少林哑徒弟（成龙 饰）为了报杀父之仇而学武，从挑水砍柴做起，苦熬内功基础，打出木人巷学成武功的情形时时出现在他的梦中，父亲被害的惨状和客居少林的五枚师太的开解令他在疲乏时咬紧牙关坚持。哑徒弟在少林禁地发现了被锁住的老怪人法愚，法愚不似少林僧人，但有感于哑徒弟的照顾，法愚指点尚不具备学习少林武术资格的哑徒弟武功，期间哑徒弟师兄闯入木人巷却实力不济铩羽而归。五枚师太见独自温习武功的哑徒弟出招狠辣，随传授蛇翼八步调理其心性，经法愚调教，哑徒弟成功打出木人巷，得以学成下山，法愚令其携带信物联络江湖帮派，引发江湖搏杀，而哑徒弟又发现了法愚的真实身份……Jackie witnesses his father's death by the skilled hands of a martial arts master with an unknown killing technique. Jackie vows to become a Shaolin monk and avenge his death (not very Buddhist of him...), but soon finds that he's the chump of the class. After befriending a variety of shaolin masters, each of whom teach Jackie a particular style of kung fu (drunken, killing, slippery snake, etc.), Jackie suddenly finds himself good enough to go give the beats to the 100 "wooden men" whom all shaolin (in this flick anyways) have to beat to get the funky haircut. Jackie then proceeds to go around laying the beats on everyone, but shows his humility and compassion at the end.