Raining in the Mountain

Raining in the Mountain is probably one of my favorite King Hu films so far.  I think more for the underlying message that the movie conveys.  I think stories about the unlikely underdog becoming an empowered individual that is able to overcome their own bad situation is truly inspirational.  So seeing the convicted criminal being able to overcome his past and change his ways was something I liked.  It was also nice how he wasn't even trying to obtain the position of abbot; because he was a selfless individual he was more likely to carry on the teachings of the previous abbot.  I also liked that the two parties who were in pursuit of the scroll received copies of it while the original one was burnt.  I felt that that gave it a more spiritual/religious meaning behind the movie.  That there is something more beyond the materialistic world; it almost felt as if that was an allegory for enlightenment.