Meyers provides career information on not only the Liu family, but also Lily Li, Eric Tsang, and others. The author also details his affiliation with Ocean Shores video, and how he convinced them to let him produce their video compilation, THIS IS KUNG FU. There are also English language trailers for upcoming Tai Seng special edition DVDs (all trailers are widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound):

• RUNNING OUT OF TIME
• DRAGON INN
• ARMAGEDDON
• THE DUEL

There is also the requisite 30-second Martial Arts Theatre compilation trailer. The main menu navigation is pleasing, with animated loops that depict Kung Fu fighters brawling (complete with the sounds of bone-cracking blows and martial arts screams).