Shaolin Soccer (2001)

A young Shaolin follower reunites with his discouraged brothers to form a soccer team using their martial art skills to their advantage.

Director:

Stephen Chow

Writers:

Stephen Chow, Kan-Cheung Tsang (as Tsang Kan Cheong)

Stars:

Stephen Chow, Wei Zhao, Yat-Fei Wong

12 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen Chow	...	Mighty Steel Leg Sing
Man-Tat Ng	...	Golden Leg Fung (as Ng Mang Tat) (as Mang Tat Ng)
Wei Zhao	...	Mui (as Vicki Zhao)
Yin Tse	...	Team Evil Coach Hung (as Patrick Tse Yin)
Hui Li	...	Banana Peel Girl
Cecilia Cheung	...	Team Moustache Player 1
Karen Mok	...	Team Moustache Player 2
Vincent Kok	...	Team Puma Leader
Kai Man Tin	...	Iron Shirt Tin (Third Brother)
Yat-Fei Wong	...	Iron Head (First Brother) (as Wong Kai Yue)
Tze Chung Lam	...	Light Weight (Small Brother) (as Lam Tze Chung)
Kwok-Kwan Chan	...	Lightning Hands (Fourth Brother) (as Chan Kwon Kwan)
Mei Lin Mo	...	Hooking Leg (Second Brother)
Ming Ming Zhang	...	Little Hung
Pu Ye Dong	...	Little Fung

Storyline

After a fateful mistake costing his career, an ex-soccer player bum meets a shaolin kung fu student trying to spread the word of kung fu. The ex-soccer player helps reconcile with his five brothers, and teaches them soccer, adding shaolin kung fu as a twist.

---

Plot Keywords:

shaolin | soccer | kung fu | martial arts | cult film | 

---

Taglines:

You've never seen football like this

---

Genres:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Sport

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for martial arts action and some thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

metrofilms.com [France] miramax.com [United States]

Country:

Hong Kong China

Language:

English Cantonese Mandarin

Release Date:

12 July 2001 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Shaolin Soccer

Filming Locations:

Shanghai, China

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$39,167, 4 April 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$488,872, 22 August 2004

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$42,776,760, 22 August 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Star Overseas, Universe Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 102 min (DVD) 85 min (original U.S. theatrical release)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS (US version) DTS (US version)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All of the "bullet time"-like effects in this film were done by only two motion picture cameras, and all the "still" frames were generated with a computer.

---

Quotes

Sing: You're beautiful! And a kung fu mahstah... You got it all!

---

Crazy Credits

Outtakes are shown before the credits.

---

Alternate Versions

For the US theatrical version, Chinese text that appears on objects in the film has been digitally altered so that it is in English, (examples: the "Shaolin Forever" sign, the Time Magazine ad.)

---

Connections

Referenced in Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

---

Soundtracks

Nan er zhi
(Mens' Courage)
Composed by Lowell Lo
Lyrics by Andy Lau
Performed by Andy Lau

User Reviews

Best sports comedy ever?

Wow, I was really surprised by this movie. It is totally unique, I've never seen anything else like it. There is a very charming love story, and the effects are really cool. The idea of combining kung fu with soccer is very original.... even though it's so bizarre, you'll find yourself asking why nobody has done anything like this before. I laughed constantly throughout this movie and went out and bought it a few days after I first saw it.

I would recommend it to everyone I know. This is the best Asian comedy since the heyday of Jackie Chan and "Fighting Benny"! Go see it, buy it, whatever, just make sure you do see this film.

I would be surprised if there is not a sequel. This film should have been released theatrically in the US; I've heard Miramax handled it. Sorry guys you lost millions of dollars, this film would have been a smash hit. They probably just didn't think that soccer would sell in America, but word of mouth would have sold this movie very well.