Shaolin Challenges Ninja by Lau Kar-Leung (Review)

Well, it’s that time of year again. I’m not really sure what causes it, but it’s wedding season again. I can’t begin to count the couples that have been tying the knot since the summer began, and I’m sure there’s plenty more where they came from. I won’t be joining their ranks anytime soon, but if kung fu movies have taught my anything (and yes, they’ve taught me a lot), it’s that even something as blessed as matrimony can bring on a whole lot of headaches. One moment, you’re walking down the aisle and the next, you’re taking on a whole crew of martial arts experts to defend your country’s honor. That’ll spoil the honeymoon real fast.

Ho Tao (Gordon Liu) is initially opposed to an arranged marriage to Kuda, the daughter of his father’s Japanese business partner. Once he gets a good look at her, however, he changes his mind. (If you saw that your bride-to-be was Yuka Mizuno, you’d do a one-eighty, too.) When she starts practicing karate, Ho Tao lets her, amused with her “foreign” ways. But once her training gets more aggressive, he begins to get more concerned with impressing upon her the superiority of Chinese kung fu. Not that I blame him; you can’t have the new wife busting down walls, breaking statues, or removing all of your weapons from the gymnasium.

Kuda grows more and more obstinate, and the couple can’t resolve their differences, which threatens to ruin their marriage. Of course, it’s all very entertaining. My favorite scene involves the couple getting ready to go to bed, but not before removing all of their secret weapons: daggers, throwing stars, darts, and enough hidden weaponry to make James Bond green with envy. And their fight in the gymnasium, each trying to “explain” the merits of their styles, is a great one. Unable to beat Ho Tao, and fed up with his closed-mindedness, Kuda returns to Japan and her old teacher, Sanzo (Yasuaki Kurata).

In a dimwitted plan to get her back, Ho Tao sends her a letter claiming that Japanese martial arts are poor rip-offs of Chinese techniques. He hopes to rile her up so that she comes back to China, where they can kiss and make up, though not before he puts the smack down. Just a little advice, pal… you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Of course, this letter falls in the hands of Sanzo, who heads to China along with his master and six other Japanese experts, who all intend to put Ho Tao in his place. And you thought in-laws were bad.

Now, this is basically an extended set-up for some incredible martial arts action, as Ho Tao takes on each of the Japanese, all masters of different styles. Of course, given that this a Hong Kong movie, it’s pretty easy to figure out how all of the fights are going to end, but that doesn’t lessen the fun any bit. Each one is a blast to watch, especially Ho Tao’s duel with the nunchaku master. But it all leads up to the titular battle with Sanzo, a master of ninjitsu.

Ho Tao’s extended duel ranks right up there with Chinese Super Ninjas as far as old-school ninja action goes. Although not as bloody as that movie, Shaolin Challenges Ninja does get pretty clever, especially in Ho Tao’s initial confrontation with Sanzo, which involves a heavy dose of illusion and mannequin killing. And then there’s that whole “crane vs. crab stance” sequence that you must see to believe.

Liu — best known for his role in the classic 36th Chamber of Shaolin — is quite impressive here, with his martial arts skills put on prominent display. Another treat is Kurata, who may best be known as the elderly uncle of Jet Li’s girlfriend in Fist of Legend. And of course, there’s Mizuno. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like she did any other movies, which is a shame. Here, she’s cute as a button as well as capable of kicking some serious butt, although her role in the film’s second half is seriously reduced. But casting aside, there are several other things worth noting here.

Okay, so Kuda doesn’t really start off the marriage on the right foot. But the movie does a good job at pointing out Ho Tao’s ignorance and refusal to learn anything about his new bride’s culture. One misunderstanding piles on top of another, and Ho Tao stubbornly refuses to admit that his pride is getting in the way of things.

Also, unlike some kung fu comedies, which sometimes seem to focus on the slapstick rather than the martial arts, Shaolin Challenges Ninja is all about the latter. There are some sophomoric gags involving Kuda’s training, loose fitting clothing, and cleavage, but they occur early on in the film and are quickly forgotten (thankfully). That leaves the remainder of Shaolin Challenges Ninja — which has also been called Heroes of the East — to focus on one great fight after another, with a good lesson in tolerance (and not pissing off your wife’s martial arts master) to end on.