Raining in the Mountain (zh|c=空山靈雨) is a 1979 Wuxia Caper story written and directed by King Hu and starring Hsu Feng, one of their many collaborations after A Touch of Zen. However this caper takes place in a Buddhist mountain monastery during China's Ming Dynasty.
The elderly Abbot of the remote Three Treasures Temple is nearing the end of his life and so has to chose a successor. The Abbot is worried he might be going senile, and that his choice will create discord among the monks, so he invites three laymen to the temple to advise him—wealthy landowner Esquire Wen, travelling with his new concubine and their servant; the district governor General Wang, traveling with his lieutenant Chang Cheng; and Master Wu Wai, a lay Buddhist scholar with a retinue of attractive women. However Wen's concubine and servant are actually professional thieves White Fox and Gold Key, tasked by Wen with stealing the most famous treasure of the temple; a transcription of the Mahayana Sutra said to have been handwritten by the famous Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang himself. General Wang and Chang Cheng have the same intention, and quickly realise what Wen is up to. At the same time Chiu Ming, a convict who was framed by Cheng, arrives at the temple seeking to become a monk. To everyone’s surprise the Abbot, impressed with Ming’s humble stoicism, makes him his successor, complicating the plans of all the conspirators.
This movie has the following tropes:
- All That Glitters: The scroll is regarded as priceless by Esquire Wen and General Wang, who want to possess it simply because of this. The Abbot however regards it as just a tattered parchment, worthless except for the message it contains. At the end of the movie, his successor burns the scroll to prevent any more trouble, after having the contents copied for distribution. The new Abbot makes a point of gifting one of these copies to the surviving conspirator, who doesn't look happy but is hardly in a position to admit why.
- Ambition Is Evil: Hui Tang, one of the candidates for Abbot, whom even Cheng thinks is too ambitious to be a monk. When Chiu Ming gets the job instead, he incites the monks into complaining about the food to undermine the new Abbot, and when that doesn't work allows Cheng to goad him into an assassination attempt.
- Asshole Victim: Invoked by Esquire Wen when he's called to account for Cheng's death. It doesn't do him any good, as Cheng was a government official and no-one can prove he was actually a thief.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Ming is capable of besting Cheng despite the latter being a martial artist. He's lucky Ming takes his vows seriously, given that Cheng beat his brother to death after framing them for theft.
- The Caper: A variation; it takes place in a Buddhist mountain monastery during China's Ming Dynasty, the MacGuffin is a Sacred Scripture, and rather than a Caper Crew that falls apart there are two rival crews competing for the same prize.
- Chekhov's Gun: When White Fox is changing clothes for her first attempt to steal the scroll, she lays out her burglary tools on the table, including a small dagger that she uses to kill Cheng in the climax.
- Classy Cat-Burglar: White Fox, though it's downplayed; she's a skilled thief and can hold her own in a fight, but chafes at the role Esquire Wen wants her to play when she could just break in and steal the scroll.
- Deadly Decadent Court: Downplayed; there are rivalries and conspiracies, but more scheming than violence. Even the corrupt Hui Wen confesses his involvement in the plot after Cheng is killed, feeling that murder is going too far.
- Death by Materialism: Abbot Ming offers the scroll to Esquire Wen as collateral for a loan so the temple can buy food, giving him a chance to possess it legally while doing a good deed. Instead Wen decides to have White Fox steal it so he won't have to pay the loan, and he's killed while attempting to flee with the scroll.
- Dirty Cop: Lt. Chang Cheng, who acts as The Dragon for General Wang. He wanted to get his hands on a family heirloom owned by Ming and his brother, so he accused them of stealing it. Ming was sentenced to the army, while his brother was beaten to death in court by Cheng.
- Face-Revealing Turn: While fleeing with the scroll, Wen and White Fox see an old fisherman, his face obscured by large hat and straw cloak, and offer him money to take them across the river. Wen then worries that the old man will reveal which way they went and decides to Leave No Witnesses. When the old man turns to face him however, he turns out to be the former Abbot.
- Fakin' MacGuffin: Cheng and White Fox battle over a box they think contains the scroll, only when it breaks during their fight it turns out to be full a prayer beads. During the climax Cheng finds a box he knows holds the scroll, only to find it's empty. White Fox supposedly steals the correct box, but as she never looks inside that might well have been empty as well, especially as the copies of the scroll shown later are packed in identical boxes.
- Good Is Not Dumb: Chiu Ming. He's hardworking, humble, and even willing to put aside his grudge against Cheng, but he is not stupid and handles the role of Abbot that had been thrust upon him better than expected.
- Last-Second Chance: Hui Wen tells Esquire Wen that he's confessed everything to the Abbot, and invites him to go to the Abbot and beg for leniency. Esquire Wen shoves him aside and tries to run, only to trip and fall over a cliff to his death.
- Ninja Maid: Wu Wai has a retinue of attractive women who carry his palanquin, to show he's immune to the pleasures of the flesh. White Fox thinks he's just a Dirty Old Man with a harem, but these same women turn up at the climax to capture her.
- Obfuscating Insanity: Cheng begins to suspect that the Abbot is onto their scheme and is not as senile as he's been claiming. The climax implies this is the case, with the now-former Abbot waiting by the river in the guise of a fisherman to ferry Wen and White Fox to where Wai's Ninja Maid's are waiting to capture them.
- Pragmatic Villainy: After Ming is tied to the Scripture Hall as punishment, General Wang tells Cheng to kill him during the night. Cheng however points out that a murder would only attract unwanted attention to their plot, and suggests Wang go to the Abbot and plea for leniency for Ming to make a good impression.
- Ungrateful Bastard: White Fox warns Ming of the plot to kill him, and frees him when he's unjustly punished for attacking Cheng. The movie ends with her Taking the Veil by having her hair cut, though it's not like Abbot Ming has any other option as she'd killed someone on temple grounds and the only other option would be to hand her over to General Wang for execution.
- Secret Test of Character: The Abbot has the three candidates—Hui Wen, Hui Tang and Hui Ssu—draw a bucket of clean water. Aware of this trope, each does so in a manner that they try to link to the principles of Buddhism. However instead of the candidates, the Abbot chooses Ming instead, despite him being a novice and ex-convict.
- Scenery Porn: Filmed in and around the 8th century Bulguksa Buddhist temple, making good use of the mountain and forest scenery.
- Skeleton Key: White Fox uses several keys on the padlock locking the door of the Scripture Hall, only for Hui Wen to catch her in the act. To her surprise, he produces his own key and opens the lock, then walks off, as he's in league with the man who hired her. Hui Wen later gives her the key so she can get in easier.
- Slippery Skid: Gold Lock likes to chew on nuts, which he uses on a couple of occasions to trip up Cheng.
- Stock Punishment:
- Chiu Ming is introduced wearing a pillory board as he hikes up the mountain, having been framed by a corrupt official. Fortunately the official assigned to deliver him to the temple (who, it's implied, gave Chiu Ming the money so he could become a monk instead of being conscripted into the army) is decent enough to remove the board while no-one else is in sight so he can rest.
- When Ming stops Cheng from robbing the Scripture Hall and throws him out (literally), Cheng accuses him of assaulting an officer of the law. Ming is tied to the Scripture Hall as punishment, but White Fox and Gold Key free him during the night.
- Waterfall Shower: Wu Wai, who claims to be impervious to temptations of the flesh, is shown leading the monks in prayer while his female servants bathe under a nearby waterfall, casting a Disapproving Look every time one of the monks is Distracted by the Sexy. General Wang finds this amusing and invites Wen to join him in Eating the Eye Candy, so neither are happy when they're informed at that moment that the Abbot is finally ready to have a word with them.
- You Owe Me: Invoked Trope by Cheng after Ming is made the new Abbot; he incites Hui Tang to assassinate Ming, only to trip him up as he lunges at the Abbot with a knife. It's doubtful Ming was fooled, as he only gives a minor punishment to Tang; assigning him to guard the Scripture Hall all night to foil the theft that White Fox has planned.
