Shaolin (2011)
The movie is based on the initial years of Chinese republic where China has jumped into trouble as fighting warlords try to increase their influence by battling over bordering areas.
2 May 1986, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
27 September 1961, Tai Po, Hong Kong
September 16, 2011
Jackie Chan brings some warm energy to his supporting role -- a rarity for this big star -- and turns in a delightfully self-effacing performance.
September 09, 2011
"Shaolin" fits in the more somber kung-fu tradition. But it also finds room for the genre's comic strain.
September 08, 2011
The kung fu itself is great fun to watch, from the discipline of balancing on one foot on a wooden pillar, the other in the air, for hours at a time to the confrontations that send fist and feet flying.
September 09, 2011
Frequently gripping and featuring a surprisingly spry supporting turn by Jackie Chan, it's a sturdy if unremarkable effort.
December 29, 2011
One of those films that impresses you, even though it fails to set itself apart from other films in the genre.
September 09, 2011
An ambitious, almost epic drama that devotes as much time to introspection as it does to combat.
September 09, 2011
The epic feel to this Hong Kong action-drama helps balance a lack of hand-to-hand combat scenes.
October 02, 2011
Ambitiously staged set pieces fall victim to portentous technique, creating an ultimately irreconcilable chasm between how much one wants to like this movie and how much they actually do.
September 09, 2011
Large-scale melodrama is short on action and long on histrionics.
September 08, 2011
Shaolin features a half-dozen impressive action set pieces, including an elaborate carriage chase and a battle inside the cages where Cao imprisons his workers.
September 09, 2011
Shaolin is simultaneously regal and stilted, stirring and sluggish.
September 09, 2011
More action, less talk should be the order of the day, but it isn't.

