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Rising Shaolin: The Protector

Name: Rising Shaolin: The Protector
Director: Stanley Tong Gwai-Lai
Released: 2021
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

2.5/10

Limited

2021

Director

Stanley Tong Gwai-Lai

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Rising Shaolin: The Protector is a traditional martial arts film that relies on well-known action movie clichés. The story follows a straightforward arc of personal revenge and training, emphasizing masculine ability to act and brotherhood. The film upholds classical morality rather than challenging systemic power or social hierarchies. While it is culturally specific to its Chinese setting, it lacks depth in representing multiple aspects of diversity and does not explore diverse character stories. Overall, the narrative reinforces traditional roles and conventional storytelling structures without attempting to disrupt social norms.

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Category Breakdown

Does Rising Shaolin: The Protector have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The story emphasizes traditional family ties and male competition. It does not include characters with non-traditional gender identities or critique the assumption that everyone is straight.

How does Rising Shaolin: The Protector portray gender?

Limited

The main character is male, and the story revolves around him and his male companions. Themes of fatherhood and revenge drive the narrative through the actions of men.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Rising Shaolin: The Protector?

Fair

The setting is grounded in Shaolin traditions and Chinese history. This results in a cast that reflects a specific cultural context, making it ethnically homogeneous.

How does Rising Shaolin: The Protector represent religion and culture?

Limited

The film uses motifs such as Shaolin monks and imperial envoys. It operates within a framework of classical morality and personal justice.

Does Rising Shaolin: The Protector include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not provide any information about the inclusion or portrayal of characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Present on Screen

The film maintains strong cultural specificity through its Shaolin and historical Chinese setting.
It offers a clear, focused narrative arc centered on traditional martial arts heroism.

Limited or Absent

The story lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-traditional gender narratives.
The narrative structure is heavily male-dominated, limiting gender diversity and women's ability to drive the story.
There is no visible inclusion or portrayal of characters with disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Ximen Debao is an innkeeper without big ambitions. In order to attract business, he instructs his younger brother Tu Hao and his friends to pose as robbers and rob passers-by, and at critical moments he assists them by posing as a saviour and crime-fighter, and then guides the customers into the shop. The good times don't last long, as Tak Po's scam is exposed by a mysterious monk who finds it difficult to continue. In the meantime, the assassin of Lingzhou, He Snap, kills the imperial envoy in order to seize the treasure map hidden in the inn, and frames Debao for the crime. Overnight, Debao becomes a wanted criminal and his son, Yau Fei, dies. In order to take revenge, Debao begins to train with a monk.

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