Temptation of a Monk by Clara Law (Review)
I certainly got plenty of funny looks when I told people I had rented this movie. I think the title conjured up images of some medieval erotic film similar to those you find on finer late night programming, or one of those “artsy-fartsy” foreign films that tries to disguise sex scenes as “artistic” and passionate. Admittedly, the title caught my eye, but it was the short summary on the box that sold me. I was under the impression that I’d be watching an epic romance set in feudal China, full of betrayal and vengeance, honor and courage.
Briefly put, the movie follows General Shi Yan-sheng (Hsing-kuo Wu), who is in charge of guarding the crown prince. The country is currently in upheaval, and in order to avoid bloodshed, Yan-sheng agrees betray the prince to Huo Da, a fellow general. However, Yan-sheng is betrayed and the crown prince is murdered. Fearing retribution, Yan-sheng returns to his family’s estate, only to find that the new emperor is willing to reward Yan-sheng for his role in the plot. Racked with guilt, he refuses the emperor’s offer and joins a Shaolin monastery along with the last remnants of his men. There, he begins to plan a coup, while also dealing with desertion and his new instructor, a 10-year-old boy who tries to enforce the monastic rules on the new arrivals.
It’s at this point that the movie takes a turn for the worse. What could’ve been a powerful, evocative film about a man of war dealing with his demons and learning to follow a way of peace is traded for scenes of the new monks going to a brothel, indulging in sin, and completely disregarding their new way of life. There are the requisite struggles and doubts, but Yan-sheng doesn’t put up much of a moral fight. One minute, he’s agonizing about the pains and trials of life, the next he’s hopping into the tub with Scarlet (Joan Chen), a former princess who has also been betrayed and becomes Yan-sheng’s love.
However, the men are soon found and slaughtered, leaving only Yan-sheng. He retreats to another, more remote monastery, in order to master his passions and finally find peace. But once again, the movie feels like a rip-off, this time in the form of The Abbot, played as a kooky old man by Michael Lee. Now we see Yan-sheng actually making an attempt to be a holy, righteous man, only to be berated by The Abbot, who insists on being, well, kooky. The arrival of Violet (Chen again) again brings upheaval to Yan-sheng’s life, and even more temptation (hence the title). The emperor’s forces, led by Da, finally find Yan-sheng and insist that he takes the emperor’s offer, or be killed.
After watching the film, and thinking about it in more detail, I simply feel cheated. The film could’ve been a wonderful story about a man trying to reconcile his need for vengeance and honor with his need for redemption. The movie could’ve been a fascinating look at the Shaolin religion. The movie could’ve even been an epic love story. But it was none of those things. Or rather, it had just enough of those elements to make me realize it should’ve been much more.
The movie’s primary flaw is its main character, General Shi Yan-sheng. Woodenly played by Wu, he’s a man who is supposedly tortured by his flaws and sins (he certainly complains about it enough) and yet he only makes the smallest of attempts to become a better man. That’s why the end of the film feels so empty and flawed. Throughout the movie, we watch Yan-sheng act like a hypocrite, turning his back on the things that may save him while consistently lamenting his need for salvation. But at the end of the film, it feels like we’re supposed to accept him as a man who has finally achieved holiness in a matter of minutes.
