Customer Reviews

Shaolin vs. Lama

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

" If I had not given it 5 stars, I would regard myself as an idiot!"

I came across this movie in a video store and had to get the DVD to add to my collection! The dubbing is beautifully done, and transfer to DVD id very good. FULL screen but hey, it's a great movie.

This movie is classic kung Fu. It has a great story and excellent fight scenes. There is drama, comedy, philosophy and it really gets the adrenaline pumping. A great blend of action with many, many kung fu styles.

"Allow me to demonstrate the skill of Shao-lin, the special technique of Shadow boxing!" Oh.. what a joy! No WIRES like today's so called stars. Yes, some trampoline is done but it is minimal, occurring in one or two of the countless scenes and does not take away from the fight scenes!

"loooky here.. Look who has become a Shaolin monk.. Are you ready to die now?" Then begins a pure attack that is unstoppable!

The villain's skill is breathtaking! If you know anything about fighting then you can see that this guy means business. He attacks with a series of blows, chops, kicks and punches to the vital organs in one smooth continuous movement which gives almost no chance to the opponent...PURE attack! Beautiful!

You will see many styles here tiger, snake, mantis, butterfly fist, monkey, sword techniques, Bhudda finger, drunken boxing...

Our hero is out if his depth.. His master tells him " Your kung fu is still poor- you won't last long out side!" J Ah.. the comedy!

Then the final encounter- masterly!

Thoroughly enjoyable. I watch it over and over... it is that good!

This is a very entertaining film from beginning to end.
Surprisingly enough, the story is as good as the actual fighting.
And the fighting scenes are definitely above average. The only reason I don't give it 5 Stars is because the "chicken" scenes
were annoying and the other villains were not impressive(to me).
For those Wu Tang Clan music fans...an audio sample is taken form this movie. "...The special technique of Shadow Boxing..."
I can't remember the exact quote but the guy who says it is the main reason you should buy this DVD. And according to the biography section of the DVD, the villain is a real life bad ass and has done prison time for fighting in real life.
Most fighting styles are represented in this movie:
Snake, butterfly, eagle claw, tiger fist, mantis, drunken style (2 secs worth) etc. etc. you have to watch closely for them.
Three words overall...get this movie.

I love this movie for its fighting styles and funny dialogue. Even though it was made somewhat 20+ years ago, it is still worth every penny today. My father owns this on VH-1 with others and I had to add this to my DVD collection. If you're a old school martial arts movie fan, I recommend this movie!

WOW


That's about all I can say.

There is almost no undercranking in this movie, a kung fu fans dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean there is a bit, but only to make the fists look a bit faster. But everything was as real as possible. If you are looking for the best action in a movie ever, you may find it here.

Also chen shan does these backwards superman 4 kick combo on an opponent in this. I have know idea how they did it, it the most unreal kick you have ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beware of Buddha Finger

Also like 8/11 people in this movie are absolutely ripped out of their minds, and when they do all these arm grabbing and body slamming, you will feel their power.

If you are looking for action this is easily a top ten kung fu movie, if you are looking for a good story go check out legend of a fighter or hero.

First off how can you not rate this a 5 star it has everything you want from comedy and kick ass martial arts.This is a must have dvd for yall martial arts fans im for real. this is the shiiiizzzzznitt.

I like this movie for my colection its not a venom movie but never the less its a great movie it does mention the secret I ching book (the book that has started martial arts over 5000 years ago)I used it to understand the breathing technique when I saw this movie...I would like to find some other movies I have not seen in a long time like:mad monkey kung fu(Gordon Liu's brother),kung fu fever(Gordon Liu),dragon tatoo conection (do not confuse with: tatoo dragon),master of violence(chi quan chun),macho man (with chi quan chun)

One of the best martial arts films ive seen. Full of action, great fight scenes, Alexander lo plays a great hero, and Alan Hsu again portrais one of the best martial arts villians I have seen. Amazing shaolin Kung fu, along with a deep and complex story line make this a must have for any collector or just fan.

This movie is really great! Fast action fighting, comical and just overall a great martial arts flick to watch! One of the best I've seen!

"I am Sung Yee-tung. I like kung fu, and I want to be your student," says wandering martial artist Sung Yee-tung (Alexander Lo Rei) who ever seeks to expand his skills and learn new fighting styles. Sung Yee-tung is a pretty brash dude - he hasn't lost a match in five years - and his modus operandi consists of challenging kung fu masters in duels, and only should they beat him would they be worthy of becoming his teacher. In helping a rascally young Shaolin monk out of a jam, Sung Yee-tung stumbles on a grouchy, grizzled Shaolin grandmaster whom he challenges into a fight. The old (but amazingly spry) grandmaster makes our guy eat his words and, in a really gross moment, the grandmaster's nasty stenchy foot as well. Except that the old monk refuses to take Sung Yee-tung on as his student. Many years ago a disciple had betrayed the Shaolin temple and stolen away with the secret Shaolin kung fu manual, and so the elder Shaolin monks have grown supremely paranoid.

Sung Yee-tung isn't only brash, he's pretty persistent. And several comedy bits unfold as he tries to trick the old monk into teaching him his martial arts moves. The old monk is a kooky old monk, kooky enough that he goes against the Shaolin tradition of avoiding red meat and alcohol. So we get scenes in which Sung Yee-tung is sparring with old monk while old monk is tearing into a chicken. At one point, old dude actually declares: "Buddha's name be praised. I enjoy good food and wine, and I love a fight." He ain't fibbin'.

What finally gets Sung Yee-tung an in is the return of Fan-lin, that very same disciple who betrayed the Shaolin temple so long ago. Except it turns out that Fan-lin (Chen Shan) is actually a Tibetan lama who infiltrated and turned on the Shaolin monks as payback for his master's death at the hands of a Shaolin abbot. Fan-lin now sports a villainous mustache and also heads up a powerful clan, and he means to wipe out all other fighting clans. Fan-lin's gaze falls on Sung Yee-tung when our guy ends up saving the daughter of a clan leader whom Fan-lin had targeted. At this stage, the eccentric old Shaolin grandmaster - who seems to prefer flipping his way onto a scene instead of walking on like normal God-fearing people - decides to teach Sung Yee-tung his craft. Sung Yee-tung converts to Buddhism, gets his head shaved, and rapidly learns just how woefully inferior he is in skills. Sung Yee-tung, no longer brash. It'll take all he's got to master the advanced Shaolin Buddha Finger technique. He'll need it to defeat the evil-mustached Fan-lin and the shiny tacky lama robe he strolled in on.

The Tibetan lama, the "traditional enemy of Shaolin"? Not so much. I mean, these cats are all monks, for cripes' sake. This so-called enmity was fabricated to add juice to the film. 1983's SHAOLIN VS. LAMA kicks it old school, and I think it's worth your time watching it. This is one of Alexander Lo Rei's best martial arts films, and he sells it with his kung fu and with his muscular frame. There's plenty of fights, with all but one participants convincing with their skills and their acrobatics. Really, only the clan leader's daughter comes off as weak in her wushu sword-fighting.

SHAOLIN VS. LAMA presents a predictable story and is primed with stock characters, but that doesn't stop William Yen (the young Shaolin monk sidekick) from providing good comic relief. I can't dis on the typically crazy arduous training montages, though, because I simply love those. But, in the actual fight sequences, can the fighters spit out any more fluids just to demonstrate how hard they were hit? For a minute, I thought I was watching a Buddha-blessed wine tasting flick.

I know Shaolin monks do this in every movie, but it tickled me how often they keep saying "Buddha's name be praised." The phrase seems to be a sort of blanket declarative; it covers a lot of ground. "Buddha's name be praised" could be a conversation ice breaker or it could punctuate a statement or even stand in for "Oh, snap! Our fellow monk here lies dead." It rather makes me want to punch a perfectly circular hole thru a dangling scroll with my Shaolin-trained knuckle. It's a fun movie.

This movie Shaolin vs. Lama has a variety of action in it, but the Villan had the advantage with the Army that he has with him. So, the main actor has a hard time to defeat the Villan. I gave the movie 5 stars, because of the action seens of Kung Fu been displayed in the movie.