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The Return of Master Killer: Return to the 36th Chamber
![The Return of Master Killer: Return to the 36th Chamber]()
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List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $15.99
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: Ground Zero
Starring: Chia Hui Liu, Lung Wei Wang, Hou Hsiao, Lun Hua, Yeong-mun Kwon
Directed By: Chia-Liang Liu
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0694795301826
Format: Color
Label: Ground Zero
Manufacturer: Ground Zero
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Ground Zero
Region Code: 0
Release Date: 2001-06-26
Studio: Ground Zero
Theatrical Release Date: 1982-08
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good movie
Comment: As with many Gordon Liu movies there is some comedy here. The action is pretty good and the story is ok...just a good old fashioned kung fu movie. It's a fun one to watch more than once.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Under-rated at best... a must have for Kung Fu junkies!
Comment: It is difficult to get ahold of a good copy of this film - my version is a pirated copy that I got in college years ago. Why did I go out and hunt down a pirated copy? When I was about 9 years old I would fake sick to stay home from Sunday School and watch Kung Fu Theatre on Sunday mornings. I have seen countless movies, but this one stood out in my memory. So 20 years later I decided I had to have it. I bought a couple of versions, mis-named movies, movies that had the right description on the back of the case, but a different movie in the box, you name it... it was painstaking. I have seen it called Master Killer (obviously that is not this film), I have seen it called Return to the 36th Chamber, The 36th Chamber, etc.
Be careful - there is a Gordon Liu film in which he plays an abbott in the Shaolin temple, that movie sucks. Its "Return of Master Killer" that you want.
Here is a little background on this film. Liu starred in the awesome film Master Killer, where he plays San Te. Its a serious film, and a classic in its own right. The Return of Master Killer really has nothing to do with it. Its how the production company's rename these films that gets this all confused. In this film, a comedy, that Gordon Liu plays a con-man who tells everyone he is San Te. When he is exposed as a fraud, guilt drives him to the Shaolin Temple to learn real Kung Fu. Again, he has to con his way in.
Once in the temple he is punished, and put to work. He is not "taught" Kung Fu, however as the movie unfolds he learns it anyway by observing as he works... where the motions he makes while working become Kung Fu motions. NOBODY ever says it, but this movie has to be a direct source of inspiration for the Karate Kid. There are so many similarities. There are tons of other films that have come and gone that draw upon this great film for inspiration, another that comes to mind is the Jet Li movie Romeo Must Die. During this film there is a fight scene that takes place on some scaffolding where Jet Li uses zip-ties to tie up his opponents... yeah, you can see the original version of that very fight scene on the bamboo scaffolding in Return of Master Killer.
No Kung Fu afficianado should be without it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Best final fight scene ever
Comment: WARNING: this is not a sequel to master killer, but it is a better movie.
A young actor(who likes to play monks, but not on stage) needs to learn kung fu so goes to shaolin to learn from san te.
I don;t want to give anything away, cause it is such a great movie.
Customer Rating:
Summary: You can't Lose with Gordon Liu
Comment: The more I watch Gordon Liu, the more I like him, not only for his excellent martial arts abilities, but also for his expressive acting abilities (even though constrained--or enhanced(?)--by the dubbing), which this film showcases.
Liu plays a winsome, selfish con-man who in the course of the story unwittingly masters a very unique kung-fu style and overcomes his selfishness, but who does not lose the vitality of the character he portrays (with a sort of easy-going brashness) in the process. This film genuinely made me laugh! And that is not a frequent event for me while watching movies--even intentional comedies. Liu vents a natural, unforced humor, that carries the story along and even cheerfully colors his fights; he's funny without, apparently, trying to be. This is one of my all-time favorite kung-fu films for hero portrayal and development. Top shelf, for sure!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Dont believe the hype!
Comment: This movie has potential. Gordon Liu, Shaw Bros., Shaolin Master Killer. Sounds tasty right? Rent this movie. Its mildly entertaining. But not enough to own. The best part of the DVD are the extra fighting sequences provided as Special Features. There are a few money scenes, but it cant even begin to compete with other Shaw titles. Admittedly, the fighting styles are things you have never seen before, but are really pretty lame. (I cant get into it with out spoiling, sorry.) The Shaolin temple is only in the movie for a brief period. The Master Killer isn't really "that other Master Killer." The plot doesn't even begin to convey any drama or passion. Skip it. Or rent it. Or if you are a die hard collector and need to expand go get another one of the Deadly Venom films. If you own all of those, get any of Toshirô Mifune's samurai films (not really the same style but will be a much better investment.) If you must get this, you've been warned, its amateur at best.
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