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Starring
:
Alexander
Lo Rei
Chen
Shan
Wong
Chi Sang
Sun
Jung Chi
William
Yen
Action
:
Peng
Kong
Director
:
Lee
Tso Nam
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SHAOLIN
VS. LAMA (1983)
A.K.A.
- Shaolin V Lama
Reviewed
by Phil Mills
Yu
Ting (Lo Rei) is a keen practitioner of kung fu who roams the
various towns looking for his superior in combat so he can
take him as his new teacher. Whilst in pursuit of his
quest, he saves a young thief by the name of Hsu Chi (Yen) who
in fact turns out to be Shaolin monk who has strayed from his
religious vows. Chi informs Ting that his master is the
best in kung fu so Ting requests a duel with him to see if he
is a worthy opponent. As it turns out, the Shaolin monk
is an true expert in the martial arts and teaches Ting a few
lessons but refuses to take a new pupil. Disappointed
but not disheartened, Ting remains close to temple in the hope
that he will change the master's mind and becomes close
friends with young Chi. Whilst lounging around though,
he becomes involved in other pursuits and rescues a young girl
from the grasps of the Flying Eagle gang. This angers
their leader who is a Lama (the sworn enemies of the Shaolin)
and, assuming Ting is with the Shaolin, he wages war on the
Shaolin. Now their only hope lays in the hands of Ting
who becomes a student of the Shaolin in order to defeat this
evil Lama.
If
an encyclopaedia on classic kung fu movies were written, under
the heading of "formulaic plot" you would no doubt
find the description of a heroic underdog training in martial
arts to defeat the bad guy and save the day. 'Shaolin
Vs. Lama' is yet another film that would fall into this
category but thankfully it is crafted with a little more
finesse and avoids the usual pitfalls that are synonymous with
this genre. For a start, director Lee Tso Nam ('The Hot,
The Cool And The Vicious') knows how to keep the right balance
between action and story, never letting the viewer become too
bogged down with intricate plot points or bore them with
overly long sequences of dialogue. Instead, he is all
too aware that this is a kung fu movie and once the motive of
vengeance is established, begins to let the fights come thick
and fast intertwined with the hero's training sequences.
Combined with this, Nam also throws in a few nice variations
on the norm as he holds out on letting the hero appear too
expert in combat (even for the finale) and allows him to grow
as a person from his experiences as well as physically.
For
the action, Lo Rei (in his other alter ego as Shaolin monk as
opposed to Ninja) is always a reliable performer and doesn't
let the side down here. He looks as athletic as ever,
displaying outstanding physique and stamina whilst also
demonstrating several interesting kung fu styles extremely
well. Each of his fights are well choreographed with
some nice utilisation of his superior kicking abilities and
acrobatics. However, for the majority of the film he
remains an apprentice and the actor that comes off the best is
actually his teacher who flips and fights with a ferocity that
is rarely seen from outskirt characters in kung fu movies.
In fact, this seems to be a recurring attribute throughout
this film as all of the actors involved, from the bad
guys to the Shaolin monks, all display real skill and are made
to look as professional as the leads in the fight sequences
which is a pleasant change.
What
really sets 'Shaolin Vs. Lama' apart from most mediocre films
in this genre is that it never deviates from it's basic
outline and remains consistently entertaining throughout.
If you like old school action and are just looking for a fun
kung fu romp then look no further than 'Shaolin Vs. Lama'.
Rating:
 
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