Review of Shaolin (2011) by Jy S — 27 Apr 2011

Shaolin is an example of Benny Chan putting together a good action period piece.With a title and cast members that point toward an action packed martial arts extravaganza, Shaolin instead puts great emphasis on story.

So much so that the film runs over 2 hours. It is a bit long, but for what transpires throughout the story, it does seem appropriate. The lead character goes through a huge transformation and with the help of some amusing, although under utilized side characters, this picture does make the most of its run time.

The martial arts comes complete with stunning choreography. It is spread throughout the entire picture, but ultimately a big chunk of it is unleashed for the explosive finale.Shaolin places a lot of focus on Andy Lau's character and he makes the most of it.

Nicholas Tse delivers an effective ruthless performance, while the likes of Wu Jing, Xing Yu, and Jackie Chan provide the more laid back and lively performances.In the end, Shaolin doesn't thrive on its action, but more on its story and theme of inner peace.