Shaolin Soccer
Director: Stephen Chow
Actors: Stephen Chow, Ng Man Tat, Patrick Tse Yin, Vicki Zhao
Release Date: Monday 30th November -0001
Running time: 90 minutes
Ridiculous but oddly enjoyable, Shaolin Soccer doesn't hide beyond any cryptic titles - not surprisingly this broad and raucous comedy is all about a group of highly trained Shaolin footie-loving monks. One of their number is Sing (Stephen Chow), who is down on his luck but decides to reform the team to get revenge on an old adversary, the boss of Team Evil (no, really), Hung (Patrick Tse Yin). Gathering together his old football players, including Fung (Ng Man Tat), Sing introduces a training regime for the monks, which combines the beautiful game with hardcore martial artistry.
It's difficult to dislike a movie which is determined to celebrate its own stupidity so openly, and Shaolin Soccer's sheer cheeriness is somewhat infectious. The comedy can be a bit strange at times and the emphasis on pastiche is a little overwhelming, but Shaolin Soccer's heart is in the right place, making it a rather endearing exercise. Still, if Roman Abramovich wanders along see it, he'll probably try to buy the whole bloody team.
