Treasure Hunt, also known as American Shaolin is a 1994 action-fantasy-spy-drama starring Chow Yun-fat and Jacklyn Wu.
Jeff Chang (Chow) is a Chinese-American CIA agent sent by his superiors on a mission; a valuable treasure holding untold supernatural power is being kept in the Shaolin Temple, and Jeff is required to infiltrate the temple and uncover said treasure. But after a series of hijinks in the rural Chinese countryside culminating with a bunch of antics with the temple's monks, Jeff eventually finds out the treasure to be a human girl named Mei, who was kept in the grounds of the Shaolin Temple after developing ESP powers as a child. Inevitably falling in love with Mei, Jeff intends to help her leave the temple, but had to contend with a corrupt military leader who wants to harness Mei's powers.
Do not confuse this with the 1992 film American Shaolin, another schlocky action-drama-comedy that shares the name.
Treasure Hunt contains examples of:
- Actor Allusion: This is the third Jeffrey / Jeff played by Chow, after his characters from The Killer (1989) and Full Contact.
- All Chinese People Know Kung-Fu: As it turns out, the random taxi driver Jeff tried to scam? He's also a trained kung-fu fighter as well. Although since he's played by Shaw Brothers alumni and one of the Five Deadly Venoms Philip Kwok that's not really a surprise.
- Badass Teacher: When he's not working as a CIA agent and taking names in shootout, Jeff works as a Lecturer in Oriental History in the University of California. Very likely a nod to the Indiana Jones series.
- Baseball Episode: While getting himself accepted in the Shaolin Temple, Jeff decide to "Americanize" the temple monks by teaching them how to play baseball. With expectedly hilarious results.
- Boom, Headshot!: Captain Chiu's Number Two, in the hands of Jeffrey.
- Caged Bird Metaphor: Mei, who is held in the Shaolin Temple (since a child!) against her will because of her ESP powers, and desires to leave the temple grounds. Although in this case she's held not because she's a prisoner; there is a rogue military leader who wants Mei's powers for his own reasons.
- The Cameo: Michael Wong as Jeff's partner, Michael, Gordon Liu as the Shaolin Temple's head Abbott, and Philip Kwok as a taxi driver.
- The Cavalry: When the military, led by Jeff's contact, arrives to back up Jeff in the final shootout. Although given that Jeff had killed most of Captain Chiu's officers in the earlier shootout, the backup's sole contribution consists of firing a warning shot to distract the main villain.
- Celebrity Paradox: At one point, Mei said that her favorite show is Shanghai Bund, and even hums it's theme song. Chow Yun-fat (Jeff) was the lead in that show.
- Covers Always Lie: Cool as it looks, the black overcoat and tux Jeff is shown wearing in the cover doesn't show up at any point in the film itself (let alone during shootouts!). He spends every scene in casual jackets and slacks.
- Falling-in-Love Montage: Used in the scene where Jeffrey brings Mei out of the Shaolin Temple for the first time, and they start developing feelings for each other.
- Fish out of Water: Jeff, a natural Chinese-American CIA agent who had to integrate himself with the Shaolin community by joining the monks. He ends up "Americanizing" them with stuff like baseball, teaching them English, and Hollywood pop culture.
- Human Shield: Taken to the extreme in the climax; when Jeff is mowing down mooks left and right, Captain Chiu, his Number Two, and a few of their subordinates immediately hoisted half a dozen dead mooks while trying to shoot Jeff from behind. It didn't work.
- Genre Mashup: A spy-thriller comedy with romance, fantasy, and quite a bit of action thrown in for good measure. The last part might have something to do with the star of freakin' Hard Boiled being the lead.
- Lighter and Softer: Compared to Chow's previous outputs from the early 90s, such as Full Contact, the second God of Gamblers, City War, even Once a Thief, and especially Hard Boiled.
- Living MacGuffin: The titular treasure Jeff is hunting turns out to be Mei, a local Chinese girl with ESP powers, who was held in the Shaolin temple to hone her powers. And hide her from a corrupt military captain who wants to use her powers for his own reasons.
- Locked Away in a Monastery: Mei, locked in the grounds of the Shaolin Temple due to having the need to keep her ESP powers from being revealed to the public.
- Man on Fire: How Captain Chiu meets his end, when Jeff lures him into a copse not far from the pub where the final shootout occurs. Having Chiu trapped, the camera then pans up to reveal Jeff had booby-trapped the treetops with dozens and dozens of Molotov Cocktail bottles beforehand, at which point Jeff fires a single shot which causes a mini-waterfall of flames to cascade on Chiu.
- Molotov Cocktail: The climax features plenty of these being utilized by Jeff to take out several enemy officers, including Captain Chiu himself.
- Oddball in the Series: Chow in an action film in the 90s? Nothing new. Chow in a cheesy action-fantasy-romance drama with some mild supernatural elements, a spy conspiracy, and some hilarious Fish out of Water comedy segments? Where can you find that besides this movie?
- Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You: Well, Jeff on the poster is shooting at the audience. Not the first time for Chow.
- Shoot the Hostage Taker: In the opening rescue mission, the last hijacker tried intimidating Jeff and his crew by holding the ambassador as a hostage. Jeff responds by shooting the hijacker in the shoulders, and then fill him with lead.
- Train-Station Goodbye: The final farewell between Jeff and Mei. With Teresa Teng's "The Moon Represents My Heart" as it's background score.
