Shaolin Chamber of Death
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| Shaolin Chamber of Death | |
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 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Chen Chi-Hwa |
| Produced by | Lo Wei |
| Starring | Jackie Chan Chiang Kam Hwang Jang Lee Kim Kong Yuen Biao |
| Release date(s) | 10 October 1976 |
| Running time | 90 mins |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Shaolin Chamber of Death (traditional Chinese: 少林木人巷) (Shao Lin mu ren xiang) is a 1976 Hong Kong action film, directed by Chen Chi-Hwa. It was made at Lo Wei's studio at Golden Harvest, during the post-Bruce Lee era. During this time Hong Kong film producers, including Lo, tried in vain to find "the next Bruce Lee".
The film was also released internationally under several alternative titles, including:
- "36 Wooden Men"
- "Shaolin Chamber of Death" (initial UK releases)
- "Shaolin Wooden Men" (USA, later UK release)
- "Shaolin Wooden Men - Young Tiger's Revenge" (USA)
- "Wooden Man" (Germany)
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[edit] Plot
Shaolin Chamber of Death - Lei Cao (Jackie Chan) is a new Shaolin student who is mute. He struggles to keep up with the other students and to complete the grueling tasks assigned to him by his instructor. He is haunted by the memory of his father's murder at the hands of a masked bandit who was skilled in martial arts.
One night, a drunken monk leads Lei Cao to a secret cave behind a waterfall. A man is imprisoned there. Over time, Lei Cao befriends the violent prisoner by bringing him food and wine that he steals from the monastery. He learns that the prisoner is a deadly martial artist who is developing a technique called the Lion’s Roar, which he will use to escape his captivity. Lei Cao convinces the prisoner to train him. The prisoner's style aims to kill the opponent as fast as possible. A Shaolin nun sees Lei Cao practicing these killing techniques. She tells him that martial arts are not for killing; rather, they are for self-development, with self-defense employed only when necessary and with minimal violence. She trains him in the Gliding Snake style, the ideals of which clash with those of the prisoner's killing style. Nevertheless, Lei Cao continues to study both styles. Finally the prisoner judges that Lei Cao is ready to attempt to pass the test of the Shaolin Chamber of Death, a narrow hallway containing thirty-six Shaolin Wooden Men, which are mechanical wooden dummies that attack anyone who enters the hallway. Lei Cao successfully fights his way through the Chamber of Death.
Shortly after Lei Cao's triumph, the prisoner perfects his Lion's Roar technique and uses it to escape. He resumes his former role as the leader of the infamous Green Dragon Gang, murdering the men who were responsible for his imprisonment. It is revealed that he was a Shaolin student who went renegade, and was then captured and imprisoned. The head abbot of Shaolin felt responsible for the student's misdeeds, so the abbot blinded himself and left the Shaolin monastery to live as a hermit, appointing a new abbot in his place. However, he promised to help Shaolin in the future if it was needed.
Lei Cao and the current head abbot of Shaolin seek out the hermetic monk. The escaped prisoner has killed all those responsible for his imprisonment except the monks of Shaolin, and he is now on his way to destroy the monastery. The hermetic monk hands over a book containing the "ultimate" martial arts style, and Lei Cao masters this style under the guidance of the current head abbot. When the escaped prisoner comes to destroy Shaolin, Lei Cao stands ready to defend it against his former instructor. It is also revealed that the escaped prisoner was the murderer of Lei Cao's father. Lei Cao reveals that he is not mute, but he swore never to speak until he had found his father's killer.
Lei Cao counters his opponent's killing techniques, since he knows all of them. He creates multiple openings, but fails to exploit them due to the Shaolin nun's teachings, which said never to kill his opponent. Despite this, he manages to win. He offers to spare his former instructor on the condition that he returns to Shaolin for the remainder of his life. The escaped prisoner says that he is beyond salvation, but that it makes him proud that his student has learned so well. However, he then makes a final attempt to murder Lei Cao. He grabs Lei Cao from behind and attempts to crush his throat, but Lei Cao moves out of the way, and the villain's strike hits his own throat, causing him to kill himself. Deprived of its leader, the Green Dragon Gang flees.
Lei Cao returns to the Shaolin monastery and is ordained as a monk.
[edit] Trivia
- The training dummies in this film are the inspiration for the character Mokujin in the Tekken series. They also make an appearance in the manga of Negima.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Shao Lin mu ren xiang at the Internet Movie Database
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