Review of Shaolin Wooden Men

Introduction

It may seem that when it comes to Martial Arts movies, Hong Kong Legends have released all that is fit to release by this time, all the major Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee titles have hit double dip status with vanilla and then Platinum editions. You`d think now would be a good time to find some laurels and rest on them. But the back catalogue beckons, and there remain titles in the distant past (relatively speaking) of major Hong Kong action stars that have yet to see the light of a UK day. From 1976 comes Shaolin Wooden Men, an early starring role for Jackie Chan.

A young boy had the trauma of seeing his father murdered in front of him. Struck mute, he joined a Shaolin Temple to learn kung fu, although as the runt of the litter, he becomes the target of abuse for fellow students. Nicknamed Dumb Boy, he struggles to keep up, and is hampered by the temple rules that state a student can`t be taught kung fu until 5 years of service have passed. The only way to graduate from the temple is to run the gauntlet of the wooden men, a corridor of automata that pummel anyone trying to walk though. Dumb Boy can`t wait, and it`s when he discovers an enigmatic prisoner secreted away by the priests, that he meets the one man willing to teach him, in exchange for some decent food and some wine. Dumb Boy needs to master the skills, as he wants to leave the temple and find the man who murdered his father, but little does he know that the murderer lives within the temple precincts.

Video

Hong Kong Legends give us another stellar transfer. They take a film that is almost as old as I am, and with a little love and care give us a 2.35:1 anamorphic image that is clear, stable and with little print damage remaining. Of course age can`t be eliminated completely, so there is grain, the colours are a little faded, and darker scenes suffer from poor black levels and a degree of indistinctness. Still, it`s definitely a watchable transfer.

Audio

Although the options are listed as DD 5.1 Chinese and English, with a DD 2.0 Chinese mono track, I`m pretty certain they are Cantonese. I`d rather run the gauntlet of the wooden men that listen to the English dub, but the Chinese surround track is little more than a glorified mono track. This is just the way it should be, as the surrounds don`t overwhelm the centre stage, hiss is minimal, and the dialogue, music and action are front-focussed, rather than leaping out randomly from strange places in the room. There are optional English subtitles of course.

Features

The animated menus have transitions that take too long in my view, but otherwise the presentation of the disc is excellent. The only things that could be called extra are trailers for Police Story, Police Story 2, and New Police Story.

Conclusion

With Shaolin Wooden Men, we`re at that point in Jackie Chan`s career that it is the studio bosses, and the directors that are calling the shots. So if you come to this film expecting a knockabout kung fu comedy, then you`ll be disappointed. This is strictly old school kung fu, with a young student busily training up his skills so he can avenge a loved one, or a cherished master. But Shaolin Wooden Men is worthy of note, not least for the titular automata that await anyone who wishes to pass out of the temple. This film also marks an early appearance for Jackie Chan`s underdog character. Dumb Boy is weak, and is picked on, and is the butt of most the other students` jokes. But he has a likeable charm that appeals to some of the masters in the school, who despite the five-year rule wind up helping him succeed anyway. And while there isn`t any slapstick, his early attempts at kung fu are bumbling and clumsy, and you can see the genesis of character occurring here.

The story is completely familiar, but there are twists and turns enough to keep it entertaining, and I must admit I loved the ending, which is far more emotional and poignant that I would have expected from a kung fu revenge flick from the seventies. Dumb Boy has to face some difficult choices, and it`s easy to empathise with his dilemma.

When originally released on VHS, this film was just a tad over 90 minutes. So it seems that this 103-minute cut is comprehensive. Yet at the BBFC, there seems no sign that the previous 2 seconds of cuts have been waived. The film on the disc starts with a sequence of Jackie Chan showing off his martial arts talents against various temple guards. It has nothing to do with the story, as it`s just a showcase of skills. For any financially motivated distributor, it would be the first thing to go in order to save on videotape.

Shaolin Wooden Men is a good solid kung fu flick of the old school, the fights are well choreographed, the action is exciting, and the story is a cut above average. The disc may be a barebones release, but the transfer is indicative of HKL quality. It`s well worth a rent if you are in the mood for some no frills kung fu fighting, and it`s an interesting insight into the evolution of Jackie Chan`s lovable underdog character.