"Shaolin Abbot" (aka "A Slice of Death") is a lightweight but fun chop-socky outing obviously made in response to the box office success of Liu Chia-liang's "Executioners of Shaolin" and "The Thirty-Sixth Chamber of Shaolin" ("The Master Killer"). It's not a remake but rather a synthesis; screenwriter Ni Kuang and director Ho Meng-hua combine elements of both films to create a story which seems to take place in some alternate reality, since Abbot Chi San did not survive the destruction of the temple in "Executioners of Shaolin." Here the abbot is alive and well, played by Shaw Brothers veteran David Chiang, and he gathers a small band of followers (including Lily Li and Norman Chu) to help him oppose white-haired supervillain Pak Mei, once again portrayed by Lo Lieh. Pak Mei has his own array of henchmen, including Chiang Tao as a Tibetan holy man who wields a mean monk's staff.
Tang Te-hsiang's fight choreography is solid, and the role of a revered Buddhist monk is an interesting change of pace for Chiang. There's nothing here you haven't seen before, but "Shaolin Abbot" is an entertaining film that doesn't try to overstep its modest bounds. Six and a half stars.
Tang Te-hsiang's fight choreography is solid, and the role of a revered Buddhist monk is an interesting change of pace for Chiang. There's nothing here you haven't seen before, but "Shaolin Abbot" is an entertaining film that doesn't try to overstep its modest bounds. Six and a half stars.