Critical Outcast

DVD Review: Shaolin Ulysses - Kungfu Monks in America
Not sure where this first aired, I am assuming it was a television documentary. In any case, this is an interesting look at five Shaolin monks who left the temple to come to America.

It is fascinating to see how these monks have adjusted to living in America. In China, they were top students at Shaolin, virtually celebrities due to their abilities, yet they chose to leave that in search of something else. The film looks at the convergence of their Eastern ways as they meld with those of the West.

The monks each have a different story, but they all seem to agree on one thing, America is a big place and they are happy to be here. They came to spread the martial arts and Zen Buddhism. They moved to different parts of the country, New York, Texas, and Las Vegas to be exact.

It was interesting to see America through the eyes of these immigrants as they tell us their dreams of creating Shaolin Temples, performing in shows, and an ambitious project to get the martial arts into the Olympics as a competitive sport. They tell stories of how they came to be in Shaolin Temple, of their teachers and why they wanted to be masters. Each has assisted in the spread of their arts by teaching classes to all age groups and backgrounds. The classes were even described as being mini UN's.

One tale that showed most vividly the differences between these monks and Americans was in Las Vegas where one of the monks is working on a project to open a temple there with a doctor who is very well off. Driving around town in a Ferrari, living in a mansion, and proclaiming the local Hooter's to be his temple. The look of bemusement on the monk's face was priceless. We also are related a tale of trading kungfu training for guitar lessons.

I find the Chinese and Asian culture very interesting, it is so vastly different than my own. This film was definitely an interesting viewing, and one I would recommend to anyone interested in martial arts or Zen Buddhism, not for what you learn about them specifically, but to look at the convergence of two cultures and how they blend.

Video: Nothing spectacular, colors are sharp. The media appears to be mixed, film and video, and you can see the quality changes throughout. It is presented in, what I assume is OAR, 1.33:1 full frame.

Audio: Again, nothing special, we get a suitable stereo track which is always clear and free of any hiss or background noise.

Extras: There are a few extras, we get a large portion of deleted scenes of martial arts in action. Some are very nice, but others have strobing effects on them, for obvious use as cutaways and montages, these segments are a bit hard on the eyes. There is also a brief animated segment on the founding of Shaolin Temple, basically an excerpt from the program with no audio. We also have a text statement from the filmmakers on their reason for making the film.

Overall: Interesting film, I wish they had gone into more depth, but what we have is intriguing and nicely presented.
Recommended.