In which a wall of 12 monks stacked on each others’ shoulders forces Derek Yee to perform the human corkscrew maneuver to slide right past them!
Opening with a surprise attack by four ninja-dressed assassins, one courier's mission goes tits up really quickly and all suspicion lands on a drifter who had absolutely nothing to do with the murderous shenanigans. Let the detective work begin! The real culprit must be found . . . and soon!
Shaolin Intruders, the second film Tang Chia directed for Shaw Brothers, is absolutely unstoppable when it comes to the action scenes. This is almost pure visual poetry as Derek Yee, Jason Pai Piao, and Lau Yuk-pok team-up to find out just who is responsible for the attack . . . and all fingers are pointing toward someone inside the Shaolin Temple!
These three martial artists are the only ones interested in following the actual clues. The law believes that they could all be responsible for the deadly attack and it pushes them to band together in order to suss out the real culprit of the crime. Even if that means they enter the Shaolin Temple and challenge the monks to a fight in order to gain access to what they may or may not know about the attack.
With a straight-forward story and some absolutely heart-pounding action scenes - one including the shuffling and reshuffling of benches with the challenge of being the first fighter to touch the ground - Shaolin Intruders is top tier entertainment through and through. There’s no moment in this martial arts masterpiece which lags or feels out of step. Every moment highlights just how badass these movies can be . . . and Tang Chia proves, once again, he’s the right man for the job.
There’s so much fight choreography going on that it's damned impossible to go into details but this is by far some of the most impressive fight sequences I’ve ever seen from the Shaw Brothers. And it is pulled off with a confidence that goes unnoticed. That’s how tight the sequences are as arms are ripped off, monks commit suicide, and a whole lot of wires are used to zip fighters from one end of the set to the other.
Shaolin Intruders is now on blu-ray thanks to Shout Factory and its continuing Shaw Brothers Classics series. It is not to be missed.
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - December 19, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Video: MPEG-4 AVC
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; 12-discset
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Helmed by acclaimed martial arts choreographer Tong Kai, Shaolin Intruders is an entertaining amalgamation of eye-popping martial arts and thrilling detective story. On a routine courier mission, the prestigious Chin Hu Chief is murdered by four mysterious monks. When all evidence points to Ching Hua (Liu Yu-po), his friend Lei Hsin (Derek Yee) is determined to clear his name by barging in the Shaolin Temple thrice and entering into an intricate web of deception! The film is filled with jaw-dropping sequences including the "Twelve Vajrayana Array" and "Stool Array" which are lauded for their insane complexity and lightning speed.
Video
Shout Factory brings Shaolin Introducers to Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Interiors are strong. Colors pop throughout, but it is the blood effects - burning bright in the transfer - which seal the deal. It’s full of great atmosphere thanks to the quick-footed script and looks visually eye-popping due to the 1080-upgrade. Black levels are strong throughout, bringing out nice details in both the loud and quiet moments.
Audio
The film is supplied with the origins Cantonese Mono DTS-HD Master Audio with new subtitle translation and an English Dubbed DTS-HD Master Audio with SDH subtitles.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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There’s a new commentary with Film Critic James Mudge.
Special Features:
Fans get a new commentary, the original trailer, and the Celestial Trailer.
- NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Veteran Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Celestial Trailer
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: Not rated
Runtime: 89 mins
Director: Chia Tang
Writer: Ke Huang; Yun LingKuang Ni
Cast: Derek Yee Tung-Sing; Jason Piao Pai; Phillip Ko
Genre: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Shaw Brothers
Official Site:
Release Date: October 6, 1983
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: December 19, 2023
Synopsis: martial arts tale of two royal princes battling for the rightful recovery of the throne.
