Shaolin Brothers, The (1977)

A former student of a Shaolin master aids a band of Ming loyalists as they attempt to evade the pursuit of a Qing official who also trained under the same master.

This odd and convoluted mixture of Chinese history and myth manages to hold together thanks to Joseph Kuo’s energetic direction and a fair amount of good old kung fu action.

Former Shaolin man, Ko Lung Ta (Carter Wong) is now a Ching general who invites his old colleague, Lin Yun Chang to join him, but Lin remains loyal to the Ming. The two fights and Ko, who is protected with the Golden Garment which repels blades mortally wounds Yun Chang with poisonous soul-broken needles. Both of which were stolen from their Shaolin master. Yun Chang manages to return to his master who treats the wound as best he can. The story becomes much more complicated when three Taoists use an elaborate plan to smuggle a Ching army layout to Ming leaders. A false set of plans are given to Ming general Hang Chung Jen as a decoy to throw off Ko Lung Ta’s pursuit of the Ming spies. The real plans have been given to a runner who speeds cross-country on horseback to his destination without mishap.

General Hang is not so lucky. A plan is devised to fake the general’s death so that the Taoist’s can smuggle him beyond Ko’s grasp with a method known as “corpse herding.” Chinese tradition includes the relocation of the dead in order to put their souls at rest. Superstitions led to the wide belief that corpses would hop around and suck the blood of the living if not put to proper rest, becoming a vampire of sorts. With a paper talisman on their foreheads, Taoist priests could control these undead, by having them hop to their destination. Using this pretext, Taoist Lu ends up attempting to smuggle six people past Ming authorities, including Hang and his son. Also with them is a beautiful girl named Hsiang Yen who is hoping to catch up with the wounded Yun Chang. Her inability to control her breathing leads to the discovery that the six corpses are in fact alive and a long, nighttime chase begins. The remaining three “corpses” happen to be thieves hoping to escape with their stolen goods and although their kung fu is good, their greed ends up being their undoing. With the aid of two nephews and the girl, General Hang is able to defeat his pursuers, but Ko Lung Ta sets a trap, having been aware of their plans all along. When all appears lost, Yun Chang reappears and although near death, prepares to fight Ko with a special weapon, the Tiger Teeth Chain.

The Shaolin Brothers is somewhat of a misleading title and the story is sadly more confusing than it need be. Ko Lung Ta and Lin Yun Chang are supposedly trained in Shaolin technique by the same master, but there are no bald monks in robes in this film. Also, their relationship bookends the film with the bulk of action revolving around smuggling of the plans. The film actually opens with scenes of the six “corpses” being herded while eerily effective music plays. A narrator explains the relevance of corpse herding but this is not a supernatural film. But still… there is the use of wires where the woman appears to float about and disappear at will. These tricks are intentionally meant to be humorous. Several more effective scenes involve Ching soldiers running into each other and into walls in a blind leading the blind scenario. Another scene involves one of the “corpses” being discovered at an inn while trying to steal food. The worst scene has to be the long chase through a forest at night. Ching soldiers run after the thieves and the Ming loyalists as they cross paths, but I could hardly see any detail and the scene went on longer than it should have.

Thankfully, the fighting gets pretty intense in the last half. Carter Wong does a great job and some subtle and clever camera editing gives the action a raw look you rarely see in a classic martial arts film. Its not always apparent, but its there. The woman who plays Hsiang Yen is attractive but her skills are not. She ends up hoisted on wires more than anyone else, which makes her skills seem too fantastic compared with the rest of the crew.

Kuo should have spent less time on chase scenes and more on fleshing out the story. The first half of The Shaolin Brothers is actually pretty slow. Add to that, the fact that the narrative jumps around too much and you may find yourself losing interest. The rest of the film picks up considerably and the idea of smuggling people as hopping corpses is silly but fun. This is not a great film but with a little suspension of disbelief and patience, it pays off as a solid martial arts adventure.