I had never even heard of this movie but it was on the server so I thought I might as well. I have not been having very good luck with anime recently but it seems that live action martial arts are always my thing.Warlord Hou (Andy Lau) has no time or respect for anything that doesn't bring him more power but when he loses everything in a coup by his subordinate, Tsao (Nicholas Tse), he begs asylum at the Shaolin temple. He is put under the care of the cook, Wudao (Jackie Chan), until he begins to heal mentally and emotionally. Tsao, meanwhile, is using forced refugee labor to unearth priceless national treasures and then killing the workers. The monks decide to become outlaw heroes to put a stop to his evil ways.
I'm so used to Andy Lau playing a total dick that it was a little disconcerting to see him as a penitent. Almost as weird as seeing Jackie Chan in a supporting role. Nicholas Tse was new to me but worth future watching. Fan Bingbing was in this as well but she doesn't have a very big part. Cory Yuen was the action director and that is a name I associate with quality. He has worked on a number of excellent action films.
This was a pleasant surprise and I would definitely recommend it to wuxia fans.
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