Movies Like Disciples of the 36th Chamber (1985)

Disciples of the 36th Chamber is a 1985 action, comedy film from Lau Kar-Leung with a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Return to the 36th Chamber.

Action Comedy

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

1978

During the Qing Dynasty, a fishmonger is killed by the reigning Manchu government for supporting the anti-government movement; his son manages to escape to Shaolin Temple, where he plans to learn its secretive brand of martial arts to seek revenge.

7.5

MagicScore

Return to the 36th Chamber

1980

The workers of a dye factory have their pay cut by 20% when the factory owner brings in some Manchu thugs to try and increase production. Desperate to reclaim their full wages, the workers hire an actor to impersonate a priest and kung-fu expert from the temple of Shaolin. The factory owner proves the actor a fraud, and punishes all those involved. The young actor feels he has let the workers down, and promises to atone. He sets out for Shaolin, determined to be accepted as a kung-fu pupil at the elite temple.

6.8

MagicScore

Martial Arts of Shaolin

1986

In ancient China, Zhi Ming trains at the legendary Northern Shaolin temple to avenge the death of his father at the hands of a nefarious magistrate.

6.3

MagicScore

Shaolin

2011

China is plunged into strife as feuding warlords try to expand their power by warring over neighboring lands. Fuelled by his success on the battlefield, young and arrogant Hao Jie sneers at Shaolin's masters when he beats one of them in a duel. But the pride comes before a fall. When his own family is wiped out by a rival warlord, Hao is forced to take refuge with the monks. As the civil unrest spreads and the people suffer, Hao and the Shaolin masters are forced to take a fiery stand against the evil warlords. They launch a daring plan or rescue and escape.

6.9

MagicScore

The Shaolin Avengers

1976

Heroism and romance combine in an action-packed martial arts story. When the Shaolin are betrayed by White-Browed Hermit, hotheaded warrior-hero Fong Sai Yuk vows revenge.

6.8

MagicScore

Shaolin Mantis

1978

When scholar Wei Fung is forcibly hired by the Manchu Emperor to infiltrate a clan of rebellious Ming Loyalists, his mission goes adrift when he falls in love with the clan's leader's granddaughter. Wei Fung must choose between his new love and his family, who will be put to death if he doesn't return to the palace successfully.

6.5

MagicScore

Invincible Shaolin

1978

Three North Shaolin teachers are called on by the Manchus to teach their soldiers and are urged to challenge the current South Shaolin teachers. They defeat the South Shaolin teachers and, that night, the head general kills the South Shaolin teachers and blames their death on the North Shaolin teachers. The South Shaolin master sends more of his pupils, who are killed accidentally by the North Shaolin teachers. He finally sends two more of his students to train with old masters and trains one student himself with the goal of finally defeating the North Shaolin experts.

6.4

MagicScore

Shaolin Temple

1976

There is no place more hallowed in the martial art world than China's Shaolin Temple. This special place deserves a special epic, which is what the martial arts maestro delivers in this battle between a brave brand of Chinese boxers and literally thousands of Qing troops - complete with betrayals, intrigues, and such novel fighting machines as 108 wooden robots. The conflicts grow in complexity, intensity and even suspense as monks struggle to stay alive in the face of overwhelming odds.

6.2

MagicScore

Two Champions of Shaolin

1980

Shaolin warrior Tung Chien-chen is injured in battle against the hated Wu Tang clan, and nursed back to health by a knife-throwing master. As he recovers, Tung learns this deadly art, and also falls in love with his teacher's daughter. But when a Wu Tang attack disrupts the young lovers' wedding, Tung must put his new skill to use as he seeks revenge.

6.0

MagicScore

#10

Kung Fu: The Way of the Tiger, the Sign of the Dragon

1972

After avenging the death of his teacher, a Shaolin monk flees China to the American West and helps people while being pursued by bounty hunters.

7.1

MagicScore

#11

Legend of the Red Dragon

1994

A young father and his infant son are beset by forces of evil and corruption. They wander China, upholding their sense of honor and protecting the weak. When they are forced into combat, spectacular and hilarious fast-motion kung fu sequences follow. In the end, they must call on all of their abilities in a battle royale, to attempt to vanquish a supernatural man-monster or die trying.

7.0

MagicScore

#12

Five Shaolin Masters

1974

Hu Te et al. escape the burning Shaolin temple after the Qing soldiers destroyed it in Shaolin Temple. The group of 5 decide to develop secret codes to identify fellow patriots, enlist those patriots and eventually meet up again to escape to the south away from the Qings, and also identify the traitor who sold out Shaolin temple. Ma Fu Yi, joins the Qing top fighters to eliminate the rebels but is exposed by Ma Chao-Tsing who gets captured by Ma Fu Yi. Hu meets up with a group of Shaolin men secretly posing as bandits to rescue Ma as their leader is killed in the process, thus the bandits join the rest of the Shaolin patriots.

7.3

MagicScore

#13

Ranma 1/2 the Movie 2: Nihao My Concubine

1992

With the Tendos, the Saotomes, Ryoga, Shampoo and Ukyo misinterpreting Tatewake Kuno's invitation to his two loves, Akane and 'The Pig Tailed Girl', to try his new yacht, a whole new episode of chaos begins in the already unstable lives of the Saotome/Tendo clan. A mysterious shadow kidnaps first Akane's sister Kasumi, then continues on until all the girls disappear. All except everyone's favorite hydrotranssexual.

7.9

MagicScore

#14

Police Story

1985

Officer Chan Ka Kui manages to put a major Hong Kong drug dealer behind the bars practically alone, after a shooting and an impressive chase inside a slum. Now, he must protect the boss' secretary, Selina, who will testify against the gangster in court.

7.5

MagicScore

#15

A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box

1995

When the Goddess of Happiness tosses the Longevity Monk and his disciples out of heaven (because the Monkey King tried to attain immortality), the Monkey King is reincarnated as the Joker. He now spends his time chasing two jealous women. When one of them is dying, the Joker goes back in time in an attempt to save her.

7.5

MagicScore

#16

Kung Fu Hustle

2004

It's the 1940s, and the notorious Axe Gang terrorizes Shanghai. Small-time criminals Sing and Bone hope to join, but they only manage to make lots of very dangerous enemies. Fortunately for them, kung fu masters and hidden strength can be found in unlikely places. Now they just have to take on the entire Axe Gang.

7.5

MagicScore

#17

The Legend of Drunken Master

1994

Returning home with his father after a shopping expedition, Wong Fei-Hong is unwittingly caught up in the battle between foreigners who wish to export ancient Chinese artifacts and loyalists who don't want the pieces to leave the country. Fei-Hong must fight against the foreigners using his Drunken Boxing style, and overcome his father's antagonism as well.

7.4

MagicScore

#18

Drunken Master

1978

After getting into trouble, a mischievous young man is sent to train under a brutal, but slovenly old beggar, who teaches him the secret of the Drunken Fist.

7.4

MagicScore

#19

Heroes of the East

1978

Gordon Liu stars as a Chinese martial arts student struggling to relate to his new Japanese wife. When a series of martial misunderstandings spirals into an international incident, he's forced to take on seven of Japan's most powerful martial arts masters, each an expert in a different discipline, ranging from karate to samurai to ninjitsu.

7.3

MagicScore

#20

Kung Fu Panda

2008

When the Valley of Peace is threatened, lazy Po the panda discovers his destiny as the "chosen one" and trains to become a kung fu hero, but transforming the unsleek slacker into a brave warrior won't be easy. It's up to Master Shifu and the Furious Five -- Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey -- to give it a try.

7.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Disciples of the 36th Chamber?

The top films similar to Disciples of the 36th Chamber by MovieMagicScore are The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (7.5), Return to the 36th Chamber (6.8), Martial Arts of Shaolin (6.3). Each shares action/comedy themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Disciples of the 36th Chamber worth watching?

Disciples of the 36th Chamber holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.3/10 from 82 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Disciples of the 36th Chamber?

Disciples of the 36th Chamber (1985) is a action, comedy film directed by Lau Kar-Leung, starring Hsiao Ho, Gordon Liu Chia-Hui, Lily Li.

Where can I find more recommendations like Disciples of the 36th Chamber?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more action recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The 36th Chamber of Shaolin Movies like Return to the 36th Chamber Movies like Martial Arts of Shaolin Movies like Shaolin Movies like The Shaolin Avengers Movies like Shaolin Mantis

About movies like Disciples of the 36th Chamber

This ranked list pairs Disciples of the 36th Chamber (1985), a action and comedy film from Lau Kar-Leung, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Hsiao Ho take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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