American Shaolin
Encyclopedia
American Shaolin is a 1991
martial arts film
, starring (among others) Reese Madigan, Kim Chan
and Daniel Dae Kim. It was directed by Lucas Lowe.
) who pantses him during the match. To add to the insult, Drew's teacher Master Kwan (Kim Chan
) confesses that he is not - as he had claimed - a Shaolin monk, and therefore he had not passed on the actual knowledge of Shaolin kung fu
to Drew. Determined to learn the actual art to prevent another such situation, Drew departs for China
and arrives at the Shaolin Temple. At first, the monks do not let him enter, but with the help of a pretty tea shop waitress, Ashena (Alice Zhang Hung), and an old monk (Zhang Zhi Yen) who gives him a decisive advise, he waits outside of the temple for a week, after which he manages to be admitted. The old monk also turns out to be the abbot of the temple, Master San De, and he and his stern taskmaster train Drew and a number of other young apprentices in the ways of the Shaolin.
At first Drew causes much trouble as his American teenage temperament clashes with the tranquility within the temple and with his fellow student, Gao (Daniel Dae Kim), but under the rigorous physical and mental training he both improves his fighting skills and learns the meaning of discipline, humility, and patience. He makes friends with Gao and also manages to pass the two final tests: the Test of Spirituality, and the Test of the Chamber. Accepted as a full-fledged member of the Shaolin Monastery, he accompanies - along with Ashena - a delegation of his fellow students and the abbot to a martial arts tournament in Shanghai
.
At the tournament, Drew encounters the American kickboxer Trevor Gottitall once again. Trevor taunts Drew before proceeding with this match against Gao. Gao initially gains the upper hand, but Trevor resorts to his dirty fighting techniques and injures Gao. With Gao pinned against the ropes, Trevor demands a match against the "American Shaolin". Drew rises, but sits down again, refusing to fight Trevor on the principle of non-violence and selflessness. Infuriated, Trevor continues to beat up Gao and hurls him out of the ring. Encouraged by Master San De, Drew finally enters the ring to fight Trevor. Trevor immediately used dirty tricks again, but Drew prevails and even offers his hand to the defeated Trevor. The crowd voices their support for Shaolin, and Master San De declares that this is "the future of Shaolin".
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
martial arts film
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
, starring (among others) Reese Madigan, Kim Chan
Kim Chan
Kim Chan also known as Kim S. Chan, was a Chinese-American actor and producer. He was most notable for his role as The Ancient in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.-Early life:...
and Daniel Dae Kim. It was directed by Lucas Lowe.
Plot
During a martial arts tournament, the American finalist Drew Carson (Reese Madigan) is humiliated by his opponent, kickboxer Trevor Gottitall (Trent BusheyTrent Bushey
Trent Bushey is an American actor. He is a theatre-trained actor best known for playing David Rampal, half of the popular young couple of David & Melanie on the television soap opera All My Children...
) who pantses him during the match. To add to the insult, Drew's teacher Master Kwan (Kim Chan
Kim Chan
Kim Chan also known as Kim S. Chan, was a Chinese-American actor and producer. He was most notable for his role as The Ancient in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.-Early life:...
) confesses that he is not - as he had claimed - a Shaolin monk, and therefore he had not passed on the actual knowledge of Shaolin kung fu
Shaolin kung fu
Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...
to Drew. Determined to learn the actual art to prevent another such situation, Drew departs for China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and arrives at the Shaolin Temple. At first, the monks do not let him enter, but with the help of a pretty tea shop waitress, Ashena (Alice Zhang Hung), and an old monk (Zhang Zhi Yen) who gives him a decisive advise, he waits outside of the temple for a week, after which he manages to be admitted. The old monk also turns out to be the abbot of the temple, Master San De, and he and his stern taskmaster train Drew and a number of other young apprentices in the ways of the Shaolin.
At first Drew causes much trouble as his American teenage temperament clashes with the tranquility within the temple and with his fellow student, Gao (Daniel Dae Kim), but under the rigorous physical and mental training he both improves his fighting skills and learns the meaning of discipline, humility, and patience. He makes friends with Gao and also manages to pass the two final tests: the Test of Spirituality, and the Test of the Chamber. Accepted as a full-fledged member of the Shaolin Monastery, he accompanies - along with Ashena - a delegation of his fellow students and the abbot to a martial arts tournament in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
.
At the tournament, Drew encounters the American kickboxer Trevor Gottitall once again. Trevor taunts Drew before proceeding with this match against Gao. Gao initially gains the upper hand, but Trevor resorts to his dirty fighting techniques and injures Gao. With Gao pinned against the ropes, Trevor demands a match against the "American Shaolin". Drew rises, but sits down again, refusing to fight Trevor on the principle of non-violence and selflessness. Infuriated, Trevor continues to beat up Gao and hurls him out of the ring. Encouraged by Master San De, Drew finally enters the ring to fight Trevor. Trevor immediately used dirty tricks again, but Drew prevails and even offers his hand to the defeated Trevor. The crowd voices their support for Shaolin, and Master San De declares that this is "the future of Shaolin".
Trivia
- The Test of the Chamber involves walking through a dark labyrinth and fighting off the attacks of spring-activated wooden dummies; at the end of that, the contestant must carry a 300-pound cauldron full of hot coals for some distance. Two seals on the cauldron - a tiger and a dragon - would be burned into his arms whilst he carries the vessel, thus marking him forever as a Shaolin. The cauldron-carrying was left out in the movie, but the rest of the Test otherwise is quite authentic (unlike the tests shown in the Hong Kong movie Shao Lin San Shi Liu Fang ("The 36th Chamber of ShaolinThe 36th Chamber of ShaolinThe 36th Chamber of Shaolin , also known as The Master Killer and Shaolin Master Killer, is a 1978 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Liu Chia-liang and starring Gordon Liu....
", 1978).
- During the only day of filming within the walls of the Forbidden CityForbidden CityThe Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
, the entire film cast and crew were inexplicably ordered to leave by the government, despite having been granted permission to shoot there. The principal photography on American Shaolin took place from May through late August 1991, two years after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989Tiananmen Square protests of 1989The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
, and the filming, particularly within BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
itself, was under heavy governmental scrutiny.
- In the United States, the film was released on video by Academy Entertainment as American Shaolin: King of the Kickboxers 2. Although both this film and The King of the KickboxersThe King of the KickboxersThe King of the Kickboxers is a 1991 film directed by Lucas Lowe and starring Loren Avedon as Jake Donahue and Billy Blanks as Khan.-Plot:...
share the same director, they are completely unrelated in terms of plot and characters. The movie has never been released on DVD and as of December 30, 2009, there have been no plans to release the movie onto DVD.