Shaolin (2011)
Shaolin (also known title as The New Shaolin Temple) is a 2011 Hong Kong – Chinese martial arts film directed by Benny Chan, who also produced with Albert Lee. It stars Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Fan Bingbing, Wu Jing, Yu Shaoqun, Xing Yu with a special appearance by Jackie Chan. The film’s story is about a ruthless warlord who seeks refuge and redemption at Shaolin Temple after his second-in-command betrays him. The film was also released in Mandarin and Cantonese languages and was a commercial success. The Film was a box office success and earned US$33,470,508 (China) and US$2,632,485 (Hong Kong)
Plot.Â
The film is set in Dengfeng, Henan during the warlord era of early Republican China. Hou Jie, a ruthless warlord, defeats a rival, Huo Long, and seizes control of Dengfeng. Huo Long flees to Shaolin Temple to hide, but Hou Jie appears and shoots him after tricking him into giving up his treasure map. Hou Jie ridicules the Shaolin monks before leaving. Feeling that his sworn brother, Song Hu, is taking advantage of him, Hou sets a trap for Song in a restaurant under the guise of agreeing to his daughter’s engagement to Song’s son. Meanwhile, Hou’s deputy, Cao Man, ambitious and feeling used by Hou, decides to betray his superior. During the dinner, Song states his intention to retire and cede everything to Hou, and then suddenly receives a tip-off that Hou is planning to kill him. In rage and embarrassment,RELATED:
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Hou fatally wounds Song. Both families are then attacked by Cao’s assassins. Despite being shot by Hou, Song saves him with a warning, allowing him to escape, and then dies. While fleeing, Hou’s wife and daughter are separated. Hou’s wife is rescued by some Shaolin monks who were stealing rice from the military granary to help refugees living at the temple. Hou escapes with his daughter, who is severely injured after they fall off a cliff. In desperation, he brings her to Shaolin, begging the monks to save her life. Their efforts were in vain however, and she dies of her injuries. Hou’s wife blames him for the death of their daughter and leaves him. Hou attacks the monks in anger but is quickly subdued.
Hou wanders in shock near Shaolin until he meets the cook Wudao, who provides him food and shelter after he was stuck in a pit for many days. Hou feels guilty for his past misdeeds and decides to become a monk and atone for his sins. During his stay in Shaolin, he gradually learns Shaolin’s principles through study and martial arts, reforms, and finds peace. Hou later learns from the refugees that Cao has been recruiting male refugees to unearth relics under the pretext of hiring them to build a railway, and that Cao intends to kill them to silence them once their job is done. Hou intimidates the guards burying recent victims, then loads the corpses in a cart and drag it to the temple gate, where villagers and refugees identify their missing loved ones.
Production.
Filming started in October 2009 with a ceremony held in Shaolin Monastery.[ News first spread of the project when the film’s co-star Jackie Chan announced on his official website that he was involved with the project but was not able to talk about it due to contract restrictions. Chan and his crew built their own “Shaolin Temple” in Zhejiang that cost 10 million yuan (US$1.47 million) to avoid damaging the actual temple. The cast members shaved their heads bald for filming, whereas Chan, who wore a hat, shaved around his head where his hair was sticking out. Andy Lau’s left hand was injured while he was filming a fight scene.