Martial Arts of Shaolin

1986 1h 34m ZH

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 87

ActionComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In ancient China, Zhi Ming trains at the legendary Northern Shaolin temple to avenge the death of his father at the hands of a nefarious magistrate.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jet Li
Lin Zhi Ming
Hu Jian-Qiang
Chao Wei
Huang Qiuyan
Sima Yan
Yu Chenghui
Lord He Suo
Yu Hai
Master Shi Ren
Sun Jiankui
Lord He's Bodyguard
Liu Huai-Liang
Lord He's Bodyguard
Ji Chunhua
Lord He's Bodyguard

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lau Kar-leung
Writers: Sze Yeung-Ping
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Shaolin Temple Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lau Kar-leung, shot by Cho On-Sun. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Original score by James Wong Jim. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chiu Yan-Tat shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jet Li and Hu Jian-Qiang and Huang Qiuyan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0091607 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lau Kar-leung directs. Cho On-Sun behind the camera. James Wong Jim scores. Chiu Yan-Tat cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in China, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

140 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.
3Part of the "Shaolin Temple Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Lau Kar-leung, shot by Cho On-Sun. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by James Wong Jim. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Chiu Yan-Tat shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jet Li and Hu Jian-Qiang and Huang Qiuyan carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0091607 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 87 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Cho On-Sun
Original score: James Wong Jim
Editing: Chiu Yan-Tat
Costume design: Ann Tam Kam-Ming
Makeup / hair: Lam Guen-Foon
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Original language: ZH
IMDB: Martial Arts of Shaolin (1986)

Part of

Shaolin Temple Collection

The Shaolin Temple trilogy (1982-1986) marks the beginning of Jet Li's stunning career. The martial arts purists claim that he was never better than in these action/adventure showcase films! The third installment (produced by the Shaw Brothers) is directed by the legendary Liu Chia Liang.