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Kung Fu movies from the 1970s and 80s come with a mix of good and bad films. Some have world-class fighting choreography and some have cringeworthy English dubbing and extremely slow moves. For every poorly done movie there is also a rare gem that melds all the best qualities of the genre together to create a masterpiece that stands the test of time. Thankfully there are a few masterpieces hidden among all the gems.
One of these ‘hidden gems’ is Shaolin vs. Lama, directed by Lee Tso Nam. It is my all-time favorite kung fu movie because of many reasons. Firstly, I enjoy watching movies which have intense fight scenes and this movie does not disappoint. The speed of the fights is astonishing and feels like I am experiencing it myself. I also have over 200 kung fu movies in my collection and don’t get me started on how I enjoy introducing my friends to the genre. Shaolin vs. Lama is my go to. Other master pieces like Enter the Dragon, Drunken Master and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin don’t come close.
I don’t mean to sound biased or anything, but as much as I love Shaolin vs. Lama, I have a plethora of contenders that closely compete for the first spot. I recall Warriors Two, 36th Chamber, 8 Diagram Pole Fighter, Clan of the White Lotus, Five Element Ninjas, and 7 Grandmasters all come to my mind. But when it comes to having a film with the most thrilling sequences for a genre, I can confidently say that Shaolin vs Lama tops the list.
Now that we’ve discussed my personal fascination with the SVL, let’s focus on what is Nam’s pride and joy: Alexander Lo Rei is Sun Yu Ting, a traveler who seeks out kung fu fighters to challenge in the hope of finding a teacher with the phrase, “If you can beat me, then I will gladly be your student,” at the center of his teaching philosophy. As he meets Shaolin brat Hsu Chi (William Yen), who later reveals his Grandmaster (Sun Jung Chi) possesses impeccable kung fu skills, Yu Ting’s interest is piqued… all of these events leads up to an encounter that lasts a grand total of 30 seconds as the Grandmaster defeats Yu Ting so thoroughly, that Yu Ting is left begging to learn under him. And let us not forget the infamous “stink foot” technique a gross yet undeniably funny technique that leaves you puzzled and grateful for its existence within the antiquated kung fu movie.
In this case, the elder monk declines. However, Hsu Shi hatches a scheme to have Yu Ting ‘borrow’ the Grandmaster’s skills instead by confronting and learning the moves while battling him (this ridiculous notion is amusing when Yu Ting has to make a “keep away” game with the house smoked chickens… the Grandmaster’s loves his meat and wine way too much!). Later, this painful method motivates Yu Ting to wonder why the monk refuses to teach him, prompting Hsu Chi to explain the tale of Kung Chi (Chang Shan) an ex-temperature during Master Grand Monkey reigning period who infiltrated the Mange Kung Fu School disguised as a chubby Shaolin monk over a decade ago.
The betrayal from the monk explains the reasoning for the colonel attempting to obtain a kung fu manual from the Shaolin temple. It proves his plan was to retaliate against the Shaolin for the death of a Lama chief, which means he is angered at the Shaolin for killing them *of course*.
We can see the betrayal comes from Colonel Shao, evidenced by the old Grand Master not attempting to recover the manual.
Since SVL is not Shakespeare, I will finish off the story by hinting some well known specifics of the genre: Chi Kung reemerges as Yao Feng Lin, up to his old tactics of clan infiltration with his faithful lamas. When Yu Ting and COVID Shao are butterflies, Yu Ting treats his latest target: Lee Wai Wan, the Shaolin lamas right arrive at the doorsteps of the temple. And when Chang Chi Ping, the head abbot is going to send Yu Ting out of the temple forever, the Grandmaster (of course, of course, of course!!!) pities Change Chi Ping and accepts Yu Ting as his disciple. Yu Ting is set for some short lived but intense battle prep Shaolin training against Yao Feng, and the Chinese themed opera/pipe organ title whenever the heroes confronts their opponents. So Shaolin’s favorite musician Yu Ting gets surprised by Shaolin’s favorite traitor GM, leading to spectacular Kung Fu with unprecedented disastrous results. Shaolin Yu gets other not very safe grappling with the Shaolin traitor Yu. They beheld Yu Feng cover all the techniques contained in the secret manual Yao and Shao grab, defeating will make the task him a lot more difficult.
To put it briefly, Shaolin versus Lama has it all: astonishing fighting, ridiculous comedy, shamelessly funny costumes, comically frightening facial hair, projectile ‘spittle’ (Waite? What?), an outlandishly delightful plot, and even the (unintentionally) amusing dubbing that was present. In addition to Yu Ting, Yao Feng and the Grandmaster’s already amazing fights, there are seemingly endless displays of battle worthy acrobatics that are entertaining enough to watch shaolin and lamas duke it out. While some of the fighters, such as the fat bald lama, lack the power of technical grace, the way anime masters the scenes makes it so well-staged and the monks so on-point, you barely notice. (Shaolin Chief Yan Zu is superb in all of his encounters!) Major props go to William Yen, who provided extremely funny relationships with Lo Rei’s character. As does Sun Jung Chi, who’s non-stop interactions with Yen and Lo Rei are pure gold (You will remember him saying “stink foot” for as long as you live!) It’s refreshing to see the comedic aspects bolster the old-school film instead of causing it to sink.
With that said, my favorite bouts to watch would have to include those of Lo Rei, Chang Shan, and Jung Chi… bar none. (Following my previous point, both Lo Rei and Chang Shan were champions of the Taiwan Taekwondo Championship and the Second World Kung Fu Tournament, respectively, in 1978.) Their fights are unnaturally intense, and include bits and pieces of styles from tiger fist and shadow boxing to Sanshou. Strangely, in a 2016 interview Chang Shan gave to kungfukingdom.com, he noted, these things, along with many other reasons, make my hair stand every time I attempt to relive watching the bouts. And, I must also not forget to mention that when he was casting for the role, he went and did a search for the most powerful technique in Kung Fu and discovered the Buddha Finger… the ultimate weakness finding technique! During the training sequences, it looks hilarious, but you’ll love how it’s applied in the final showdown.
Special mention for Nam and action director Peng Kong who directed these scenes from Shaloin Vs. Lama. If you necessity proof, take a look at Lo Rei in the super low-budget Ninja: The Final Duel… That is an atrocious movie, but the fight choreography is almost impossibly dreadful.
Even Nam, who directed other good movies like The Leg Fighters and Shaolin Invincible Sticks, has never topped the quality level achieved in SVL. The fact everyone’s very best work comes out in the same fu flick tells you all you need to know about why Shaolin Vs. Lama is special and deserves its place on the top shelf as one of the greatest of all time.
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