Holy Robe of Shaolin Temple (1985)

This second collaboration with Hong Kong veteran director Chui Siu Ming (Bury Me High) and mainland Chinese actor Yu Rong Guang (Iron Monkey) offers enough wushu action, scenic vistas, and Shaolin intrigue to keep most genre fans happy.

Qi Tianyuan (Yu Rong Guang) is a former Wu Dang student whose present occupation as a governor’s strong man leads him to be sent to Shaolin Temple in disguise as a monk. His mission is to take over as abbot and procure a ceremonial robe. Not surprisingly, the Shaolin monks resist this upstart’s demands and a vicious battle ensues, resulting in the deaths or incarceration of many monks. Several young monks attempt to transport the robe to a neighboring temple. One of them is Hui Neng whose failed attempt to stall their pursuers leads him to seek refuge with the Yin family of horse breeders he had met once before. Yin Ling, one of the daughters who has fallen in love with Hui joins him in training among the Wu Dang clan who were traditionally rivals of Shaolin, but now share a common enemy.

Meanwhile, Qi Tianyuan recovers the robe from the remaining monks in flight and sets a trap for Hui Neng, who he is determined to defeat. Joined by Yin’s fighting daughters, several Wu Dang fighters and the monks he set free, Hui Neng mounts a final struggle to reclaim Shaolin and the Holy Robe.

Holy Robe of Shaolin Temple is a traditional martial arts film that exhibits some of the best and most predictable qualities of mainland Chinese filmmaking. Much less romantic or fanciful than its Hong Kong counterparts, the film features authentic locales, suitable costuming for the colder Northern territories, and a bittersweet and politically correct story that extols the virtues of sacrifice for the sake of the “people.” Like other mainland action films such as The South Shaolin Master (1984), this one draws upon the vast resources of the People’s Republic to include ambitious scenes of rural life such as horse wrangling, including trick riding.

Anyone who has seen Jet Li’s martial arts in Shaolin Temple (1982) or even his later Hong Kong, period productions in the early ’90’s can expect to see the same type of wushu martial arts. Its a very fluid and dynamic style that incorporates acrobatics and extensive weapons use. There are several generic training sequences that have that documentary feel to them, but the actual melee combat is impressive. Several large scale battles take place with everyone performing complex combat moves which demands respect for the effort it must have taken to produce them.

Yu Rong Guang as the lead villain displays worthy martial skills opposite the equally impressive hero who, as another mainland actor, I have not seen before. The women who play the Yin daughters deserve mention for their excellent acrobatic skills as well. Since few crossover pop stars such as Aaron Kwok have existed in China, filmmakers drew talent from the wushu schools. This resulted in fewer charismatic action stars, but at least they could perform their own fights with a measure of skill.

Perhaps the worst aspect of the film is the fact that the actors are not very memorable. The fellow who plays Hui Neng is the perfect picture of a chaste and dedicated monk, much the way Jet Li was in Shaolin Temple, since both characters turn their backs on a woman who loves them. But, aside from a forlorn look, this doesn’t make for very meaty drama. In addition, Yu Rong Guang’s character only alludes to his own ambitions and spends most of his time stiffly following his master’s orders.

Taken as a whole, Holy Robe of Shaolin Temple appears to be a lesser version of Shaolin Temple that does contain some exciting action and one of Yu Rong Guang’s earliest performances which will appeal to his fans, but the film could have made more effort to distinguish itself.