Released: 2011
Watched: late September 2016 via Netflix streaming
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Directed by: Benny Chan
Starring: Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse with an appearance by Jackie Chan
Short Synopsis (via IMDb.com): After ambushing and killing his rival, losing everything in the process, dispirited warlord Hou Jie turns to a Shaolin monastery seeking salvation.
My Thoughts
My husband caught part of this movie on our Dish Network DVR, but was unable to find another airing of it to re-record the whole movie. Neither was it available On Demond from Dish Network. I did find it, however, available via Netflix streaming. We streamed it on a lazy Sunday evening. We’d spent much of the day being lazy thanks to a gentle fall rain which ended in a spectacular sunset:
I didn’t realize until after finishing the movie that this was a remake of Jet Li’s classic Shaolin Temple (1982), which I have not seen (or don’t remember watching) but will remedy that lack in the near future.
While I enjoyed the story and the martial arts in Shaolin, what struck me most was the performance by Andy Lau. I’ve now added at least four more of his recent and highest rated films to my Netflix queue. Many of the supporting actors turned in good performances as well.
Many of the themes resonate with my Christian upbringing and lead me to further research and reading into Buddhism. I need to foster tolerance and understanding, embrace our similarities and understand our differences. Knowledge is power and tempered with love and compassion, can make the world a better place.
