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Starring
:
Alexander
Lo Rei
Chin
Fei
Alan
Chui
Eagle
Han Ying
Wong
Lung
Kim
Fan
Robert
Tai
Action
:
Robert
Tai
Law
Cheung On
Producer
:
William
Cheung Kei
Tung
Wai Hung
Si
Si Chang
Leng
Ho Yu
Director
:
William
Cheung Kei
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NINJA
VS. SHAOLIN GUARDS (1984)
A.K.A.
- Guards Of Shaolin
Reviewed
by Phil Mills
When
the new President of the Chinese Republic demands the Shaolin
temple hand over the 'Golden Sutra' of Da Mor, the Abbot
refuses to give up their most treasured artifact.
Unsurprisingly, a fight ensues in which the Abbot is rescued
by four michevious monks who just happen to be passing by.
With his dying breath, the Abbot finds time to give the Sutra
to the monks and inform them that it must be transported to
safety in the hills of Tibet. This is the beginning of a
long and tough journey for the monks as they must endure
everything from harsh weather conditions to deadly assassins
in order to fulfil their mission. With so many obstacles
though, it remains to be seen how many of them will actually
make it to Tibet alive and if the proposed safety will await
them with open arms once they finally get there.
Although
the title for this film contains the word "Ninja" (a
tiring trait amongst most movies starring Lo Rei) this
particular outing is probably more aptly referred to under
it's alternative title of 'Guards Of Shaolin'. The
simple reasoning behind this is that 'Ninja Vs. Shaolin
Guards' is clearly not a Ninja film and is more akin to the
chop socky flicks that dominated the 70s and early 80s.
This minor annoyance aside, this actually proves to be one of
Lo Rei's most satisfying movies, mainly thanks to the fact
that this is primarily an action orientated affair. It's
fair comment to say that the plot is quite mundane and the
character's morals are questionable but these weaknesses are
easily overlooked when a film is quite so obviously geared
towards squeezing in as many fights as possible.
Thankfully, the majority of these fights are also of quite a
high standard as they display some interesting combinations
and styles with very little undercranking which is a
refreshing change for choreography by the often eccentric
Robert Tai. If there is one minor complaint though, it
is the fact that Lo Rei himself is not given centre stage as
often as I would have liked and this means he doesn't get as
many chances to demonstrate his powerful kicks and weapon
work, two areas in which he clearly excels.
'Ninja
Vs. Shaolin Guards' is a very entertaining film and one that
any Lo Rei fan would be advised to seek out. The action,
although occasionally a little predictable, comes thick and
fast and is littered with some well crafted choreography.
This aggressive approach makes this a clear front runner for
Lo Rei's best film but just falls short of the four star mark
as the plot is not quite as captivating as the action.
Rating:
  
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