Plot:
Credits tell us this is Return of the Master Killer underneath it Return to the 36th Chamber
As the credits roll we see scenes of guys training from later in the movie. A guy is jumping over a well that has water spewing out of it and, guys are breaking things, too.
At a textile plant, the foreman and a worker realize their dye is weak. The foreman is the Obvious Hero Type (OHT for short) and, the guy with him is Chau, Comedic
Sidekick (CS). They report to the factory manager, who claims the dye is good. The boss has hired some efficiency experts to improve quality. The manager claims
the workers will stay.
If you think things will be ok after this, you haven’t watched many movies. The Manager is cutting everyone’s pay by 20% to afford the efficiency experts. OHT and
CS are shocked and dismayed by that knowledge. Chau is pushed down by an evil worker who laughs at doing it.
I see your SCWHARTZ is almost as big as mine.
OHT is going to fight but, Chau stops him. The Manager informs all the workers about the pay cut. Sort of like the scene in Spartacus where each slave proclaims
to be Spartacus, each worker in this Shaw brothers' production threatens to quit. Evil Manager vows to have every worker that quits to be beaten before they leave the factory.
A big fight breaks out between the workers and the efficiency experts. The evil workers are outnumbered by the workers but are skilled enough in kung fu and have big quarter
staffs to even the odds. The head Evil Worker even smacks a few women around. Old school Shaw brothers’ kung fu rages on in the background. The workers finally agree to go
back to work.
Later on, the workers realize they were given inferior materials to make them look bad and have their pay cut. The Factory Owner is behind it. OHT wants to see the magistrate
to do something. OHT is naïve to the ways of the world. Something must be done, but what?
A monk is passing medicine around to the battered workers. The monk is the brother of OHT. He isn’t a monk but a conman that poses as a monk, beggar, etc…I’m not sure what
his name is, I thought it was Haki but the credits don’t have a Haki listed. The workers tell Haki what is going on at the factory. Haki claims to know Shaolin Kung Fu. He leaves with
OHT.
Haki is trying to scam some donations. Chau and some chick find Haki and convince him to help the workers’ plight.
At the textile plant, Head Evil Worker is supervising. Chau talks with him. Chick gives Head Evil Worker the eye and, he promptly returns it. Chau convinces Evil worker to
be suavay. Evil Worker follows Chick.
3 Evil workers find each other in the woods. They realize they were set up and spot Chick again. Chau and the rest of the workers are there, claiming the evil supervisors
are fooling around with their women.
The 3 Evil workers trounce the common workers. Chun, in his Shaolin finest, calls for the end to the hostilities. He’s in a tree and appears to float down from the tree. The Evil
Workers are awed by this.
RIGHT ON DUDE!!!
At least, they didn’t see the harness system used to get Chun down from the tree.
The Evil Workers are actually Manchu warriors, who are readying their weapons. Chun looks impressive kung fuin’ the workers with blows so powerful they don’t
have to touch them for them to be thrown back from the force. The Manchu warriors are scared by Chun’s abilities. Chun tells them to deliver a message that the pay
cuts are unjust and will be seeing the Factory Manager.
The fierce Manchu warriors run back to the factory with their collective tail between their legs. They report to the Manager who wants the Shaolin Priest taken care of
permanently. The Manchu warriors relate how powerful the priest is and how he’s waiting to meet the Manager.
Manager tells everyone to go back to work. Chun is in full Shaolin priest regalia. The manager wants Chun to leave. Note, he doesn’t know that Chun is con man. The
workers mention the pay cuts. Chun calms everyone down and wants all the workers to have fair wages. Manager claims the order came from higher up to cut pay. But, he
offers to pay Chun if he leaves. He’s trying to bribe a Shaolin priest, for shame on you. Chun is contemplating the wealth when the workers rush him. We get another scene
of Chun sweeping his hands and guys 10 foot out of his reach are thrown backwards. Some guys are thrown in pools. Chun wants the workers paid fairly. Manager agrees
to pay them the previous wages. The workers are happy, Chun leaves, and Manager is angry.
Later that night, OHT thinks Chun will get them into trouble. An attempt at foreshadowing.
Manager meets with the factory owner, Wang. The wages will be cut again as soon as Chun leaves. The Manchu warriors and Manager claim that Chun is an excellent fighter
although, he never fought anyone. Wang wants to meet the Shaolin priest.
The next day, Chun goes to the factory. We learn that Wang is a master kung fu expert. He wants Chun to demonstrate his skill at kung fu. Chun can’t do any of the tricks
he has used before. The workers charge him and Chun sweeps his hand and the workers fall back. Wang fights Chun himself. And, the fight ends very fast.
The Manchu Warriors grab Chun. Wang knows that Chun is a fake. Manager even beats Chun. The workers agree to go back to work with the pay cut. They dog pile on
Manager, trying to help Chun. The Manchu Warriors beat some of the workers.
That night, Chun arrives. The workers are being bandaged up. Chun wants to apologize. OHT wants Chun to get a real job and grow up, too. Chun refuses to give
up. As dramatic music plays, he vows to get true power and leaves.
Chun and Chun’s sister follow him out. Chun is serious for a change and realizes he is a fake. His sister tells him to go to the Shaolin temple to learn kung fu. Chau thinks
that Chun can get in by faking being a Shaolin monk. Chun is inspired to go to the temple to learn and return to help the workers.
Chun leaves for the temple and finds a wizened old monk who orders him to help the others. The others are beating grain against a collector to thresh the grain. Chun falls in
the collector bin. The wizened old monk apologizes and, Chun orders him around. Wizened old monk fu begins and sweeps the field with Chun who promptly beats feet away. The
monks laugh at him. They go back to work, from Chun’s hiding place he realizes they are bringing vegetables to the temple.
Chun has some drugged tea set up for a monk. The monk drinks it and takes a while before it kicks in. Chun follows behind him. Strange rumbling noises erupt from the monk’s
stomach or perhaps a little lower and from the other side. Monk rushes off into the bushes to take care of nature’s call. Chun grabs the basket and follows the other monks.
He is stopped at the gate and question and is run off again.
In the nearby town, Chun overhears how to get into the temple. The monks are returning the next day.
That night, the monks arrive and start doing some kind of kata. They enter the temple and head down a hallway with sand on the floor and bear traps. The monks continue down
the hallway while some are trapped by other traps. Chun is hiding in the back as he watches this go on. Shaolin priests appear and order those trapped to leave. The traps are reset, and
the stragglers leave. Shaolin priests stand guard. Chun is beginning to realize the power of Shaolin.
Chun approaches the guards, congratulating the monks. Chun claims to be of the 36th Chamber and wants to learn their style of kung fu. He follows behind a monk across the
booby trapped chamber. By behind, I mean on his back and calling out names for made-up kung fu moves he’s doing. The wizened priests allow Chun entrance into the 36th
Chamber.
In training, monks are plunging hot needles into some type of machine which randomly opens and closes its doors. Chun is unable to operate it and, a priest grabs him. Chun
claims to be the first novice from the Northern temple to the priest. Chun will be allowed to train for now.
Kung fu training is beginning. Chun isn’t good at it but watches the rest of the monks train. Chun is clumsy and mocked. Priest, San-Te, meets Chun who wants him to teach
him kung fu. San-Te lets Chun stay.
Chun takes 2 large buckets of water through an obstacle course and loses all the water in the process. San-Te stops the training and lets Chun get more water from the well. But, the
buckets are taken away. Chun has to wash his hair.
That night, Chun is sneaking around still trying to wash his hair. His hair is a wig. A strange noise is heard and, he finds a message from San-Te. This scares Chun. He still is trying
to wash his hair but finally, gets the hang of it.
Next day, Chun continues washing his hair. A heavy boulder with a rope tied around it and being thrown down the well. The splash is what is slowly getting Chun to wash his
hair. San-Te is watching and impressed by the improvement. Chun’s skill is improving as he back flips over the well, etc… Chun finally gets clean.
The next day, Chun finds San-Te who spars with Chun who loses his wig. But, San-Te knew about it previously. He wants Chun to set up scaffolding around the temple to fix
the temple roof. While Chun is working he incorporates training into putting the scaffolding up.
Night, Chun is in bed and gets up to train. He is about to go to the 36th Chamber. But running into a guard, Chun heads back to bed.
Chun is building the scaffolding while he watches the monks train. He does a version of training on the scaffold. Chun starts to improve. San-Te keeps checking on him. Not
until the work is done will Chun enter the 36th Chamber. Chun gets back to work on the scaffolding. The triumphant music tells us he is learning.
Chun is doing some serious scaffold-fu by this point. He gets his work done. It took him a year to do everything. He shows San-Te how he practiced. But, San-Te wants him
to take the scaffold down and leave. Chun is puzzled; being told San-Te would train him after he fixed the roof.
Chun refuses to leave the temple. San-Te wants him to go. San-Te goes Shaolin style on him in the training ground. Chun doesn’t realize he is doing kung fu and holding
his own against a Shaolin priest. San-Te finally sends him away.
Chau is in a bar getting a drink when Chun returns. Most of the workers were fired from the textile factory. Chau is telling everyone how Chun has returned. They all are looking
to him to help them. Chun apologizes for what he did. They are ready to fight the evil Manchu warriors. Chun tells them pitifully he doesn’t know any kung fu. Somehow, Chun
throws Chau around without noticing it and leaves to see his brother, OHT. The workers are ecstatic. Chun has a touching reunion with OHT and talks how he didn’t learn any kung
fu. Chau leads a mob, thinking Chun doesn’t want to help them.
The mob gets a hold of Chun who kung fues them mightily. Chun finally realizes he knows kung fu. It took him long enough to realize it. He tests his skills. The peasants
rejoiced.
The factory workers are worked like dogs. Manchu warriors rough up the workers. Chau and the others are outside the gate. The Manchu warriors gather around the gate when
Chun breaks the gate down. Kung fu ensues. The Manchu warriors don’t believe that Chun has any skill. Chun wails upon them. Manager wants to fight Chun who ties him up.
Chun is fighting guys with sticks. And is readying his sweet kung fu vengeance. Comedic non wire-fu. Chun wants the workers to receive their pay. He ties up most of the
Manchu warriors and has to deal with the rest of them.
Chun is fighting the head Manchu warrior.
Wang arrives. Chun again demands the workers be paid. Wang will fight Chun for the pay.
They head off elsewhere to fight. Chun has to take care of Wang’s lackeys first. Wang and 4 chair wielders versus Chun who is on the defensive. He kicks up a
sandstorm. Chun somehow gets to some scaffolding and the fight continues. Wang sees the scaffold fu. The battle rages on. Chun wants the fight to end. Wang
keeps going. Chun reveals he’s only been using 60% of his power so far but starts increasing the fighting percentage. 70%, 80% is completely waxing Wang. Wang
will repay the workers and the movie ends.
