Director and action choreographer Liu Chia Liang, screen writer Ni Kuang, producer Run Run Shaw, and star Gordon Liu all revisit the 36th Chamber for no better reason than to poke fun at their own recipe for success.

Gordon Liu returns but does not reprise his role as San Te from "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" (1978) rather stars as a conman impersonating the legendary Shaolin monk.

Initially hired by textile workers to scare off Manchurian thugs the charlatan is eventually exposed and the town's people punished with Manchurian fists for their deceit.

Humiliated and the catalyst for innocent suffering the young phony is encouraged by two sympathizers to seek out true Shaolin martial arts at a near-by temple where the training sequences often out distance those seen in the film's otherwise superior predecessor.

Heart-felt touches of melodrama, Shaolin piousness, and a winning finale aside "Return to the 36th Chamber" is largely played for laughs and depending on your tolerance of Cantonese humor results may vary.

Atypical of parodies and pseudo sequels the world over the Shaw Brothers keep the production values competitive with Liu Chia Liang following suit.