''American Shaolin'' is a 1992 American

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

directed by Lucas Lowe and starring (among others) Reese Madigan,

Kim Chan Kim Chan (December 28, 1917 – October 5, 2008) was a Chinese–American actor and producer. He was most notable for his roles as Lo Si, a.k.a. The Ancient, in '' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' and Mr. Kim in ''The Fifth Element''. Early ...

and

Daniel Dae Kim Daniel Dae Kim (born Kim Dae-hyun ( ko, 김대현); August 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon in ''Lost'', Chin Ho Kelly in '' Hawaii Five-0'', Gavin Park in ''Angel'', and Johnny Gat in the '' Saints Ro ...

Plot

During a martial arts tournament, the American finalist Drew Carson (Reese Madigan) is humiliated by his opponent, ruthless and sadistic kickboxer Trevor Gottitall ( Trent Bushey) who pantses him during the match. To add to the insult, Drew's teacher Master Kwan (

) confesses that he is not—as he had claimed—a Shaolin monk, and therefore he had not passed on the actual knowledge of

Shaolin kung fu Shaolin Kung Fu (), also called Shaolin Wushu (), or Shaolin quan (), is one of the oldest, largest, and most famous styles of wushu, or kung fu of Chan Buddhism. It combines Ch'an philosophy and martial arts and originated and was developed ...

to Drew. Determined to learn the actual art to prevent another such situation, Drew departs for

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

and arrives at the

Shaolin Temple Shaolin Monastery (少林寺 ''Shàolínsì''), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak of the So ...

. At first, the monks do not let him enter, but with the help of a pretty tea shop waitress, Ashena (Alice Zhang Hung), and an old monk (

Henry O Henry O (; born July 7, 1927) is a former Chinese-American actor. He is the father of Ji-li Jiang, the author of ''Red Scarf Girl''. O was born in Shanghai in 1927 and attended British and American missionary schools in China. He worked as a s ...

) who gives him a decisive advise, he waits outside of the temple for a week, after which he manages to be admitted. The old monk also turns out to be the abbot of the temple, Master San De, and he and his stern taskmaster train Drew and a number of other young apprentices in the ways of the Shaolin. At first Drew causes much trouble as his American teenage temperament clashes with the tranquility within the temple and with his fellow student, Gao (

), but under the rigorous physical and mental training he both improves his fighting skills and learns the meaning of discipline, humility, and patience. He makes friends with Gao and also manages to pass the two final tests: the Test of Spirituality, and the Test of the Chamber. Accepted as a full-fledged member of the Shaolin Monastery, he accompanies—along with Ashena—a delegation of his fellow students and the abbot to a martial arts tournament in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

. At the tournament, Drew encounters Trevor once again. Trevor taunts Drew before proceeding with this match against Gao. Gao initially gains the upper hand, but Trevor resorts to his dirty fighting techniques and injures Gao. With Gao pinned against the ropes, Trevor demands a match against the "American Shaolin". Drew rises, but sits down again, refusing to fight Trevor on the principle of non-violence and selflessness. Infuriated, Trevor continues to beat up Gao and hurls him out of the ring. Encouraged by Master San De, Drew finally enters the ring to fight Trevor. Trevor immediately used dirty tricks again, but Drew prevails and even offers his hand to the defeated Trevor. The crowd voices their support for Shaolin, and Master San De declares that "this is the future of Shaolin".

Cast

* Reese Madigan as Drew Carson * Trent Bushey as Trevor Gottitall *

as Gao Yun *

as Master Kwan, Drew's original teacher * Billy Chang as Li * Alice Zhang Hung as Ashena * Cliff Lenderman as D.S. (short for "Drill Sergeant" as he was the head teacher of the newcomers at Shaolin) *

as Master San De, the Abbot of Shaolin Temple (credited under his birth name of Zhang Zhi Yen) * Jean Louisa Kelly as Maria *

Andrew Shue Andrew Eppley Shue (born February 20, 1967) is an American actor, known for his role as Billy Campbell on the television series ''Melrose Place'' (1992–1999). Shue played soccer professionally for several years. He co-founded and served on the ...

as Competitor * Tokey Hill as Trevor's Coach * Marcos Antonio Miranda as Coach * Paul Mormando as Trevor's Sparring Partner

Production

* During the only day of filming within the walls of the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the Zhongshan Park, the sacrifi ...

, the entire film cast and crew were inexplicably ordered to leave by the government, despite having been granted permission to shoot there. The principal photography on ''American Shaolin'' took place from May through late August 1991, two years after the

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...

, and the filming, particularly within

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

itself, was under heavy governmental scrutiny. * In the United States, the film was released on video by Academy Entertainment as ''American Shaolin: King of the Kickboxers 2''. Although both this film and ''

The King of the Kickboxers ''The King of the Kickboxers'' (also known as ''Karate Tiger V'' and ''No Retreat, No Surrender 4'') is a 1990 martial arts film directed by Lucas Lowe and starring Loren Avedon as Jake Donahue and Billy Blanks as Khan. Plot 1981, Bangkok, Thai ...

'' share the same director, they are completely unrelated in terms of plot and characters. The film has never been released on DVD in the United States. * The film was the debut performance of

, who at the time was a Taekwondo black belt. * The DVD is available in Australia.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0101327, title=American Shaolin 1992 films 1992 martial arts films American martial arts films 1990s English-language films Martial arts tournament films 1990s American films