REVIEW: ‘Arhats in Fury’ (1985)

An initially confusing narrative eventually pays off with some fantastic martial arts within an unusually well-crafted story, focusing on a little seen chapter in Chinese history.

ARHATS IN FURY is not your typical martial arts movie. With a very mainland Chinese aesthetic in its high production values and story-driven narrative, the film begins by displaying the once cruel nature of Shaolin Buddhist life within the confines of their temple.

An “arhat” refers to one who has attained enlightenment. It quickly becomes clear that the definition of enlightenment among these monks is quite different from today. Adhering to rules established several hundreds years before and carried out to the maximum, monks must endure severe penalties for breaking these rules. There are no goofy-looking bronze men or buckets of water to be carried up steep hills here. Rather, knife lacerations and long journeys with little or no food and water, meant to purify the mind are commonplace.

Upon returning from one such excursion is Zhi Xing and his master, Zhao Xiang. Near death, Zhi is forced to kill birds that began to feed on their emaciated bodies. Having broken his Buddhist oath to not kill another creature, he feeds the blood of one bird to his master in order to restore his life. Upon reaching the village near the temple, the two witness a raid by Jins who were ultimately responsible for the downfall of the Sung Dynasty. Zhi steps in to defend the helpless folk by using his incredible martial arts, but stops short of killing the Jin leader.

When the two return to the temple, Zhi and his master endure further punishment for breaking the rule of using martial arts. Eventually the Jins visit the temple, threatening to destroy it but Zhi once again steps in to battle it out with several of their top fighters before a local militia drives them away. While many of the younger or more moderate monks hail Zhi as a hero, the more vocal, hard-line Buddhists wish to punish Zhi further for having brought the Jins to the temple in the first place. A young woman who leads the militia rebukes the monks for their cruelty and takes Zhi away. This leads to tragic results for Zhi’s teacher and the abbot who finally realizes that he has failed to teach the true spirit of Buddhism.

Regrettably, the film contains one really cornball scene when the abbot hurls himself, headfirst over his fellow monks to crack his skull on a wall.

Wounded by both monks and Jins who are looking for him, Zhi recovers with the aid of the villagers and eventually joins the militia to strike at the very heart of the Jin army. Surviving the attack, the leader of the Jins orders them to Shaolin in hopes of finding Zhi. After nearly half of the monks lay dead, the monks finally realize that they must defend themselves in order to survive. With staves in hand, they attack as Zhi and the militia arrive to surround the Jins and fight a final bloody battle.

It’s a shame that the editing includes a number of hasty cuts between seemingly unrelated scenes early on at the temple. They’re meant to establish the unrelenting cruelty of the temple’s outdated rules. Also, there is absolutely no martial arts on display for about the first 15 or 20 minutes, but I hope that won’t discourage genre fans. Once we’re introduced to the main characters, the narrative clears up substantially and the action starts.

It’s also a bit frustrating that some elements are not explained. Jins play a much larger role in Chinese history that Westerners may not be familiar with. Their repeated attacks in Western China lead to the downfall of the Sung Dynasty, but their relevance in the film is simply that of a band of raiding barbarians. Likewise, the Jin leader refers to his desire to procure “nitre” from the villagers but the film fails to explain why. Nitre is a variation of the word niter, also known as saltpeter, a mineral used in the fabrication of gunpowder. Once the viewer knows this, the explosions that the militia sets off in their attack on the Jins takes on greater significance.

Lau Jan-ling in the leading role is absolutely outstanding. He performs some incredible martial arts and does a good job acting. Westerners might consider it overacting in his anguished monologues, but it’s very appropriate. In fact, the film has a level of genuine emotion and intensity rarely seen in kung fu movies. All of the actors including Lau are generally unfamiliar. Everything about this film screams mainland China as its production source which might explain a lack of any well known Hong Kong actors being cast.

Like many mainland productions, the film boosts impressive cinematography in and around picturesque locations and a large cast of extras. The fight choreography is excellent. Also, expect to briefly see some unusual weapons in use such as a pair of huge, oddly shaped axes.

ARHATS IN FURY is really a well made film, oddly during a time when martial arts films were out of fashion. Those who like historical martial epics like SINO-DUTCH WAR 1661 or dramatic tales of Shaolin monks like THE BLAZING TEMPLE will definitely appreciate this film.