American Shaolin is a virtuosic display of the drama of martial arts combat, intertwined with the wisdom and lore of the Eastern Buddhist Tradition (Shaolin). After a humilating incident in which his pants are pulled down by martial arts "bad guy" Trevor Gottiall, revealing his panties to a crowd of about 75 people in a high school gymnasium, Drew Carson escapes to the rural countryside of Communist China to learn the secrets of Oriental Martial Arts (Shaolin Fighting). While there Drew must master the arts of manual labor (viz. "latrine cleaning") and fighting wooden golems; but he also manages to impart a little "wisdom" on his Chinese captors: he breaks up the monotony of another day of hard labor in the prison camp with a rendition of "The Shaolin Temple Blues" -- with eerily reminiscent of Buddy Holly's 1956 hit "Summertime Blues" -- and in the process teaches his Oriental associates how to sing and dance "American"-style.
Except for some unnecessary (albeit, brief) digressions into Avant-Garde Symbolism -- mainly in the form of a trip to the mountain to visit the Zarathustra-esque Purple Magician (portrayed with fantastic charisma by Noriyuku "Pat" Morita of Karate Kid fame) and a panty-raid at the local high school dance -- American Shaolin is a film to be enjoyed over and over. A veritable tour-de-force realized through the sheer acting-magnificence of its ensemble cast, that culminates with a breathtaking transition from the final test that requires Drew to destroy Wooden Golems in the basement of the Shaolin Temple to the final fight "all-out" bare-knuckle fight at the International Karate Expo where Drew must put his skillz to their ultimate test in mortal kombat with Trevor. And let's just say that Drew doesn't "drop his pants" this time!!!
Keep on Shaolin-Fighting, Drew
