Opening with the classic Drunken Master (Wong Fei Hung) theme, we are instantly introduced to the titular ten brothers of Shaolin, hired to protect Master Chu from the enemy. Working on the regular late 70's plot-line of Ming versus Ching, with the great Chang Yi getting to put in another performance as an evil general. If you think you recognise the face of his son, its popular Hong Kong fight choreographer, Stephen Tung Wei (the kid who gets a quick life-lesson from Bruce Lee in Enter The Dragon).
Neatly shot and with some great locations, especially the opening temple which looks like a stunning place, 10 Brothers Of Shaolin keeps a steady pace and offers plenty of kung fu action courtesy of the fantastic Tommy Lee (The Hot, The Cool & The Vicious). This is complimented by the great cast on offer of course, including the brilliant Wong Tao. I'm a big fan of Don Wong Tao. Its rare that a film he is in proves unwatchable. By the time he had made this, Wong had only been in the business 5 years but had already made over 20 films as a leading man, including the classic Secret Rivals!
His supporting cast of the ten brothers do pretty well themselves - one of which the great Philip Ko and another,Jimmy Lee. Fan-favourite Leung Kar Yan (aka Beardy) gets to impress as an ass-kicking, evil brigadier who works for the general. Stereotyped actor, Shaw Luo Hui, returns as a shifty monk, and another co-star that gets to show some great moves, is the fantastic Judy Lee Chia Ling who never fails to impress...
Not without its flaws, 10 Brothers Of Shaolin has enough going on with its characters, nicely choreographed fights, tidy direction and great cast to make it an above average kung fu flick. Highlights include the obligatory teahouse fight and any against Tung Wei, although I was expecting more in the finale against the heartbroken, Chang Yi.
Overall: Not amazing, but definitely not boring, 10 Brothers Of Shaolin entertains!
