Shaolin Temple (1982) on Netflix
When Wang Renze kills Divine Leg Zhang, Zhang's son Xiaohu escapes down the Yellow River to the Shaolin Temple. Taken in by the monks, he asks to learn Shaolin martial arts.
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- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb6.8/105,168 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
The general Wang Shichong names himself Prince of Zheng in Luoyang while his nephew Wang Renze drives the laborers on the riverfront defenses along the Yellow River. The work lags, so captured rebels are forced into the gangs. One of them, Divine Leg Zhang, steps forward when the laborers are flogged; Wang Renze wounds him and kills him, and Zhang's son Xiaohu, trying to intervene, escapes into the river and comes ashore at the Shaolin Temple. The Sifu talks the Abbot into sheltering him. Recovering, Xiaohu hauls water with the monks, and the shepherd Bai Wuxia sets her dog on him. Xiaohu asks the Sifu to teach him the martial arts of Shaolin, and the Sifu answers that they exist for defense, not for killing, and that Xiaohu is no monk.
Cast
- Liu Huai Liangas Liao Kong
- Jianwen Zhangas Fang Zhang
- Du Chuan Yangas Wei Kong
- Hanguang Panas Zhi Cao
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Shaolin Temple (1982)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- During the two years it took to film The Shaolin Temple, Jet Li was reportedly paid only ¥1 per day.
- The Shaolin Temple was the first martial arts film made in mainland China after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the first film ever shot at the Shaolin Monastery; kung fu and wuxia films had until then been made mostly in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
- The film sold an estimated 500 million tickets at the Chinese box office and is estimated to be China's highest-grossing film ever when adjusted for inflation.
- The film's success established Jet Li as the first Mainland Chinese star of Hong Kong, and later Hollywood, and turned the Shaolin Monastery into a major tourist destination in China and internationally.
- After its release, the film's popularity swiftly pushed filmmakers in China and Hong Kong to produce more Shaolin-based movies.
