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Temple tale is a tad dull
By Xu Wei |
January 23, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THERE have been many films trying to depict the Shaolin martial arts and its fighting system, but none of them have put as much focus on the spirit and unique Buddhist philosophy of the Shaolin temple as "Shaolin," the latest offering from Hong Kong director Benny Chan.
Although the film has a similar title to Jet Li's 1982 "The Shaolin Temple," it isn't a total remake as the era, backdrop and characters are completely different.
In this epic action film, Andy Lau plays Hou Jie, a warlord who lives by "the law of the jungle." But after he gets betrayed by his best friend (Nicholas Tse) and loses his family, he finds a new life through Buddhism. To protect the temple and its neighborhood residents from wars and invasion, Lau takes on a new fight against the villains.
Jackie Chan plays a monk in charge of cooking in the temple. He inspires the warlord to put aside thoughts of hatred or revenge and live a more meaningful, happy and fulfilled life. Chan displays his typical easy and acrobatic fighting style in the film with use of everyday cooking utensils.
Fan Bingbing plays Hou's wife. It is rumored that the role was orginally pencilled in for Li Bingbing, but on Jackie Chan's strong recommendation, Fan finally got the part. She appears with a pure and elegant look, similar to her character in Chen Kaige's recent epic "Sacrifice." But this time she portrays a person with more intense and complex emotions.
Unlike many of the former productions trying to explore the magic and secrets of Shaolin kung fu, the film doesn't revolve around the fighting scenes, instead, it is about humanity, forgiveness and a person's Buddhist consciousness.
The simple everyday life at the Shaolin Temple offers the protagonist a chance to meditate and decrease his desire for fame, wealth and power. Finally he tames the enemy of his own anger and hatred and achieves self-redemption.
Even though the Shaolin Temple, an iconic birthplace and incubator of kung fu, is burnt and destroyed by the foreign invaders at the end of the film, its spirit of love, peace and forgiveness continues to live in the heart of all Chinese people.
The film presents a group of folk hero images who're not deified or perfect. They are ordinary people who make mistakes. It also conveys a message that all living beings have the Buddhist nature - an evildoer can become a good person if he is willing to repent.
However, this is a bit too heavy a theme, and particularly a challenge for director Chan better known for light-hearted films such as "Gen-X Cops" and "Rob-B-Hood."
At times, "Shaolin" is too preachy and boring. The development of the plot and characters pack no surprises. To some extent, over-glorification and praise of the Shaolin philosophy turns this film into a 130-minute promotional video for the temple.
And this could well be true since it is said that the film was authorized by the Shaolin Temple. Shi Yongxin, abbot of the temple, is also the film's producer and several hundred Shaolin monks took part in the filming.
Director Chan regards the film as his best work. He had been considering to set the film against a futuristic backdrop, but later decided to base it in the early 20th century, an age of warlord-dominated turbulence in China.
"The temple with a history of more than 1,500 years has witnessed many disasters and sacrifices in the country, but its faith remains unchanged for centuries - fighting for justice and love," director Chan says.
The film went on national release on Wednesday.
Although the film has a similar title to Jet Li's 1982 "The Shaolin Temple," it isn't a total remake as the era, backdrop and characters are completely different.
In this epic action film, Andy Lau plays Hou Jie, a warlord who lives by "the law of the jungle." But after he gets betrayed by his best friend (Nicholas Tse) and loses his family, he finds a new life through Buddhism. To protect the temple and its neighborhood residents from wars and invasion, Lau takes on a new fight against the villains.
Jackie Chan plays a monk in charge of cooking in the temple. He inspires the warlord to put aside thoughts of hatred or revenge and live a more meaningful, happy and fulfilled life. Chan displays his typical easy and acrobatic fighting style in the film with use of everyday cooking utensils.
Fan Bingbing plays Hou's wife. It is rumored that the role was orginally pencilled in for Li Bingbing, but on Jackie Chan's strong recommendation, Fan finally got the part. She appears with a pure and elegant look, similar to her character in Chen Kaige's recent epic "Sacrifice." But this time she portrays a person with more intense and complex emotions.
Unlike many of the former productions trying to explore the magic and secrets of Shaolin kung fu, the film doesn't revolve around the fighting scenes, instead, it is about humanity, forgiveness and a person's Buddhist consciousness.
The simple everyday life at the Shaolin Temple offers the protagonist a chance to meditate and decrease his desire for fame, wealth and power. Finally he tames the enemy of his own anger and hatred and achieves self-redemption.
Even though the Shaolin Temple, an iconic birthplace and incubator of kung fu, is burnt and destroyed by the foreign invaders at the end of the film, its spirit of love, peace and forgiveness continues to live in the heart of all Chinese people.
The film presents a group of folk hero images who're not deified or perfect. They are ordinary people who make mistakes. It also conveys a message that all living beings have the Buddhist nature - an evildoer can become a good person if he is willing to repent.
However, this is a bit too heavy a theme, and particularly a challenge for director Chan better known for light-hearted films such as "Gen-X Cops" and "Rob-B-Hood."
At times, "Shaolin" is too preachy and boring. The development of the plot and characters pack no surprises. To some extent, over-glorification and praise of the Shaolin philosophy turns this film into a 130-minute promotional video for the temple.
And this could well be true since it is said that the film was authorized by the Shaolin Temple. Shi Yongxin, abbot of the temple, is also the film's producer and several hundred Shaolin monks took part in the filming.
Director Chan regards the film as his best work. He had been considering to set the film against a futuristic backdrop, but later decided to base it in the early 20th century, an age of warlord-dominated turbulence in China.
"The temple with a history of more than 1,500 years has witnessed many disasters and sacrifices in the country, but its faith remains unchanged for centuries - fighting for justice and love," director Chan says.
The film went on national release on Wednesday.
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