China is plunged into strife as feuding warlords try to expand their power by warring over neighboring lands. Fuelled by his success on the battlefield, young and arrogant Hao Jie sneers at Shaolin's masters when he beats one of them in a duel. But the pride comes before a fall. When his own family is wiped out by a rival warlord, Hao is forced to take refuge with the monks. As the civil unrest spreads and the people suffer, Hao and the Shaolin masters are forced to take a fiery stand against the evil warlords. They launch a daring plan or rescue and escape.
Shaolin features a half-dozen impressive action set pieces, including an elaborate carriage chase and a battle inside the cages where Cao imprisons his workers.
– Mark Jenkins,
NPR,
8 Sep 2011
rotten:
More action, less talk should be the order of the day, but it isn't.
– V.A. Musetto,
New York Post,
9 Sep 2011
fresh:
The epic feel to this Hong Kong action-drama helps balance a lack of hand-to-hand combat scenes.
– Joe Neumaier,
New York Daily News,
9 Sep 2011
fresh:
"Shaolin" fits in the more somber kung-fu tradition. But it also finds room for the genre's comic strain.
– Rachel Saltz,
New York Times,
9 Sep 2011
fresh:
An ambitious, almost epic drama that devotes as much time to introspection as it does to combat.