59. Shaolin Intuders (1983) - Dir. Tong Gaai
There's corruption in the Shaolin Temple. From the top on down, the temple has been infested with conniving rats, hellbent on the destruction of the Jiang Hu. One of the head abbots is in cahoots with the surviving members of the 6 Demons of Gaundong (an evil group of outlaws who use to terrorize the land), and together they are killing off the province's renowned martial arts masters one-by-one. It's up to two ragtag heroes, Lei Xun, the wanderer, and Qiao Yidou, the gambler, to reveal the treacherous secrets of the Shaolin Intruders.
In many ways, Tong Gaai's mind-blowing, frantically-paced, martial arts masterpiece can be seen as a metatextual commentary on the end of an era. Made in 1983, while the Shaw Brothers were beginning to turn their backs on cinema and focus on television, Shaolin Intruders is a more cynical examination of the legendary martial arts haven, and depicts the once-heroic monks as less than righteous. Their ways have been corrupted by greed, and their once pure motives suffer the taint of their impure leaders. Like all institutions, even the Shaolin Temple must face becoming obsolete and outmoded.
In Tong's film, it is not the monks who are heroic, or chivalrous. Tong's heroes are the outsiders, two men who can see through the facade of deceit surrounding the once upstanding institution. I don't mean to make this film sound more high concept than it is, however it is interesting to examine this insane action flick in a light that reveals more than just a ton of awesome action. Not that it needs anything more mind you, because when a film is this exciting, entertaining, and jaw-dropping, anything extra is just an added bonus.
One thing comes to the mind of kung fu fans when they hear or see the name Tong Gaai, and that's top-notch, A-class choreography. Shaolin Intruders stands as the pinnacle of Tong's career, and only further exemplifies the audacity of Tang's anonymity outside of the hardcore audience. Tong, an honorary member of the Yuen Clan (Yuen Woo Ping, Yuen Wah), was introduced to kung fu choreography on the sets of the Wong Fei Hong series which began in the 1940s. He started working for the Shaw Brothers in the early 1960s, and along with partner Lau Kar Leung, he co-choreographed just about every major martial arts film the studio made throughout the 1970s and into the '80s. However, he only ever directed three films, and this is, by far, his most amazing work in any capacity.
The bulk of Shaolin Intruders is taken up by three trials the heroes must endure to win the Shaolin's respect. After Lei and Qiao discover the dirty deeds of the corrupt monks, they go to the temple and accuse them of this treachery. Needless to say, the accusation doesn't sit well with the abbots (who are not all evil), and so they challenge the heroes to a series of tests; if they pass, the heroes can continue their investigation.
The first trial features Qiao, fighting the Shaolin spear-men in the Spring and Autumn formation. His goal is to reach the rear of a room while the spear-men thwart his progress at each and every step. The fight transcends astonishment, as the combatants traverse up and down pillars, fight across the ceiling, and even wind up using an entire rack of spears as the ultimate weapon. However, when Qiao busts out his secret weapon, a set of large, explosive dice attached to a whip, the monks find themselves at the mercy of a weapon they can't even comprehend.
The second test finds Lei doing battle with the Twelve Jingang formation. This sequence is irrevocably one of the greatest action set pieces ever filmed. The Twelve Jingang formation consists of twelve monks, each armed with a copper-plated staff. The monks form various shapes and stances, including a human wall and a deadly enclosed circle, while trying to keep Lei from reaching the end of a long, sand-dusted hall. However, as if twelve badass monks with copper staffs isn't cool enough, Tong Gaai takes the fight straight through the stratosphere and blasts it off into the reaches of astronomically-awesome.
At one point, when it looks as if the monks are about to lose, they reveal their secret weapons: the staffs separate and become three-sectioned staffs, undeniably the coolest weapons ever.From here on out, it is pure martial mayhem, as the twelve monks try ,with all of their might, to keep Lei from reaching his goal. This sequence looks incredibly dangerous, and maintains a sense of barely-controlled chaos for minutes on end.
However, if you think those two tests sound cool, and they most definitely are, just wait until you see the third, final, and most awesome test. This test pits the two heroes against one, old, gray-haired, feeble-looking elder. But as we all know, the more feeble-looking the martial arts master is, the harder he's going to kick your ass. This test is simply too amazing to describe, and so I will let a series of screenshots do the talking:
And then, on to the final showdown with the evil abbot!
Here's the thing about Shaolin Intruders: there is nothing minor about it. Every fight is huge, and every action set piece is a masterpiece. You could rip any of the action sequences from any point in this film, splice it into the climax of another, and have a show-stopping, masterclass action sequence. Minute for minute, weapon for weapon, fist for fist, and leg for leg, Shaolin Intruders may be the most action packed film ever made. Even upon subsequent viewings I am always shocked. Shocked at just how much action there is, and at how amazing each conflict is presented and executed. But here's the thing: it never wears out its welcome, ever. It consistently pushes the boundaries of kung fu cinema at each and every turn, and remains thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. To put it simply, Shaolin Intruders is a film that is so awesome, I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up to find it nothing but a dream.
