Holy Robe of Shaolin Temple

HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE is a missing link in the evolution of the martial arts period film. It has its roots firmly in the style of Chang Cheh; while carving out new territory that eventually became known as Hong Kong New Wave Wuxiaor as we like to call it; Cable Fu. In 1983; films like ZU; WARRIORS OF THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN; DUEL TO THE DEATH; and MIRACLE FIGHTERS ushered in a new era where traditional Kung Fu was replaced with hyper-kinetic displays of superhuman proportions. HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE is meticulously crafted by director Tsui Szu Ming; the mastermind behind such Asian films such as GANG MASTER (1982); FUNG SHUI MASTER (1983); and MIRAGE (1987). Yu Rongguang receives top billing even though he is the villain; and only one small part of a large entourage consisting mostly of no-names. Yu Rongguang eventually won the praises of New Wave martial arts fans everywhere by his performances in SWORDSMAN 3 (1993); IRON MONKEY (1994); and MY FATHER IS A HERO (1995). So HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE is one of his earliest efforts where he displays a knack for being the bad guy. The main protagonist is Donnie Lee; a generic performer whose career went nowhere. Because HOLY ROBE OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE features a plot involving the Shaolin temple and their rivals the Wu Tang Clan; video labels like Xenon released this movie under the exploitative title SHAOLIN VS. WU TANG 2.