Movie

Return to the 36th Chamber

1980 · 101 min

A buoyant, good-natured kung fu comedy where scrappy improvisation and slapstick training montages build to satisfying, inventive fights.

Tagline: Back for the rest!
Overview: The workers of a dye factory have their pay cut by 20% when the factory owner brings in some Manchu thugs to try and increase production. Desperate to reclaim their full wages, the workers hire an actor to impersonate a priest and kung-fu expert from the temple of Shaolin. The factory owner proves the actor a fraud, and punishes all those involved. The young actor feels he has let the workers down, and promises to atone. He sets out for Shaolin, determined to be accepted as a kung-fu pupil at the elite temple.

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: lightstrength 3 of 3
whimsicalstrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing: brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: easy-watch, 2 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: class
justice
redemption
guilt
work
Places: workplace
countryside
Era: period
Audience: teen
Form: None
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language none
Violence strong
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	8
Horror	0
Humour	7
Realism	5
Romance	0
Tension	4
Darkness	3
Complexity	3
Emotional weight	4

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Details

Genres: action, comedy
Directed by: Lau Kar-leung
Written by: Ni Kuang
Starring: Gordon Liu Chia-hui, Kara Wai Ying-hung, Hsiao Ho, Wong Ching-Ho, Wa Lun, King Lee King-Chu, Yau Chui-Ling, Chen Szu-Chia
Music: Eddie H. Wang Chi-Ren
Cinematography: Peter Ngor Chi-kwan
Runtime: 101 min
Country: Hong Kong
Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin

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Return to the 36th Chamber

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