SHAOLIN AND WU-TANG (Hong Kong, 1983)
Directed by: Chia-hui Liu
Starring: Gordon Liu, Adam Cheng, Li Ching

The movie that inspired the Wu-Tang Clan’s first album is a blast of authentic old school mayhem. Gordon Liu (bald-headed brother of Lau Kar-leung) was ticked off that the sequel to his landmark 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN was played for laughs. So he raised a bunch of money and headed to Taiwan where he directed, choreographed, and starred in this “real” sequel to 36TH CHAMBER. A brutally authentic ode to Shaolin Fist and Wu-Tang Sword, Gordon Liu plays a student of Shaolin, and his buddy, the charming Adam Cheng (ZU: WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN), is a student of Wu-Tang. Their masters refuse to teach the Manchu prince their martial techniques, so the prince manipulates the two schools into combat, counting on killing the winner. Then: everyone fights! Shot with the scale and scope of a Shaw Brothers production (right up to the traditional final freeze frame), this movie is an avalanche of action with Gordon Liu and Adam Cheng unleashing the beast in scene after scene of blistering combat. The story gets a little melodramatic, but the movie is kept grounded by Liu’s total commitment to making it a stunning showcase for some seriously sleek techniques.