Other Titles • Shaolin Soccer • Siu lam juk kau (2001) • Shao lin zu qiu • Siulam Chukkau
Synopses for Shaolin Soccer (2001)
1.
Computer generated special effects have seldom been so giddy as in Shaolin Soccer, a gleeful fusion of kung fu and a classic Bad News Bears sports story. A former soccer star--whose "golden leg" was broken by a hired mob--assembles a team of former students of Shaolin martial arts, whose assorted skills (indicated by their nicknames, like Mighty Steel Leg and Iron Head) lend themselves to the swift interplay of the world's most popular game. Along the way, the team's leader (Hong Kong comic superstar Stephen Chow) meets a sticky bun baker (Vicki Zhao) whose kung fu is the equal of any of his teammates. Shaolin Soccer is supremely silly--in the final match, their opponents are called Team Evil--but that's part of the fun. American movies rarely achieve this perfect balance of the absurd and the sincere. A delight. --Bret Fetzer
2.
The action comedy SHAOLIN SOCCER has become the all-time most successful Hong Kong production ever--in part due to its eye-popping action, crazy special effects and wicked humor. The film has shattered box office figures throughout Asia and has won many awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Visual Effects at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
Stephen Chow, who has appeared in over 50 films, is arguably, the most famous and loved comedian in Asia today. Often referred to as the "Jim Carrey of the East," Chow has made 5 of the top 10 highest grossing films in Hong Kong, with SHAOLIN SOCCER being #1. Chow is most known for his clever parodies and has used his razor-sharp wit to spoof James Bond ("From Beijing with Love"), Chow Yun Fat ("All for the Winner"), Bruce Lee ("Fist of Fury '91"), and even himself ("Forbidden City Cop"). This multi-talented comedian produced, directed, wrote, and edited SHAOLIN SOCCER as well as acted in the lead role, performing his own stunts.
Champion player Fung (Ng Man-tat) is so good that they call him “Golden Leg.” However, when he loses the Chinese national championship game by missing a goal, enraged fans break his legs. Twenty years later, Fung is hauling equipment for his former teammate Hung’s (Patrick Tse) “Team Evil.” When Fung is fired, he comes across Sing (Stephen Chow), a monk from the legendary Shaolin Temple with superlative martial arts skills and a “Mighty Iron Leg.” Unfortunately, in modernday China, there is little money to be made as a monk, so Sing ekes out a meager living collecting garbage. Sing dreams of “a world gone Shaolin,” where Kung Fu is used to solve even the smallest problems. When Fung sees Sing take on a bunch of thugs with nothing but a soccer ball, he hatches the brilliant idea of forming a Shaolin soccer team. They set out to recruit Sing’s former Shaolin classmates— all are down and out— but each has a special power adding to the team’s limitless potential. One has a head of iron, another bears stomach muscles able to propel the ball at warp speed, a third weighs 300 pounds but possesses the ability to walk on air, and finally the goalie who can stop any shot. Well, almost any shot.
Shaolin Soccer shows the game of soccer in “bullet time”, so the eye follows the action at the velocity of the ball itself. A kicked ball morphs into a fiery comet and then a flaming tiger as it races across the field. Another ball creates a vortex as it flies through the air, chewing up the field and everything in its path. Players constantly defy the laws of physics by leaping several stories and doing impossible back-flips. At one point, the impact of supersonic soccer balls blows the unlucky goalie away.
On his climb to the top, Sing meets Mui (Vicki Zhao), a homely martial arts mistress who has been reduced to making sweet buns. Her skin is so bad that flies buzz around her but her Kung Fu skills exert a powerful pull on Sing. Sing, however, is too focused on his team’s success to properly return Mui’s affection. When the Shaolin team makes it to the finals, they must battle the ferocious Team Evil. The showdown proves to be much more than the team expected. One by one, the Shaolin players fall to Team Evil’s deceitful tactics. Just when all seems lost, the Shaolin players even the score.
4.
Get ready to kick some grass!
With tons of action, eye-popping special effects and nonstop laughs, here's a hilarious martial arts comedy about a team of misfits who take their best shot at winning a championship! Sing is a skilled Shaolin kung fu devotee whose amazing "leg of steel" catches the eye of a soccer coach! Together they assemble a squad of Sing's former Shaolin brothers inspired by the big-money prize in a national soccer competition! Using an unlikely mix of martial arts and newfound soccer skills, it seems an unbeatable combination...until they must face the dreaded Team Evil in the ultimate battle for the title!
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