The makers of Shaolin Monk may not know “karate,” but they sure know crazy. This very broad tale of the legendary Buddhist Tamo has little to do with the roots of Shaolin and everything to do with fantasy kung fu action involving a flying shoe that talks, a levitating monk, color-coordinated and very evil Taoists, and a kung fu master with a super-heated left hand.

Chan Sing, the muscular veteran of many genre classics including Vengeance! and Bloody Fists, plays Tamo (AKA Budhidharma), a legendary Buddhist monk who traveled to China in the 6th century. According to legend, he brought physical training exercises to Shaolin temple that aided in the development of modern Shaolin kung fu. Shaolin Monk depicts Tamo as the originator of the Eighteen Hands of the Lohan, an ancient series of qigong exercises still in use to this day. Instead of showing his involvement with Shaolin, the film has Tamo on the road and in search of a pupil, who turns out to be the son of a rural village doctor named Chi Yun (Man Kong-lung). This leads into what the movie is really about, which is how Chi Yun and his feisty gal pal Yen Chi (Chia Ling) end up in a struggle against a recently arrived Taoist priest (Chuen Yuen), who kills villagers and kidnaps all the pretty women while pretending to help them. Despite Yen Chi’s jealous hatred of the monk, Tamo ends up teaching Chi the Lohan techniques for use against the priest, while the monk takes on the priest’s reclusive master Tin Chu (Phillip Ko).

The story and kung fu action are pretty generic. What makes this film entertaining are the many campy qualities that come out. For instance, Tamo is capable of levitating and using his shoe as a free-floating broadcast system. He also likes to get knocked around like a weighted inflatable. The Taoist and his cronies wear the most ridiculous costumes. His four leading henchmen even have their faces painted to match their color-coded costumes. There’s a slapping contest, a gratuitous shot of acupuncture performed on a bare-breasted girl, and the zaniest of all, Phillip Ko’s conditioned left hand. Through extensive training he’s able to make his blackened hand sear his enemies with intense heat. Even better, he keeps it covered with a custom boxing glove. If that’s not enough, the filmmakers toss in a tragic scene in the middle that could almost be poignant in a different movie. As the villagers die by the dozen from a supposed plague, Chi Yun’s father is overwhelmed by his inability to save them and commits suicide.

Shaolin Monk is definitely a patchwork oddity. This is only enhanced by boneheaded voice acting where “Tao” is pronounced phonetically and Buddhism is confused with Christianity. Add to this Looney Tunes sound effects, like a screaming whistle as a fighter is tossed through the air, and the package is complete. If you want quality kung fu, look elsewhere. For “so bad it’s good” entertainment, you’re in the right place.

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