Shaolin Temple against Lama (1980)

A prince (Alexander Lo) trained in kung fu by Tibetan lamas is manipulated into fighting monks of Shaolin Temple by the devious Black Faction leader (Alan Chui) who plots to rule China.

Before I begin, I should establish the fact that this is not a review of Shaolin vs. Lama, another film starring Alexander Lo Rei that was released in 1983 and was directed by the great Lee Tso-nam. Shaolin Temple against Lama shares some similarities, but Tso-nam’s film is superior. That said, STAL is an extremely entertaining kung fu classic with a lot of cheesy flavor from wacky costumes and dubbing to nearly non-stop kung fu action run at warp speed.

Taiwanese actor Alexander Lo Rei, sporting wicked sideburns, is cast in his first headliner role following his debut opposite John Liu in Robert Tai’s Dirty Dozen-esque classic Incredible Kung Fu Mission (1979). Despite STAL’s low production standards, it established him as one of the best late discoveries in the “classic” kung fu era thanks to well-rounded abilities and a no-nonsense demeanor.

The story dabbles with rudimentary intrigue as Lo plays a prince and heir to the throne of Emperor Hok Sau (Wong Hap) who spends three years training in kung fu with one of five Tibetan lama factions. He returns just as Chou Siu (Alan Chui), the leader of Black Faction plots to take over the country by forcing all of the martial arts schools to join him. The two holdouts are Lo’s Red Faction lamas and Shaolin Temple. Chou uses his influence to turn Lo against Shaolin in hopes that the two sides will kill each other off. Of course the plot eventually fails and Lo and his new Shaolin buddies come to make a house call, but must first contend with Chou’s right-hand man, the vicious Tin Sing wearing a lovely skull headband.

Despite some effort, there isn’t much to the plot of this film. All that anyone need know is that there is always another fight waiting just around the corner. The action is consistently undercranked (sped up) enough to look a bit silly at times. But the combat is impressive. There is almost always a crowd of fighters going at each other and they all seem to possess at least good acrobatic and screen fighting skills. There is an incredible amount of tumbling, aerial flips, and leaping kicks mixed in with endless spear, staff, and open-hand sparring. Lo Rei is constantly in the thick of it and performing quite well. The action is so relentless it can almost become monotonous unfortunately. It is a shame that the director didn’t break it up more, because if you can manage to stay focused, you’ll witness some incredible stuff. A few fights do stand out. The evil Tin Sing’s first major brawl has him blasting his way through a mob of Shaolin monks as he fires off one debilitating punch after another. This is followed by a great little tussle with a drunken monk character named Lu Tin-fan. This latter character has a great match with Lo Rei mid way through. A scene where three “Persian Killers” wielding spears who tunnel through sand and come bursting out is reminiscent of the wild action Robert Tai would employ in Ninja: The Final Duel (1986), part of a nine-hour epic also starring Lo. Alexander’s final match with Tin Sing is pretty spectacular and features some great finishing moves, but the last brawl against Alan Chui takes the prize. Chui’s character has nearly mastered the “iron skin” technique, making his body virtually impervious to attack. But just like Carter Wong’s character in Born Invincible, he has a single weak spot. This really adds zest to the fight as Lo struggles to locate it. The very last action shot in the film is really satisfying and definitely worth waiting for.

The film’s lousy production values actually work to the film’s advantage as they add camp value. The costumes are like late Venoms attire with a touch of vintage Sly and the Family Stone. The actual sets are gaudy disasters, particularly the Black Faction’s lair with its kindergarten paintings on the walls and this hideous Shiva-like statue with multiple arms. In contrast, the locations in and around Buddhist temples and ancient buildings are actually impressive. One could argue that the film looks cheaper than equivalent Hong Kong films, but there are more exterior, establishing shots of buildings unlike even late Shaw Brothers films that tended to awkwardly jump from artificial sets to barren outdoor locations.

In a word, Shaolin Temple against Lama is unstoppable. It’s over-the-top, martial arts nonsense in all its glory and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The plot could make more sense and the characters could be more unique, but the sheer volume of acrobatic combatants clobbering each other for nearly ninety minutes between short bursts of zany dialogue is more than enough reason to highly recommend this film.