With most martial arts movies, it’s hard to avoid a predictable ending, but Five Shaolin Masters pulls that off perfectly. Most films in the genre, whether it’s an old school kung fu movie or something a bit more modern, follow the same basic formula, even if they’re stories differ widely. Typically, they culminate in the hero triumphing over the villain in a H๏τly contested showdown in the closing minutes of the film.
Many of the greatest martial arts movies end in this manner, including Enter the Dragon, Way of the Dragon, Drunken Master, and The Karate Kid. These fights can be intense, well-choreographed, and entertaining even after multiple viewings. But, that’s not to say that they keep the viewer on the edge of their seat, wondering who’s going to win. In most scenarios, there’s no secret who will emerge the victor, even if the hero takes a beating early on. There are some exceptions to this, of course, one of which being Five Shaolin Masters. The 1974 movie succeeds in one area that many of its kind failed.
How Five Shaolin Masters Effectively Delivers A Final Showdown With An Unpredictable Ending
It’s Five Heroes Against Five Villains
One of several great martial arts ensemble movies, Five Shaolin Masters ᴀssembles a cast of well-known stars ᴀssociated with the genre, including TI Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng, and David Chiang. Instead of making any of them the main protagonist, Five Shaolin Masters divides its focus among its five тιтular characters, allowing the audience to follow each of their martial arts journeys. After getting defeated and losing their temple to the Manchus, each Shaolin fighter has to learn a new technique, which comes into play at the end of the film where each main character squares off with one of Five Shaolin Masters’ five Manchu villains.
In most kung fu movies, it’s understood that the adversity the hero faced throughout the film will ultimately pay off, but Five Shaolin Masters isn’t afraid to disappoint in that regard.
Because Five Shaolin Masters’ ending is spread across five fight scenes, there’s considerably more doubt as to whether “the good guy” will prevail in this case. In most kung fu movies, it’s understood that the adversity the hero faced throughout the film will ultimately pay off, but Five Shaolin Masters isn’t afraid to disappoint in that regard. Due to the nature of the story, it becomes apparent that one (or multiple) protagonists really can die in their respective one-on-one battles, since that wouldn’t necessarily stop their side from prevailing.
Five Shaolin Masters Is Part Of A Great Multi-Movie Shaolin Series
Five Shaolin Masters Is A Great Starting Point For Chang Cheh’s Shaolin Temple Movies
Although Five Shaolin Masters functions as a standalone kung fu adventure, it’s worth noting that the film is just one entry in a long series of movies centered on the Shaolin Temple. During the 1970s, kung fu movie director Chang Cheh made several films about various figures within the Shaolin Temple, its destruction, and the monks’ battles with their oppressive Manchu enemies. None appear to be in canon with each other, but they’re connected nonetheless, not just by how they reuse the same stories and characters, but also by how they rely heavily on the same cast members, such as Alexander Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan-chun.
A big part of what makes Five Shaolin Masters so exciting can also be found in some of the other Shaolin Temple films. People willingly giving up their lives to defend against oppression was a recurring theme in Chang Cheh’s movies, hence why not every hero walks away from Five Shaolin Masters’ ending. Another example of this is Shaolin Avengers. But while many of these movies share this trait in common, few – none are able to match the epic finish of Five Shaolin Masters.
